Chapter 4: Research Philosophy and Methodology 4.2
Introduction to Research
According to Remenyi (2008), research is the formulation of a question, collection and interpretation of evidence and thus the creation of some finding/s in the pursuit of answering research questions. The research process is shown in Figure 4.1.
High level research question Detailed research questions Data required to answer the research questions Methods for data acquisition Techniques of data analysis
Figure 4.1 The steps from high level research questions to data analysis. Adopted from Remenyi and Bannister (2012)
Remenyi and Bannister (2012) point out that the logical chain from high level research to data analysis is an important one, both from a philosophical and practical point of view. However, to do good research, the social science researcher requires not only a process to follow, but also a mixture of skills and an ability to perform a diverse range of activities. Creswell (1998) argues that a social science researcher has to be able to work well with a wide variety of people, understand the specific methods available to conduct research, comprehend their subject matter, convince people that they are knowledgeable, scholarly and be able to speak and write persuasively. Wilson (1998) states that social science research is hyper complex; it is inherently far more difficult than chemistry and physics. Social science just seems easier because we can talk to other humans, but not with photons, gluons and sulphide radicals.
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