important feature of a good research plan

the importance of a good research plan

Have you ever embarked on a research project and found yourself struggling to stay on track, or feeling lost and unsure of what to do next? A research plan can help you avoid these challenges and ensure that your research project is a success.

In this article, we'll dive into the key features of a research plan, and outline the steps you can take to create one for your research project. Whether you're a student, researcher, or professional, you'll learn what is the importance of having a research plan and how to make one that will help you achieve your research goals.

What is a Research Plan in a Project Management?

A research plan in project management can be thought of as a blueprint for the research that will be done as part of the project. Essentially, it's a roadmap that outlines everything from the background of the project to the methods and techniques that will be used, to the timeline and resources required to carry out the research.

At its core, the purpose of a research plan is to make sure the research is organized, and systematic and contributes to the overall success of the project.

What are the 5 purposes of research?

Research is at the heart of human progress, and it serves a variety of purposes. Here are five key reasons why research is essential:

Knowledge Expansion

Research helps us better understand the world around us, uncovering new information and deepening our understanding of existing knowledge.

Problem Solving

Through research, we can identify the root causes of complex issues and develop innovative solutions to tackle them.

Policy Development

Research findings inform evidence-based policymaking, ensuring that decisions are grounded in data and best practices.

Technological Advancements

Scientific research paves the way for groundbreaking inventions and technological advancements that shape our lives.

Skill Development

The research process hones critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, which are essential in today's fast-paced, ever-changing world.

What are the methods of research?

Various research methods are available to choose from, depending on your research question and objectives. Here are a few common methods:

Qualitative Research

This method focuses on exploring human experiences and understanding the meanings people attach to their actions or surroundings. It often involves interviews, focus groups, and observations.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative research seeks to quantify data and analyze relationships between variables using statistical methods. Surveys, experiments, and numerical data analysis are common in this approach.

Mixed Methods

This approach combines both qualitative and quantitative methods, capitalizing on the strengths of each to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a research question.

Experimental Research

In this method, researchers manipulate one or more independent variables to observe their effect on a dependent variable, allowing for causal inferences.

Case Studies

Case studies involve an in-depth examination of a specific situation or example, offering rich insights into the complexities of real-world phenomena.

When selecting your research method, consider the goals and context of your study. Keep in mind that the choice of method can significantly impact the outcomes and conclusions drawn from your research.

What goes into a research plan?

Here are some of the key components you might expect to see in a research plan:

1.       Background: This section gives a brief overview of what the project is all about and why the research is being done.

2.      Objectives: Here, you'll find the clear and specific goals for the research, along with the questions that will be answered and the outcomes that are expected.

3.    Methods: This section lays out the different methods that will be used to gather information, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or experiments.

4.      Participants: You'll learn about the people who will be included in the research, along with the criteria for choosing them and how many participants there will be.

5.       Data collection: This section provides a detailed plan for how the data will be gathered, including the tools that will be used and the procedures for collecting and storing the information.

6.    Data analysis: Here, you'll find the plan for analyzing the data and what statistical methods will be used to do so.

7.       Timelines: This section outlines the schedule for carrying out the research, with deadlines for each step of the process.

8.      Budget: This part provides an estimate of the resources that will be required, including personnel, equipment, and materials.

9.       Ethical considerations: This section addresses important ethical issues, such as informed consent, confidentiality, and data protection.

Overall, a well-designed research plan is an essential part of successful project management, helping to minimize risk and reduce the chances of errors or delays.

Research Plan Features

Conducting a study can be compared to planning a road trip with your friends. Just like a well-planned road trip, a successful study requires a solid research plan. A research plan acts as a roadmap that guides you through the entire process, from start to finish, to ensure a successful outcome.

A study can have unexpected challenges and obstacles. For example, you may encounter bad weather or road closures on your trip. In a study, you may encounter unexpected challenges, like missing data or a lack of participants. But, with a well-planned research plan, you'll be prepared to handle these challenges and keep moving forward toward your destination.

Just like reaching your destination on a road trip, a successful study requires patience and persistence. You may encounter detours and delays, but with a clear roadmap, you'll be able to reach your destination. In a study, you may encounter setbacks, but with a solid research plan, you'll be able to overcome these challenges and achieve a successful outcome.

Here are some of the key features you need to include in your research plan:

Feature 1: Objectives and Goals - The Destination

Your research objectives and goals are like the destination you're trying to reach on your road trip. Just as you need to know where you're headed, your research plan should clearly define what you hope to achieve through your study. This includes defining the questions you want to answer, the outcomes you expect to see, and the impact you aim to have.

For example, if you're studying the effects of a new drug on patients with a specific illness, your objectives and goals might be to determine the drug's effectiveness and safety.

Feature 2: Methodology - The Route

Your methodology outlines the methods and techniques you'll use to conduct your study, just like choosing the best route for your road trip. This includes the study design, sample size, data collection methods, and analysis techniques. The methodology should be chosen based on your research question, available resources , and limitations of your study.

For example, if you're studying the impact of a new teaching method on student performance, your methodology might include conducting a randomized control trial to compare the new method to traditional teaching methods.

Feature 3: Timelines and Budgets - The Map

Your timelines and budgets act as the map you'll use to plan your road trip. Your research plan should include a schedule of when each aspect of your study will be completed and the resources you'll need to complete the project. These should be realistic and achievable, allowing for contingencies in case of unexpected events.

For example, if you're conducting a study on the effects of a new environmental policy on air quality, your timeline might include conducting air quality tests before and after the policy is implemented, and your budget might include the cost of the tests, equipment, and labor.

How to Write a Research Plan

Writing a research plan can seem overwhelming, especially if you're just starting. But trust me, having a solid plan in place will make the whole research process a lot smoother. A research plan is just a roadmap for your research project - it outlines your goals, the methods you'll use to achieve them, and the timeline for getting everything done.

So, where do you even begin with creating a research plan? Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Step 1: Find Your Focus - Define the Research Question

Before you dive into any research project, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. The first step is to define the research question - this will serve as the cornerstone of your project. When formulating your research question, think about the problem you want to solve and how you want to approach it. It's important to make sure your research question is relevant, feasible, and aligns with the overall goals of your project.

Example: If you're interested in exploring the impact of social media on mental health, your research question could be "How does social media usage affect the mental well-being of young adults?"

Step 2: Get to Know the Literature - Review the Literature

Next, you'll want to familiarize yourself with what's already out there on your topic. This is where the literature review comes in - it will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what's already known and what still needs to be explored. The literature review involves searching academic journals, books, and other sources for information on your topic. By the end of this step, you'll have a solid foundation of knowledge and a better idea of the gaps in the existing knowledge that your research project will fill.

Example: If your research question is about the impact of social media on mental health, you could search for articles and studies that have looked at the relationship between social media usage and mental well-being.

Step 3: Plan Your Attack - Develop the Methodology

Now that you have a good understanding of your topic and what's already out there, it's time to develop a plan for your research project. This is where you'll decide on the research design, sample size, data collection methods, and analysis techniques that will best address your research question. Your methodology should be based on the literature review and should be feasible, ethical, and reliable.

Example: If you're exploring the impact of social media on mental health, you could use a survey to gather data from young adults on their social media usage and mental well-being. You could also use statistical analysis to identify patterns and relationships between these variables.

Step 4: Get Organized - Prepare the Timeline and Budget

Finally, it's time to put all the pieces together and prepare a timeline and budget for your research project. This involves estimating the resources you'll need for each aspect of your project and creating a schedule for completing it. When developing your timeline and budget, it's important to be realistic, achievable, and flexible. Make sure to allow for unexpected events and contingencies.

Example: If you're exploring the impact of social media on mental health, your timeline could include steps like designing the survey, recruiting participants, collecting and analyzing data, and writing up the results. Your budget could include the cost of survey software, printing, and any other resources you'll need to complete the project.

How do you write a research plan on Edworking?

We understand the importance of a good research plan and how it can make or break your work. But where to begin? Enter Edworking, the all-in-one productivity platform that makes planning and executing research projects a breeze. In this article, we'll guide you on how to write a research plan on Edworking while providing helpful resources to empower you throughout the process.

Define your research objective

Before diving headfirst into the sea of research, it's essential to know your destination. What do you want to achieve with your research? By defining clear objectives, you'll be able to stay focused and streamline your efforts. Use Edworking's task management feature to create tasks and milestones for your objectives, keeping your research plan on track.

Identify your research questions

Once you've set your objectives, it's time to dig deeper. What are the burning questions that need answers? Listing these questions will help you stay on course and ensure you're gathering the right information. Try using the Stories feature in Edworking to share your questions with your team, encouraging open discussion and collaboration.

Outline your methodology

In the world of research, methodology is king. Decide which methods you'll use to collect and analyze data, and consider the ethical implications of your choices. Will you conduct interviews, surveys, or observe from afar? With Edworking's workspace, you can document your methodology in real-time, collaborate with your team, and even publish it as a blog.

Allocate resources and set a timeline

A good research plan needs a realistic timeline and proper resource allocation. Estimate how long each task will take, and assign resources accordingly. Edworking's task management tool lets you assign tasks to team members, track progress, and communicate updates seamlessly.

Monitor and adjust your research plan

Life is full of surprises, and your research plan is no exception. Keep an eye on your progress, and be ready to adapt to new information or unexpected obstacles. By using Edworking's integrated communication tools, you'll be able to pivot and make adjustments in real time, ensuring your research plan stays on course.

In conclusion, writing a research plan on Edworking is a walk in the park when you follow these steps. The platform's integrated features provide everything you need to create, manage, and execute your research plans, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: the success of your project. So, why wait? Sign up for a free demo on Edworking today and bring your research plans to life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article on the importance of a good research plan. I hope you found it informative and helpful in your research journey. Remember, a solid research plan is the key to a successful research project and can make all the difference in achieving your goals and objectives.

If you're looking for a tool to help you create a research plan that's both well-structured and effective, I highly recommend checking out Edworking . This online platform provides you with all the tools you need to create a comprehensive research plan. With Edworking, you'll be able to streamline the research planning process and ensure that your project is a success. So why not give it a try today and see how it can help you reach your research destination with ease and confidence!

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• A Research Guide
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How to Write a Research Plan

• Research plan definition
• Purpose of a research plan
• Research plan structure
• Step-by-step writing guide

Tips for creating a research plan

• Research plan examples

Research plan: definition and significance

What is the purpose of a research plan.

• Bridging gaps in the existing knowledge related to their subject.
• Reinforcing established research about their subject.
• Introducing insights that contribute to subject understanding.

Research plan structure & template

Introduction.

• What is the existing knowledge about the subject?
• What gaps remain unanswered?
• How will your research enrich understanding, practice, and policy?

Literature review

Expected results.

• Express how your research can challenge established theories in your field.
• Highlight how your work lays the groundwork for future research endeavors.
• Emphasize how your work can potentially address real-world problems.

5 Steps to crafting an effective research plan

Step 1: define the project purpose, step 2: select the research method, step 3: manage the task and timeline, step 4: write a summary, step 5: plan the result presentation.

• Brainstorm Collaboratively: Initiate a collective brainstorming session with peers or experts. Outline the essential questions that warrant exploration and answers within your research.
• Prioritize and Feasibility: Evaluate the list of questions and prioritize those that are achievable and important. Focus on questions that can realistically be addressed.
• Define Key Terminology: Define technical terms pertinent to your research, fostering a shared understanding. Ensure that terms like “church” or “unreached people group” are well-defined to prevent ambiguity.
• Organize your approach: Once well-acquainted with your institution’s regulations, organize each aspect of your research by these guidelines. Allocate appropriate word counts for different sections and components of your research paper.

Research plan example

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Rhode island school of design, create a research plan: research plan.

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A research plan is a framework that shows how you intend to approach your topic. The plan can take many forms: a written outline, a narrative, a visual/concept map or timeline. It's a document that will change and develop as you conduct your research. Components of a research plan

1. Research conceptualization - introduces your research question

2. Research methodology - describes your approach to the research question

3. Literature review, critical evaluation and synthesis - systematic approach to locating,

    reviewing and evaluating the work (text, exhibitions, critiques, etc) relating to your topic

4. Communication - geared toward an intended audience, shows evidence of your inquiry

Research conceptualization refers to the ability to identify specific research questions, problems or opportunities that are worthy of inquiry. Research conceptualization also includes the skills and discipline that go beyond the initial moment of conception, and which enable the researcher to formulate and develop an idea into something researchable ( Newbury 373).

Research methodology refers to the knowledge and skills required to select and apply appropriate methods to carry through the research project ( Newbury 374) .

Method describes a single mode of proceeding; methodology describes the overall process.

Method - a way of doing anything especially according to a defined and regular plan; a mode of procedure in any activity

Methodology - the study of the direction and implications of empirical research, or the sustainability of techniques employed in it; a method or body of methods used in a particular field of study or activity *Browse a list of research methodology books  or this guide on Art & Design Research

Literature Review, critical evaluation & synthesis

A literature review is a systematic approach to locating, reviewing, and evaluating the published work and work in progress of scholars, researchers, and practitioners on a given topic.

Critical evaluation and synthesis is the ability to handle (or process) existing sources. It includes knowledge of the sources of literature and contextual research field within which the person is working ( Newbury 373).

Literature reviews are done for many reasons and situations. Here's a short list:

Sources to consult while conducting a literature review:

Online catalogs of local, regional, national, and special libraries

meta-catalogs such as worldcat , Art Discovery Group , europeana , world digital library or RIBA

subject-specific online article databases (such as the Avery Index, JSTOR, Project Muse)

digital institutional repositories such as Digital Commons @RISD ; see Registry of Open Access Repositories

Open Access Resources recommended by RISD Research LIbrarians

works cited in scholarly books and articles

print bibliographies

the internet-locate major nonprofit, research institutes, museum, university, and government websites

search google scholar to locate grey literature & referenced citations

trade and scholarly publishers

fellow scholars and peers

Communication                              

Communication refers to the ability to

• structure a coherent line of inquiry
• communicate your findings to your intended audience
• make skilled use of visual material to express ideas for presentations, writing, and the creation of exhibitions ( Newbury 374)

Research plan framework: Newbury, Darren. "Research Training in the Creative Arts and Design." The Routledge Companion to Research in the Arts . Ed. Michael Biggs and Henrik Karlsson. New York: Routledge, 2010. 368-87. Print.

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Developing a Research Plan

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The Research Plan

Where to start with scholarly research, expectations for research, scholarly vs. popular sources, grey literature, primary vs. secondary sources, preliminary research.

• Create a Plan

A good essay is grounded in good research, which requires clear direction, patience and persistence.

Research helps you to focus your topic, formulate and refine your thesis, and discover details, opinions, and facts to support your overall argument. You are better equipped to search for and sort sources when you have made decisions about your topic and developed a working thesis.

It is important that your research be accurate, reliable, relevant, and, for many disciplines, recent. The quality of your research determines the efficacy of your argument and your instructor’s assessment of your work.

Maintaining your academic integrity is an important factor that is assessed by your professors. The sources you use must be properly documented, accurately communicated, and clearly explained in relation to your topic and thesis. You are less likely to copy the text word for word or paraphrase too closely if you have spent some time thinking about how the research will inform your thesis and if you think carefully about your research process

Types of Sources

Many assignments will require you to focus primarily on scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. Check with your professor or the assignment instructions for guidance on using popular sources. 

Scholarly sources are supported by the peer review process, which means they are sources that have been evaluated by other experts in the same field.

Scholarly sources:

• Are written by and for academics
• Ensure that data is thoroughly checked
• Cite all evidence
• Make arguments which are supported by research
• Meet conventions of scholarship in the discipline
• Are written in formal, academic language

Popular sources are written for a wider, general audience and are more informal in tone. Sources like newspaper articles, documentaries and corporate websites are not scholarly, but they can offer useful information that you can include in your analysis alongside evidence presented by scholarly sources.

Grey literature is produced by entities whose main task is NOT publishing. Industry, think tanks, government departments, scholarly societies and associations can all produce grey literature. Grey literature can include reports, working papers, newsletters, government documents, speeches, white papers, and urban plans. Grey literature also includes newsletters, emails, blogs and other social networking sites. In addition to scholarly sources, grey literature can offer valuable evidence to your essay, but be sure to consider whether its use is appropriate for the discipline, the course, or the assignment.

In some disciplines, such as history, philosophy, or English literature, it is important to distinguish between primary and secondary sources.

Primary sources are original, first-hand materials. A primary source may be a government document, census data, a short story, old letters, or a piece of art.

Secondary source s are articles, editorials, textbooks, books, and other published materials that may interpret data, works of literature, ideas or events.

You may need to do preliminary research to find or refine a topic. Some early reading can help you narrow your focus, establish research questions, and avoid the frustration of directionless research.

Places to Start  

• Begin with course materials. The syllabus, required or recommended readings, textbooks and lecture notes will often provide ideas for a topic, while focusing on the major themes of your course.
• During the early stages of research, you can use reference works, such as discipline-specific textbooks, encyclopedias and dictionaries, or Wikipedia, for an introduction to your topic. Use the library subject guide to find useful reference works in your subject. Be sure that only material from your scholarly research, not Wikipedia , is used and cited in your paper.

The materials found during the preliminary research stage can help you to identify main concepts, key terminology, and important literature on the topic.

Planning your Research

A plan establishes research goals and clarifies direction.

A clear direction and plan for research helps you assess the quality and relevance of sources. 

Creating a Research Plan

In advance of beginning a search for evidence, take time to make a plan.

• Develop specific questions about your topic: what do you want to know and how does it relate to your thesis?
• Create a list of key words and synonyms for your search. Include specific and more general terms; establish parameters for your search (place, time, theory, field, species) but be open to related materials.
• Identify types of evidence you are required to use (research requirements of the assignment) and you will find informative for your topic. Think about where you can find these types of sources.

Look to your course content to identify the types of sources commonly used in the discipline; here are some examples:

• Peer-Reviewed scholarship: Argumentative articles, clinical trials, empirical articles (use library databases, google scholar)
• Numerical and financial data: export data, quality of life measures (see library subject guides
• Visual records (maps, old photographs, film)
• NGO documents: Stakeholder reports, Best practice documents
• Government documents: laws, legislation, reports

Research Plan worksheet - Accessible version (Word doc)

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The value of a good research plan

A research plan is a guiding framework that can make or break the efficiency and success of your research project. Oftentimes teams avoid them because they’ve earned a reputation as a dry or actionless document — however, this doesn’t have to be the case.

In this article, we’ll go over the most important aspects of a good research plan and show you how they can be visual and actionable with monday.com Work OS.

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Why is the research plan pivotal to a research project.

A research plan is pivotal to a research project because it identifies and helps define your focus, method, and goals while also outlining the research project from start to finish.

This type of plan is often necessary to:

• Apply for grants or internal company funding.
• Discover possible research partners or business partners.
• Take your research from an idea into reality.

It will also control the entire journey of the research project through every stage by defining crucial research questions and the hypothesis (theory) that you’ll strive to prove or disprove.

What goes into a research plan?

The contents of a thorough research plan should include a hypothesis, methodology, and more. There is some variation between academic and commercial research, but these are common elements:

• Hypothesis:  the problem you are trying to solve and the basis for a theoretical solution. For example, if I reduce my intake of calories, I’ll lose weight.
• Research questions: research questions help guide your investigation into particular issues. If you were looking into the potential impact of outsourcing production, you might ask something like: how would outsourcing impact our production costs?
• Research method: the method you’ll use to get the data for your research. For example, a case study, survey, interviews, a clinical trial, or user tests.
• Definitions: a glossary for the research plan, explaining the terminology that you use throughout the document.
• Conceptual frameworks:  a conceptual framework helps illustrate what you think you’ll discover with your research. In a sense, it’s a visual representation of a more complex hypothesis.

For commercial plans, there will also likely be a budget and timeline estimate, as well as concrete hypothetical benefits for the company (such as how much money the project should save you).

OK, so you’ve got a handle on the building blocks of a research plan, but how should you actually write it?

How do you write a research plan on monday.com?

The first, and perhaps most crucial part of having a good research plan is having the right medium for creating and sharing it. Using a pre-defined template can also make it much easier to get started.

On monday.com, you can choose from several templates like the Project Proposal Template or better yet the Research Power Tools Template to manage all aspects of your project including important communication with internal and external stakeholders and teammates.

Use your template to:

• Create workdocs
• Upload assets
• Provide feedback
• Assign task owners
• Automate communication

The next step in writing a research plan is choosing the topic. To pick the right topic, focus on these factors:

• What are the priorities of the potential funder/employer, such as the company or institution?
• Are there any relevant recent studies with results you can build on and explore with further research?
• Can you creatively adapt your experience — whether post-grad or professional — to make you the natural candidate? They don’t just need to believe in the research project, but also in your ability to manage it successfully.

Do your research, no pun intended. Once you’ve got the topic, you need to work on fleshing out the core ideas with the building blocks we mentioned above.

• Get specific with your research questions and goals. Don’t go with, “how can we revolutionize our HR practices?” Instead use, “what is the economic and environmental impact of only accepting digital CVs?”
• Use clear language aimed at gatekeepers.  If it’s a CTO (Chief Technology Officer) or a lab committee, you can use well-known technical terms. If they aren’t technical experts, adjust accordingly.
• Include preliminary data or highlight similar studies.  For companies, showing that a similar approach helped a competitor is a better argument than an empty assertion.

The recommended length of the plan depends on who you’re sending it to and their expectations. If possible, look at successful examples or directly ask your potential employers about their preferences. Not only do you need the right idea, but you also need to present it in the right way for your research project to have a fighting chance.

What is a good research plan?

A good research plan is one that gets accepted and funded to start doing the research.

If you want to plan a pivotal study, it’s not enough to consider the problem in a vacuum. You also need to evaluate how you can best communicate the value of your project to the gatekeepers.

Consider the entirety of your current situation and what that means for your project.

For example, inputs like funding, staff, IP, and how the scale of the project lines up with your company’s research budget. Or how it aligns with the goals of a University program. If the primary goal of the research is to impact a company or government agency directly, you should consider these stages of research engagement.

( Image Source )

• Inputs: anything from funding and staff to company IP that you need to both run the project and implement any results. Does this line up with the budget?
• Activities: case studies, trials, surveys, the actual research.
• Outputs: the final reports, any publications, and raw data.
• Outcome: how will it directly impact the company, organization, or larger society?
• Impacts: what are the indirect benefits or downsides?

In an internal research proposal, you can outline these aspects in separate sections. That allows different execs or managers to focus on the details that matter most to them. You must also work to engage stakeholders  and make sure that they understand the importance of your project.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 5 purposes of research.

The 2 primary purposes of research are to gather information or test an existing theory. When broken down further, you can see 5 more specific purposes:

• Exploratory research  is an early-stage inquiry that explores a topic for further study down the line, like exploring the deep ocean with a submersible vehicle.
• Descriptive research  aims to explore and describe a specific substance, person, or phenomenon.
• Explanatory research  is about figuring out the causal relationship, why something happens.
• Predictive research  is all about trying to predict what might happen in specific situations based on the properties of the research object.
• Meta-research  looks for overarching insights from multiple sources and tests the validity of common hypotheses.

What is a research work plan?

A research work plan is another name for a research plan, which is a critical component of any research proposal. Universities, labs, and companies use them to evaluate research projects before they decide to accept them.

As a researcher, it’s essential when targeting a funding opportunity of any kind.

What are the methods of research?

There are many research methods ranging from a simple online survey to a high-budget clinical study. Here are some examples of popular data collection methods:

• Clinical trials
• Experiments
• Case studies
• Observations

Which one is right for your plan depends on your hypothesis, goals, industry regulations, and more.

Create a dynamic research plan

If you want to turn your research project into a reality, you need to go beyond the academic and into management mode.

With a template from monday.com, you can plan out a research project from start to finish. Including goals and objectives, budget estimates, milestones, and more.

Send this article to someone who’d like it.

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The critical steps for successful research: The research proposal and scientific writing: (A report on the pre-conference workshop held in conjunction with the 64 th annual conference of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress-2012)

Pitchai balakumar.

Pharmacology Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Semeling, 08100 Bedong. Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia

Mohammed Naseeruddin Inamdar

1 Department of Pharmacology, Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Gowraganahalli Jagadeesh

2 Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, USA

An interactive workshop on ‘The Critical Steps for Successful Research: The Research Proposal and Scientific Writing’ was conducted in conjunction with the 64 th Annual Conference of the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress-2012 at Chennai, India. In essence, research is performed to enlighten our understanding of a contemporary issue relevant to the needs of society. To accomplish this, a researcher begins search for a novel topic based on purpose, creativity, critical thinking, and logic. This leads to the fundamental pieces of the research endeavor: Question, objective, hypothesis, experimental tools to test the hypothesis, methodology, and data analysis. When correctly performed, research should produce new knowledge. The four cornerstones of good research are the well-formulated protocol or proposal that is well executed, analyzed, discussed and concluded. This recent workshop educated researchers in the critical steps involved in the development of a scientific idea to its successful execution and eventual publication.

INTRODUCTION

Creativity and critical thinking are of particular importance in scientific research. Basically, research is original investigation undertaken to gain knowledge and understand concepts in major subject areas of specialization, and includes the generation of ideas and information leading to new or substantially improved scientific insights with relevance to the needs of society. Hence, the primary objective of research is to produce new knowledge. Research is both theoretical and empirical. It is theoretical because the starting point of scientific research is the conceptualization of a research topic and development of a research question and hypothesis. Research is empirical (practical) because all of the planned studies involve a series of observations, measurements, and analyses of data that are all based on proper experimental design.[ 1 – 9 ]

The subject of this report is to inform readers of the proceedings from a recent workshop organized by the 64 th Annual conference of the ‘ Indian Pharmaceutical Congress ’ at SRM University, Chennai, India, from 05 to 06 December 2012. The objectives of the workshop titled ‘The Critical Steps for Successful Research: The Research Proposal and Scientific Writing,’ were to assist participants in developing a strong fundamental understanding of how best to develop a research or study protocol, and communicate those research findings in a conference setting or scientific journal. Completing any research project requires meticulous planning, experimental design and execution, and compilation and publication of findings in the form of a research paper. All of these are often unfamiliar to naïve researchers; thus, the purpose of this workshop was to teach participants to master the critical steps involved in the development of an idea to its execution and eventual publication of the results (See the last section for a list of learning objectives).

THE STRUCTURE OF THE WORKSHOP

The two-day workshop was formatted to include key lectures and interactive breakout sessions that focused on protocol development in six subject areas of the pharmaceutical sciences. This was followed by sessions on scientific writing. DAY 1 taught the basic concepts of scientific research, including: (1) how to formulate a topic for research and to describe the what, why , and how of the protocol, (2) biomedical literature search and review, (3) study designs, statistical concepts, and result analyses, and (4) publication ethics. DAY 2 educated the attendees on the basic elements and logistics of writing a scientific paper and thesis, and preparation of poster as well as oral presentations.

The final phase of the workshop was the ‘Panel Discussion,’ including ‘Feedback/Comments’ by participants. There were thirteen distinguished speakers from India and abroad. Approximately 120 post-graduate and pre-doctoral students, young faculty members, and scientists representing industries attended the workshop from different parts of the country. All participants received a printed copy of the workshop manual and supporting materials on statistical analyses of data.

THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF RESEARCH: THE KEY TO GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH

A research project generally comprises four key components: (1) writing a protocol, (2) performing experiments, (3) tabulating and analyzing data, and (4) writing a thesis or manuscript for publication.

Fundamentals in the research process

A protocol, whether experimental or clinical, serves as a navigator that evolves from a basic outline of the study plan to become a qualified research or grant proposal. It provides the structural support for the research. Dr. G. Jagadeesh (US FDA), the first speaker of the session, spoke on ‘ Fundamentals in research process and cornerstones of a research project .’ He discussed at length the developmental and structural processes in preparing a research protocol. A systematic and step-by-step approach is necessary in planning a study. Without a well-designed protocol, there would be a little chance for successful completion of a research project or an experiment.

Research topic

The first and the foremost difficult task in research is to identify a topic for investigation. The research topic is the keystone of the entire scientific enterprise. It begins the project, drives the entire study, and is crucial for moving the project forward. It dictates the remaining elements of the study [ Table 1 ] and thus, it should not be too narrow or too broad or unfocused. Because of these potential pitfalls, it is essential that a good or novel scientific idea be based on a sound concept. Creativity, critical thinking, and logic are required to generate new concepts and ideas in solving a research problem. Creativity involves critical thinking and is associated with generating many ideas. Critical thinking is analytical, judgmental, and involves evaluating choices before making a decision.[ 4 ] Thus, critical thinking is convergent type thinking that narrows and refines those divergent ideas and finally settles to one idea for an in-depth study. The idea on which a research project is built should be novel, appropriate to achieve within the existing conditions, and useful to the society at large. Therefore, creativity and critical thinking assist biomedical scientists in research that results in funding support, novel discovery, and publication.[ 1 , 4 ]

Elements of a study protocol

Research question

The next most crucial aspect of a study protocol is identifying a research question. It should be a thought-provoking question. The question sets the framework. It emerges from the title, findings/results, and problems observed in previous studies. Thus, mastering the literature, attendance at conferences, and discussion in journal clubs/seminars are sources for developing research questions. Consider the following example in developing related research questions from the research topic.

Hepatoprotective activity of Terminalia arjuna and Apium graveolens on paracetamol-induced liver damage in albino rats.

How is paracetamol metabolized in the body? Does it involve P450 enzymes? How does paracetamol cause liver injury? What are the mechanisms by which drugs can alleviate liver damage? What biochemical parameters are indicative of liver injury? What major endogenous inflammatory molecules are involved in paracetamol-induced liver damage?

A research question is broken down into more precise objectives. The objectives lead to more precise methods and definition of key terms. The objectives should be SMART-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-framed,[ 10 ] and should cover the entire breadth of the project. The objectives are sometimes organized into hierarchies: Primary, secondary, and exploratory; or simply general and specific. Study the following example:

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of single oral doses of compound X in normal volunteers.

To assess the pharmacokinetic profile of compound X following single oral doses.

To evaluate the incidence of peripheral edema reported as an adverse event.

The objectives and research questions are then formulated into a workable or testable hypothesis. The latter forces us to think carefully about what comparisons will be needed to answer the research question, and establishes the format for applying statistical tests to interpret the results. The hypothesis should link a process to an existing or postulated biologic pathway. A hypothesis is written in a form that can yield measurable results. Studies that utilize statistics to compare groups of data should have a hypothesis. Consider the following example:

• The hepatoprotective activity of Terminalia arjuna is superior to that of Apium graveolens against paracetamol-induced liver damage in albino rats.

All biological research, including discovery science, is hypothesis-driven. However, not all studies need be conducted with a hypothesis. For example, descriptive studies (e.g., describing characteristics of a plant, or a chemical compound) do not need a hypothesis.[ 1 ]

Relevance of the study

Another important section to be included in the protocol is ‘significance of the study.’ Its purpose is to justify the need for the research that is being proposed (e.g., development of a vaccine for a disease). In summary, the proposed study should demonstrate that it represents an advancement in understanding and that the eventual results will be meaningful, contribute to the field, and possibly even impact society.

Biomedical literature

A literature search may be defined as the process of examining published sources of information on a research or review topic, thesis, grant application, chemical, drug, disease, or clinical trial, etc. The quantity of information available in print or electronically (e.g., the internet) is immense and growing with time. A researcher should be familiar with the right kinds of databases and search engines to extract the needed information.[ 3 , 6 ]

Dr. P. Balakumar (Institute of Pharmacy, Rajendra Institute of Technology and Sciences, Sirsa, Haryana; currently, Faculty of Pharmacy, AIMST University, Malaysia) spoke on ‘ Biomedical literature: Searching, reviewing and referencing .’ He schematically explained the basis of scientific literature, designing a literature review, and searching literature. After an introduction to the genesis and diverse sources of scientific literature searches, the use of PubMed, one of the premier databases used for biomedical literature searches world-wide, was illustrated with examples and screenshots. Several companion databases and search engines are also used for finding information related to health sciences, and they include Embase, Web of Science, SciFinder, The Cochrane Library, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Scopus, and Google Scholar.[ 3 ] Literature searches using alternative interfaces for PubMed such as GoPubMed, Quertle, PubFocus, Pubget, and BibliMed were discussed. The participants were additionally informed of databases on chemistry, drugs and drug targets, clinical trials, toxicology, and laboratory animals (reviewed in ref[ 3 ]).

Referencing and bibliography are essential in scientific writing and publication.[ 7 ] Referencing systems are broadly classified into two major types, such as Parenthetical and Notation systems. Parenthetical referencing is also known as Harvard style of referencing, while Vancouver referencing style and ‘Footnote’ or ‘Endnote’ are placed under Notation referencing systems. The participants were educated on each referencing system with examples.

Bibliography management

Dr. Raj Rajasekaran (University of California at San Diego, CA, USA) enlightened the audience on ‘ bibliography management ’ using reference management software programs such as Reference Manager ® , Endnote ® , and Zotero ® for creating and formatting bibliographies while writing a manuscript for publication. The discussion focused on the use of bibliography management software in avoiding common mistakes such as incomplete references. Important steps in bibliography management, such as creating reference libraries/databases, searching for references using PubMed/Google scholar, selecting and transferring selected references into a library, inserting citations into a research article and formatting bibliographies, were presented. A demonstration of Zotero®, a freely available reference management program, included the salient features of the software, adding references from PubMed using PubMed ID, inserting citations and formatting using different styles.

Writing experimental protocols

The workshop systematically instructed the participants in writing ‘ experimental protocols ’ in six disciplines of Pharmaceutical Sciences.: (1) Pharmaceutical Chemistry (presented by Dr. P. V. Bharatam, NIPER, Mohali, Punjab); (2) Pharmacology (presented by Dr. G. Jagadeesh and Dr. P. Balakumar); (3) Pharmaceutics (presented by Dr. Jayant Khandare, Piramal Life Sciences, Mumbai); (4) Pharmacy Practice (presented by Dr. Shobha Hiremath, Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru); (5) Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry (presented by Dr. Salma Khanam, Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru); and (6) Pharmaceutical Analysis (presented by Dr. Saranjit Singh, NIPER, Mohali, Punjab). The purpose of the research plan is to describe the what (Specific Aims/Objectives), why (Background and Significance), and how (Design and Methods) of the proposal.

The research plan should answer the following questions: (a) what do you intend to do; (b) what has already been done in general, and what have other researchers done in the field; (c) why is this worth doing; (d) how is it innovative; (e) what will this new work add to existing knowledge; and (f) how will the research be accomplished?

In general, the format used by the faculty in all subjects is shown in Table 2 .

Elements of a research protocol

Biostatistics

Biostatistics is a key component of biomedical research. Highly reputed journals like The Lancet, BMJ, Journal of the American Medical Association, and many other biomedical journals include biostatisticians on their editorial board or reviewers list. This indicates that a great importance is given for learning and correctly employing appropriate statistical methods in biomedical research. The post-lunch session on day 1 of the workshop was largely committed to discussion on ‘ Basic biostatistics .’ Dr. R. Raveendran (JIPMER, Puducherry) and Dr. Avijit Hazra (PGIMER, Kolkata) reviewed, in parallel sessions, descriptive statistics, probability concepts, sample size calculation, choosing a statistical test, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and ‘ P ’ values, parametric and non-parametric statistical tests, including analysis of variance (ANOVA), t tests, Chi-square test, type I and type II errors, correlation and regression, and summary statistics. This was followed by a practice and demonstration session. Statistics CD, compiled by Dr. Raveendran, was distributed to the participants before the session began and was demonstrated live. Both speakers worked on a variety of problems that involved both clinical and experimental data. They discussed through examples the experimental designs encountered in a variety of studies and statistical analyses performed for different types of data. For the benefit of readers, we have summarized statistical tests applied frequently for different experimental designs and post-hoc tests [ Figure 1 ].

Conceptual framework for statistical analyses of data. Of the two kinds of variables, qualitative (categorical) and quantitative (numerical), qualitative variables (nominal or ordinal) are not normally distributed. Numerical data that come from normal distributions are analyzed using parametric tests, if not; the data are analyzed using non-parametric tests. The most popularly used Student's t -test compares the means of two populations, data for this test could be paired or unpaired. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to compare the means of three or more independent populations that are normally distributed. Applying t test repeatedly in pair (multiple comparison), to compare the means of more than two populations, will increase the probability of type I error (false positive). In this case, for proper interpretation, we need to adjust the P values. Repeated measures ANOVA is used to compare the population means if more than two observations coming from same subject over time. The null hypothesis is rejected with a ‘ P ’ value of less than 0.05, and the difference in population means is considered to be statistically significant. Subsequently, appropriate post-hoc tests are used for pairwise comparisons of population means. Two-way or three-way ANOVA are considered if two (diet, dose) or three (diet, dose, strain) independent factors, respectively, are analyzed in an experiment (not described in the Figure). Categorical nominal unmatched variables (counts or frequencies) are analyzed by Chi-square test (not shown in the Figure)

Research and publication ethics

The legitimate pursuit of scientific creativity is unfortunately being marred by a simultaneous increase in scientific misconduct. A disproportionate share of allegations involves scientists of many countries, and even from respected laboratories. Misconduct destroys faith in science and scientists and creates a hierarchy of fraudsters. Investigating misconduct also steals valuable time and resources. In spite of these facts, most researchers are not aware of publication ethics.

Day 1 of the workshop ended with a presentation on ‘ research and publication ethics ’ by Dr. M. K. Unnikrishnan (College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal). He spoke on the essentials of publication ethics that included plagiarism (attempting to take credit of the work of others), self-plagiarism (multiple publications by an author on the same content of work with slightly different wordings), falsification (manipulation of research data and processes and omitting critical data or results), gift authorship (guest authorship), ghostwriting (someone other than the named author (s) makes a major contribution), salami publishing (publishing many papers, with minor differences, from the same study), and sabotage (distracting the research works of others to halt their research completion). Additionally, Dr. Unnikrishnan pointed out the ‘ Ingelfinger rule ’ of stipulating that a scientist must not submit the same original research in two different journals. He also advised the audience that authorship is not just credit for the work but also responsibility for scientific contents of a paper. Although some Indian Universities are instituting preventive measures (e.g., use of plagiarism detecting software, Shodhganga digital archiving of doctoral theses), Dr. Unnikrishnan argued for a great need to sensitize young researchers on the nature and implications of scientific misconduct. Finally, he discussed methods on how editors and peer reviewers should ethically conduct themselves while managing a manuscript for publication.

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION: THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING OF FINDINGS

Research outcomes are measured through quality publications. Scientists must not only ‘do’ science but must ‘write’ science. The story of the project must be told in a clear, simple language weaving in previous work done in the field, answering the research question, and addressing the hypothesis set forth at the beginning of the study. Scientific publication is an organic process of planning, researching, drafting, revising, and updating the current knowledge for future perspectives. Writing a research paper is no easier than the research itself. The lectures of Day 2 of the workshop dealt with the basic elements and logistics of writing a scientific paper.

An overview of paper structure and thesis writing

Dr. Amitabh Prakash (Adis, Auckland, New Zealand) spoke on ‘ Learning how to write a good scientific paper .’ His presentation described the essential components of an original research paper and thesis (e.g., introduction, methods, results, and discussion [IMRaD]) and provided guidance on the correct order, in which data should appear within these sections. The characteristics of a good abstract and title and the creation of appropriate key words were discussed. Dr. Prakash suggested that the ‘title of a paper’ might perhaps have a chance to make a good impression, and the title might be either indicative (title that gives the purpose of the study) or declarative (title that gives the study conclusion). He also suggested that an abstract is a succinct summary of a research paper, and it should be specific, clear, and concise, and should have IMRaD structure in brief, followed by key words. Selection of appropriate papers to be cited in the reference list was also discussed. Various unethical authorships were enumerated, and ‘The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship’ was explained ( http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html ; also see Table 1 in reference #9). The session highlighted the need for transparency in medical publication and provided a clear description of items that needed to be included in the ‘Disclosures’ section (e.g., sources of funding for the study and potential conflicts of interest of all authors, etc.) and ‘Acknowledgements’ section (e.g., writing assistance and input from all individuals who did not meet the authorship criteria). The final part of the presentation was devoted to thesis writing, and Dr. Prakash provided the audience with a list of common mistakes that are frequently encountered when writing a manuscript.

The backbone of a study is description of results through Text, Tables, and Figures. Dr. S. B. Deshpande (Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India) spoke on ‘ Effective Presentation of Results .’ The Results section deals with the observations made by the authors and thus, is not hypothetical. This section is subdivided into three segments, that is, descriptive form of the Text, providing numerical data in Tables, and visualizing the observations in Graphs or Figures. All these are arranged in a sequential order to address the question hypothesized in the Introduction. The description in Text provides clear content of the findings highlighting the observations. It should not be the repetition of facts in tables or graphs. Tables are used to summarize or emphasize descriptive content in the text or to present the numerical data that are unrelated. Illustrations should be used when the evidence bearing on the conclusions of a paper cannot be adequately presented in a written description or in a Table. Tables or Figures should relate to each other logically in sequence and should be clear by themselves. Furthermore, the discussion is based entirely on these observations. Additionally, how the results are applied to further research in the field to advance our understanding of research questions was discussed.

Dr. Peush Sahni (All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) spoke on effectively ‘ structuring the Discussion ’ for a research paper. The Discussion section deals with a systematic interpretation of study results within the available knowledge. He said the section should begin with the most important point relating to the subject studied, focusing on key issues, providing link sentences between paragraphs, and ensuring the flow of text. Points were made to avoid history, not repeat all the results, and provide limitations of the study. The strengths and novel findings of the study should be provided in the discussion, and it should open avenues for future research and new questions. The Discussion section should end with a conclusion stating the summary of key findings. Dr. Sahni gave an example from a published paper for writing a Discussion. In another presentation titled ‘ Writing an effective title and the abstract ,’ Dr. Sahni described the important components of a good title, such as, it should be simple, concise, informative, interesting and eye-catching, accurate and specific about the paper's content, and should state the subject in full indicating study design and animal species. Dr. Sahni explained structured (IMRaD) and unstructured abstracts and discussed a few selected examples with the audience.

Language and style in publication

The next lecture of Dr. Amitabh Prakash on ‘ Language and style in scientific writing: Importance of terseness, shortness and clarity in writing ’ focused on the actual sentence construction, language, grammar and punctuation in scientific manuscripts. His presentation emphasized the importance of brevity and clarity in the writing of manuscripts describing biomedical research. Starting with a guide to the appropriate construction of sentences and paragraphs, attendees were given a brief overview of the correct use of punctuation with interactive examples. Dr. Prakash discussed common errors in grammar and proactively sought audience participation in correcting some examples. Additional discussion was centered on discouraging the use of redundant and expendable words, jargon, and the use of adjectives with incomparable words. The session ended with a discussion of words and phrases that are commonly misused (e.g., data vs . datum, affect vs . effect, among vs . between, dose vs . dosage, and efficacy/efficacious vs . effective/effectiveness) in biomedical research manuscripts.

Working with journals

The appropriateness in selecting the journal for submission and acceptance of the manuscript should be determined by the experience of an author. The corresponding author must have a rationale in choosing the appropriate journal, and this depends upon the scope of the study and the quality of work performed. Dr. Amitabh Prakash spoke on ‘ Working with journals: Selecting a journal, cover letter, peer review process and impact factor ’ by instructing the audience in assessing the true value of a journal, understanding principles involved in the peer review processes, providing tips on making an initial approach to the editorial office, and drafting an appropriate cover letter to accompany the submission. His presentation defined the metrics that are most commonly used to measure journal quality (e.g., impact factor™, Eigenfactor™ score, Article Influence™ score, SCOPUS 2-year citation data, SCImago Journal Rank, h-Index, etc.) and guided attendees on the relative advantages and disadvantages of using each metric. Factors to consider when assessing journal quality were discussed, and the audience was educated on the ‘green’ and ‘gold’ open access publication models. Various peer review models (e.g., double-blind, single-blind, non-blind) were described together with the role of the journal editor in assessing manuscripts and selecting suitable reviewers. A typical checklist sent to referees was shared with the attendees, and clear guidance was provided on the best way to address referee feedback. The session concluded with a discussion of the potential drawbacks of the current peer review system.

Poster and oral presentations at conferences

Posters have become an increasingly popular mode of presentation at conferences, as it can accommodate more papers per meeting, has no time constraint, provides a better presenter-audience interaction, and allows one to select and attend papers of interest. In Figure 2 , we provide instructions, design, and layout in preparing a scientific poster. In the final presentation, Dr. Sahni provided the audience with step-by-step instructions on how to write and format posters for layout, content, font size, color, and graphics. Attendees were given specific guidance on the format of text on slides, the use of color, font type and size, and the use of illustrations and multimedia effects. Moreover, the importance of practical tips while delivering oral or poster presentation was provided to the audience, such as speak slowly and clearly, be informative, maintain eye contact, and listen to the questions from judges/audience carefully before coming up with an answer.

Guidelines and design to scientific poster presentation. The objective of scientific posters is to present laboratory work in scientific meetings. A poster is an excellent means of communicating scientific work, because it is a graphic representation of data. Posters should have focus points, and the intended message should be clearly conveyed through simple sections: Text, Tables, and Graphs. Posters should be clear, succinct, striking, and eye-catching. Colors should be used only where necessary. Use one font (Arial or Times New Roman) throughout. Fancy fonts should be avoided. All headings should have font size of 44, and be in bold capital letters. Size of Title may be a bit larger; subheading: Font size of 36, bold and caps. References and Acknowledgments, if any, should have font size of 24. Text should have font size between 24 and 30, in order to be legible from a distance of 3 to 6 feet. Do not use lengthy notes

PANEL DISCUSSION: FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS BY PARTICIPANTS

After all the presentations were made, Dr. Jagadeesh began a panel discussion that included all speakers. The discussion was aimed at what we do currently and could do in the future with respect to ‘developing a research question and then writing an effective thesis proposal/protocol followed by publication.’ Dr. Jagadeesh asked the following questions to the panelists, while receiving questions/suggestions from the participants and panelists.

• Does a Post-Graduate or Ph.D. student receive adequate training, either through an institutional course, a workshop of the present nature, or from the guide?
• Are these Post-Graduates self-taught (like most of us who learnt the hard way)?
• How are these guides trained? How do we train them to become more efficient mentors?
• Does a Post-Graduate or Ph.D. student struggle to find a method (s) to carry out studies? To what extent do seniors/guides help a post graduate overcome technical difficulties? How difficult is it for a student to find chemicals, reagents, instruments, and technical help in conducting studies?
• Analyses of data and interpretation: Most students struggle without adequate guidance.
• Thesis and publications frequently feature inadequate/incorrect statistical analyses and representation of data in tables/graphs. The student, their guide, and the reviewers all share equal responsibility.
• Who initiates and drafts the research paper? The Post-Graduate or their guide?
• What kind of assistance does a Post-Graduate get from the guide in finalizing a paper for publication?
• Does the guide insist that each Post-Graduate thesis yield at least one paper, and each Ph.D. thesis more than two papers, plus a review article?

The panelists and audience expressed a variety of views, but were unable to arrive at a decisive conclusion.

WHAT HAVE THE PARTICIPANTS LEARNED?

At the end of this fast-moving two-day workshop, the participants had opportunities in learning the following topics:

• Sequential steps in developing a study protocol, from choosing a research topic to developing research questions and a hypothesis.
• Study protocols on different topics in their subject of specialization
• Searching and reviewing the literature
• Appropriate statistical analyses in biomedical research
• Scientific ethics in publication
• Writing and understanding the components of a research paper (IMRaD)
• Recognizing the value of good title, running title, abstract, key words, etc
• Importance of Tables and Figures in the Results section, and their importance in describing findings
• Evidence-based Discussion in a research paper
• Language and style in writing a paper and expert tips on getting it published
• Presentation of research findings at a conference (oral and poster).

Overall, the workshop was deemed very helpful to participants. The participants rated the quality of workshop from “ satisfied ” to “ very satisfied .” A significant number of participants were of the opinion that the time allotted for each presentation was short and thus, be extended from the present two days to four days with adequate time to ask questions. In addition, a ‘hands-on’ session should be introduced for writing a proposal and manuscript. A large number of attendees expressed their desire to attend a similar workshop, if conducted, in the near future.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We gratefully express our gratitude to the Organizing Committee, especially Professors K. Chinnasamy, B. G. Shivananda, N. Udupa, Jerad Suresh, Padma Parekh, A. P. Basavarajappa, Mr. S. V. Veerramani, Mr. J. Jayaseelan, and all volunteers of the SRM University. We thank Dr. Thomas Papoian (US FDA) for helpful comments on the manuscript.

The opinions expressed herein are those of Gowraganahalli Jagadeesh and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Food and Drug Administration

Source of Support: Nil

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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What is UX Research: The Ultimate Guide for UX Researchers

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Essential elements of an effective UX research plan (examples + templates)

Conducting UX research without a plan is like moving to another country without knowing the language—confusing and exhausting.

To avoid wasting time and resources, it’s crucial to set achievable research goals and work on developing a research plan that’s clear, comprehensive, and aligned with your overarching business goals and research strategy.

A good UX research plan sets out the parameters for your research, and guides how you’ll gather insights to inform product development. In this chapter, we share a step-by-step guide to creating a research plan, including templates and tactics for you to try. You’ll also find expert tips from Paige Bennett, Senior User Research Manager at Affirm, and Sinéad Davis Cochrane, Research Manager at Workday.

What is a UX research plan?

A UX research plan—not to be confused with a UX research strategy or research design—is a plan to guide individual user experience (UX) research projects.

It's a living document that includes a detailed explanation of tactics, methods, timeline, scope, and task owners. It should be co-created and shared with key stakeholders, so everyone is familiar with the project plan, and product teams can meet strategic goals.

A UX research plan is different to a research strategy and research design in both its purpose and contents. Let’s take a look.

Research plan vs. research design vs. research strategy: What’s the difference?

While your UX research plan should be based on strategy, it’s not the same thing. Your UX strategy is a high-level document that contains goals, budget, vision, and expectations. Meanwhile, a plan is a detailed document explaining how the team will achieve those strategic goals. Research design is the form your research itself takes.

In short, a strategy is a guide, a plan is what drives action, and design is the action itself.

What are the benefits of using a UX research plan?

Conducting research without goals and parameters is aimless. A UX research plan is beneficial for your product, user, and business—by building a plan for conducting UX research, you can:

Streamline processes and add structure

Work toward specific, measurable goals, align and engage stakeholders, save time by avoiding rework.

The structure of a research plan allows you to set timelines, expectations, and task owners, so everyone on your team is aligned and empowered to make decisions. Since there’s no second guessing what to do next or which methods to use, you’ll find your process becomes simpler and more efficient. It’s also worth standardizing your process to turn your plan into a template that you can reuse for future projects.

When you set research goals based on strategy, you’ll find it easier to track your team’s progress and keep the project in scope, on time, and on budget. With a solid, strategy-based UX research plan you can also track metrics at different stages of the project and adjust future tactics to get better research findings.

“It’s important to make sure your stakeholders are on the same page with regards to scope, timeline, and goals before you start," explains Paige Bennett, Senior User Research Manager at Affirm. That's because, when stakeholders are aligned, they're much more likely to sign off on product changes that result from UX research.

A written plan is a collaborative way to involve stakeholders in your research and turn them into active participants rather than passive observers. As they get involved, they'll make useful contributions and get a better understanding of your goals.

A UX research plan helps you save time and money quite simply because it’s easier and less expensive to make design or prototype changes than it is to fix usability issues once the product is coded or fully launched. Additionally, having a plan gives your team direction, which means they won’t be conducting research and talking to users without motive, and you’ll be making better use of your resources. What’s more, when everyone is aligned on goals, they’re empowered to make informed decisions instead of waiting for their managers’ approval.

What should a UX research plan include?

In French cuisine, the concept of mise en place—putting in place—allows chefs to plan and set up their workspace with all the required ingredients before cooking. Think of your research plan like this—laying out the key steps you need to go through during research, to help you run a successful and more efficient study.

Here’s what you should include in a UX research plan:

• A brief reminder of the strategy and goals
• An outline of the research objectives
• The purpose of the plan and studies
• A short description of the target audience, sample size, scope, and demographics
• A detailed list of expectations including deliverables, timings, and type of results
• An overview of the test methods and a short explanation of why you chose them
• The test set up or guidelines to outline everything that needs to happen before the study: scenarios, screening questions, and duration of pilot tests
• Your test scripts, questions to ask, or samples to follow
• When and how you’ll present the results
• Cost estimations or requests to go over budget

Collect all UX research findings in one place

Use Maze to run quantitative and qualitative research, influence product design, and shape user-centered products.

How to create a UX research plan

Now we’ve talked through why you need a research plan, let’s get into the how. Here’s a short step-by-step guide on how to write a research plan that will drive results.

• Define the problem statement
• Get stakeholders’ buy-in
• Identify your objectives
• Choose the right research method
• Recruit participants
• Prepare the brief
• Establish the timeline
• Decide how you’ll present your findings

1. Define the problem statement

One of the most important purposes of a research plan is to identify what you’re trying to achieve with the research, and clarify the problem statement. For Paige Bennett , Senior User Research Manager at Affirm, this process begins by sitting together with stakeholders and looking at the problem space.

“We do an exercise called FOG, which stands for ‘Fact, Observation, Guess’, to identify large gaps in knowledge,” says Paige. “Evaluating what you know illuminates questions you still have, which then serves as the foundation of the UX research project.”

You can use different techniques to identify the problem statement, such as stakeholder interviews, team sessions, or analysis of customer feedback. The problem statement should explain what the project is about—helping to define the research scope with clear deliverables and objectives.

2. Identify your objectives

Research objectives need to align with the UX strategy and broader business goals, but you also need to define specific targets to achieve within the research itself—whether that’s understanding a specific problem, or measuring usability metrics . So, before you get into a room with your users and customers, “Think about the research objectives: what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what you expect from the UX research process ,” explains Sinéad Davis Cochrane , Research Manager at Workday.

Examples of research objectives might be:

• Learn at what times users interact with your product
• Understand why users return (or not) to your website/app
• Discover what competitor products your users are using
• Uncover any pain points or challenges users find when navigating with your product
• Gauge user interest in and prioritize potential new features

A valuable purpose of setting objectives is ensuring your project doesn't suffer from scope creep. This can happen when stakeholders see your research as an opportunity to ask any question. As a researcher , Sinéad believes your objectives can guide the type of research questions you ask and give your research more focus. Otherwise, anything and everything becomes a research question—which will confuse your findings and be overwhelming to manage.

Sinéad shares a list of questions you should ask yourself and the research team to help set objectives:

• What are you going to do with this information?
• What decisions is it going to inform?
• How are you going to leverage these insights?

Another useful exercise to help identify research objectives is by asking questions that help you get to the core of a problem. Ask these types of questions before starting the planning process:

• Who are the users you’re designing this for?
• What problems and needs do they have?
• What are the pain points of using the product?
• Why are they not using a product like yours?

3. Get stakeholders buy-in

It’s good practice to involve stakeholders at early stages of plan creation to get everyone on board. Sharing your UX research plan with relevant stakeholders means you can gather context, adjust based on comments, and gauge what’s truly important to them. When you present the research plan to key stakeholders, remember to align on the scope of research, and how and when you’ll get back to them with results.

Stakeholders usually have a unique vision of the product, and it’s crucial that you’re able to capture it early on—this doesn’t mean saying yes to everything, but listening to their ideas and having a conversation. Seeing the UX research plan as a living document makes it much easier to edit based on team comments. Plus, the more you listen to other ideas, the easier it will be to evangelize research and get stakeholder buy-in by helping them see the value behind it.

I expect my stakeholders to be participants, and I outline how I expect that to happen. That includes observing interviews, participating in synthesis exercises, or co-presenting research recommendations.

Paige Bennett , Senior User Research Manager at Affirm

4. Choose the right research method

Choose between the different UX research methods to capture different insights from users.

To define the research methods you’ll use, circle back to your research objectives, what stage of the product development process you’re in, and the constraints, resources, and timeline of the project. It’s good research practice to use a mix of different methods to get a more complete perspective of users’ struggles.

For example, if you’re at the start of the design process, a generative research method such as user interviews or field studies will help you generate new insights about the target audience. Or, if you need to evaluate how a new design performs with users, you can run usability tests to get actionable feedback.

It’s also good practice to mix methods that drive quantitative and qualitative results so you can understand context, and catch the user sentiment behind a metric. For instance, if during a remote usability test, you hear a user go ‘Ugh! Where’s the sign up button?’ you’ll get a broader perspective than if you were just reviewing the number of clicks on the same test task.

Examples of UX research methods to consider include:

• Five-second testing
• User interviews
• Field studies
• Card sorting
• Tree testing
• Focus groups
• Usability testing
• Diary studies
• Live website testing

Check out our top UX research templates . Use them as a shortcut to get started on your research.

5. Determine how to recruit participants

Every research plan should include information about the participants you need for your study, and how you’ll recruit them. To identify your perfect candidate, revisit your goals and the questions that need answering, then build a target user persona including key demographics and use cases. Consider the resources you have available already, by asking yourself:

• Do you have a user base you can tap into to collect customer insights ?
• Do you need to hire external participants?
• What’s your budget to recruit users?
• How many users do you need to interact with?

When selecting participants, make sure they represent all your target personas. If different types of people will be using a certain product, you need to make sure that the people you research represent these personas. This means not just being inclusive in your recruitment, but considering secondary personas—the people who may not be your target user base, but interact with your product incidentally.

You should also consider recruiting research participants to test the product on different devices. Paige explains: “If prior research has shown that behavior differs greatly between those who use a product on their phone versus their tablet, I need to better understand those differences—so I’m going to make sure my participants include people who have used a product on both devices.”

During this step, make sure to include information about the required number of participants, how you’ll get them to participate, and how much time you need per user. The main ways to recruit testers are:

• Using an online participant recruitment tool like Maze Panel
• Putting out physical or digital adverts in spaces that are relevant to your product and user
• Reaching out to existing users
• Using participants from previous research
• Recruiting directly from your website or app with a tool like In-Product Prompts

5.1. Determine how you’ll pay them

You should always reward your test participants for their time and insights. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because if they have an incentive they’re more likely to give you complete and insightful answers. If you’re hosting the studies in person, you’ll also need to cover your participants' travel expenses and secure a research space. Running remote moderated or unmoderated research is often considered to be less expensive and faster to complete.

If you’re testing an international audience, remember to check your proposed payment system works worldwide—this might be an Amazon gift card or prepaid Visa cards.

6. Prepare the brief

The next component of a research plan is to create a brief or guide for your research sessions. The kind of brief you need will vary depending on your research method, but for moderated methods like user interviews, field studies, or focus groups, you’ll need a detailed guide and script. The brief is there to remind you which questions to ask and keep the sessions on track.

Your script should cover:

• Introduction: A short message you’ll say to participants before the session begins. This works as a starting point for conversations and helps set the tone for the meeting. If you’re testing without a moderator, you should also include an introductory message to explain what the research is about and the type of answers they should give (in terms of length and specificity).
• Interview questions: Include your list of questions you’ll ask participants during the sessions. These could be examples to help guide the interviews, specific pre-planned questions, or test tasks you’ll ask participants to perform during unmoderated sessions.
• Outro message: Outline what you'll say at the end of the session, including the next steps, asking participants if they are open to future research, and thanking them for their time. This can be a form you share at the end of asynchronous sessions.

It’s crucial you remember to ask participants for their consent. You should do this at the beginning of the test by asking if they’re okay with you recording the session. Use this space to lay out any compensation agreements as well. Then, ask again at the end of the session if they agree with you keeping the results and using the data for research purposes. If possible, explain exactly what you’ll do with their data. Double check and get your legal team’s sign-off on these forms.

7. Establish the timeline

Next in your plan, estimate how long the research project will take and when you should expect to review the findings. Even if not exact, determining an approximate timeline (e.g., two-three weeks) will enable you to manage stakeholders’ expectations of the process and results.

Many people believe UX research is a lengthy process, so they skip it. When you set up a timeline and get stakeholders aligned with it, you can debunk assumptions and put stakeholders’ minds at ease. Plus, if you’re using a product discovery tool like Maze, you can get answers to your tests within days.

8. Decide how you’ll present your findings

When it comes to sharing your findings with your team, presentation matters. You need to make a clear presentation and demonstrate how user insights will influence design and development. If you’ve conducted UX research in the past, share data that proves how implementing user insights has improved product adoption.

Examples of ways you can present your results include:

• A physical or digital PDF report with key statistics and takeaways
• An interactive online report of the individual research questions and their results
• A presentation explaining the results and your findings
• A digital whiteboard, like Miro, to display the results

In your plan, mention how you’ll share insights with the product team. For example, if you’re using Maze, you can start by emailing everyone the ready-to-share report and setting up a meeting with the team to identify how to bring those insights to life. This is key, because your research should be the guiding light for new products or updates, if you want to keep development user-centric. Taking care over how you present your findings will impact whether they’re taken seriously and implemented by other stakeholders.

Your UX research plan template: Free template + example

Whether you’re creating the plan yourself or delegating to your team, a clear UX research plan template cuts your prep time in half.

Find our customizable free UX research plan template here , and keep reading for a filled-in example.

Example: Improving user adoption of a project management tool called Flows

Now, let’s go through how to fill out this template and create a UX research plan with an example.

Executive summary:

Flows aims to increase user adoption and tool engagement by 30% within the next 12 months. Our B2B project management software has been on the market for 3 years and has 25,000 active users across various industries.

By researching the current product experience with existing users, we’ll learn what works and what doesn’t in order to make adjustments to the product and experience.

Research objectives:

Purpose of the plan and studies:.

The purpose is to gather actionable insights into user needs, behaviors, and challenges to inform updates that will drive increased adoption and engagement of 30% for the B2B project management tool within 12 months.

Target audience, sample size, scope, and demographics:

Expectations, deliverables, timings, and type of results:, research methodologies:.

*Some teams will take part in more than one research session.

Research analysis methods:

We are doing a mixed methods study.

User interviews are our primary method for gathering qualitative data, and will be analyzed using thematic analysis .

• Quantitative data will be pulled from usability tests to evaluate the effectiveness of our current design.
• Research set up and guidelines:
• Create baselines surveys to gauge current usage and pain points
• Develop interview/discussion guides and usability testing scenarios
• Pilot test materials with two teams
• User interviews: 60 mins, semi-structured; usability tests: 90 mins
• Findings will be presented in a research report for all stakeholders

Research scripts, questions, and samples:

User interview questions:

• What’s your experience with Flows?
• How does Flows fit into your workflow?
• What is your understanding of Flows’ features?
• What do you wish Flows could do that it currently doesn’t?

Usability test sample with Maze:

Cost estimations or budget requests/pricing:

Total estimated budget: $8,000

More free customizable templates for UX research

Whether you’re creating the plan yourself or are delegating this responsibility to your team, here are six research templates to get started:

• UX research plan template : This editable Miro research project plan example helps you brainstorm user and business-facing problems, objectives, and questions
• UX research brief : You need a clear brief before you conduct UX research—Milanote shares a template that will help you simplify the writing process
• User testing synthesis : Trello put together a sample board to organize user testing notes—you can use this as a guide, but change the titles to fit your UX research purposes
• Usability testing templates : At Maze, we’ve created multiple templates for conducting specific UX research methods—this list will help you create different remote usability tests
• Information architecture (IA) tests template : The way you organize the information in your website or app can improve or damage the user experience—use this template to run IA tests easily
• Feedback survey templates : Ask users anything through a survey, and use these templates to get creative and simplify creation

Everything you need to know about UX research plans

We all know that a robust plan is essential for conducting successful UX research. But, in case you want a quick refresher on what we’ve covered:

• Using a UX research strategy as a starting point will make your plan more likely to succeed
• Determine your research objectives before anything else
• Use a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Come up with clear personas so you can recruit and test a group of individuals that’s representative of your real end users
• Involve stakeholders from the beginning to get buy-in
• Be vocal about timelines, budget, and expected research findings
• Use the insights to power your product decisions and wow your users; building the solution they genuinely want and need

UX research can happen at any stage of the development lifecycle. When you build products with and for users, you need to include them continuously at various stages of the process.

It’s helpful to explore the need for continuous discovery in your UX research plan and look for a tool like Maze that simplifies the process for you. We’ll cover more about the different research methods and UX research tools in the upcoming chapters—ready to go?

Elevate your UX research workflow

Discover how Maze can streamline and operationalize your research plans to drive real product innovation while saving on costs.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a UX research plan and a UX research strategy?

The difference between a UX research plan and a UX research strategy is that they cover different levels of scope and detail. A UX research plan is a document that guides individual user experience (UX) research projects. UX research plans are shared documents that everyone on the product team can and should be familiar with. A UX research strategy, on the other hand, outlines the high-level goals, expectations, and demographics of the organization’s approach to research.

What should you include in a user research plan?

Here’s what to include in a user research plan:

• Problem statement
• Research objectives
• Research methods
• Participants' demographics
• Recruitment plan
• User research brief
• Expected timeline
• How to present findings

How do you write a research plan for UX design?

Creating a research plan for user experience (UX) requires a clear problem statement and objectives, choosing the right research method, recruiting participants and briefing them, and establishing a timeline for your project. You'll also need to plan how you'll analyze and present your findings.

How do you plan a UX research roadmap?

To plan a UX research roadmap, start by identifying key business goals and user needs. Align research activities with product milestones to ensure timely insights. Prioritize research methods—like surveys, interviews, and usability tests—based on the project phase and objectives. Set clear timelines and allocate resources accordingly. Regularly update stakeholders on progress and integrate feedback to refine the roadmap continuously.

Generative Research: Definition, Methods, and Examples

6.3 Steps in a Successful Marketing Research Plan

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• 1 Identify and describe the steps in a marketing research plan.
• 2 Discuss the different types of data research.
• 3 Explain how data is analyzed.
• 4 Discuss the importance of effective research reports.

Define the Problem

There are seven steps to a successful marketing research project (see Figure 6.3 ). Each step will be explained as we investigate how a marketing research project is conducted.

The first step, defining the problem, is often a realization that more information is needed in order to make a data-driven decision. Problem definition is the realization that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. An entrepreneur may be interested in opening a small business but must first define the problem that is to be investigated. A marketing research problem in this example is to discover the needs of the community and also to identify a potentially successful business venture.

Many times, researchers define a research question or objectives in this first step. Objectives of this research study could include: identify a new business that would be successful in the community in question, determine the size and composition of a target market for the business venture, and collect any relevant primary and secondary data that would support such a venture. At this point, the definition of the problem may be “Why are cat owners not buying our new cat toy subscription service?”

Additionally, during this first step we would want to investigate our target population for research. This is similar to a target market, as it is the group that comprises the population of interest for the study. In order to have a successful research outcome, the researcher should start with an understanding of the problem in the current situational environment.

Develop the Research Plan

Step two is to develop the research plan. What type of research is necessary to meet the established objectives of the first step? How will this data be collected? Additionally, what is the time frame of the research and budget to consider? If you must have information in the next week, a different plan would be implemented than in a situation where several months were allowed. These are issues that a researcher should address in order to meet the needs identified.

Research is often classified as coming from one of two types of data: primary and secondary. Primary data is unique information that is collected by the specific researcher with the current project in mind. This type of research doesn’t currently exist until it is pulled together for the project. Examples of primary data collection include survey, observation, experiment, or focus group data that is gathered for the current project.

Secondary data is any research that was completed for another purpose but can be used to help inform the research process. Secondary data comes in many forms and includes census data, journal articles, previously collected survey or focus group data of related topics, and compiled company data. Secondary data may be internal, such as the company’s sales records for a previous quarter, or external, such as an industry report of all related product sales. Syndicated data , a type of external secondary data, is available through subscription services and is utilized by many marketers. As you can see in Table 6.1 , primary and secondary data features are often opposite—the positive aspects of primary data are the negative side of secondary data.

There are four research types that can be used: exploratory, descriptive, experimental, and ethnographic research designs (see Figure 6.4 ). Each type has specific formats of data that can be collected. Qualitative research can be shared through words, descriptions, and open-ended comments. Qualitative data gives context but cannot be reduced to a statistic. Qualitative data examples are categorical and include case studies, diary accounts, interviews, focus groups, and open-ended surveys. By comparison, quantitative data is data that can be reduced to number of responses. The number of responses to each answer on a multiple-choice question is quantitative data. Quantitative data is numerical and includes things like age, income, group size, and height.

Exploratory research is usually used when additional general information in desired about a topic. When in the initial steps of a new project, understanding the landscape is essential, so exploratory research helps the researcher to learn more about the general nature of the industry. Exploratory research can be collected through focus groups, interviews, and review of secondary data. When examining an exploratory research design, the best use is when your company hopes to collect data that is generally qualitative in nature. 7

For instance, if a company is considering a new service for registered users but is not quite sure how well the new service will be received or wants to gain clarity of exactly how customers may use a future service, the company can host a focus group. Focus groups and interviews will be examined later in the chapter. The insights collected during the focus group can assist the company when designing the service, help to inform promotional campaign options, and verify that the service is going to be a viable option for the company.

Descriptive research design takes a bigger step into collection of data through primary research complemented by secondary data. Descriptive research helps explain the market situation and define an “opinion, attitude, or behavior” of a group of consumers, employees, or other interested groups. 8 The most common method of deploying a descriptive research design is through the use of a survey. Several types of surveys will be defined later in this chapter. Descriptive data is quantitative in nature, meaning the data can be distilled into a statistic, such as in a table or chart.

Again, descriptive data is helpful in explaining the current situation. In the opening example of LEGO , the company wanted to describe the situation regarding children’s use of its product. In order to gather a large group of opinions, a survey was created. The data that was collected through this survey allowed the company to measure the existing perceptions of parents so that alterations could be made to future plans for the company.

Experimental research , also known as causal research , helps to define a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more factors. This type of research goes beyond a correlation to determine which feature caused the reaction. Researchers generally use some type of experimental design to determine a causal relationship. An example is A/B testing, a situation where one group of research participants, group A, is exposed to one treatment and then compared to the group B participants, who experience a different situation. An example might be showing two different television commercials to a panel of consumers and then measuring the difference in perception of the product. Another example would be to have two separate packaging options available in different markets. This research would answer the question “Does one design sell better than the other?” Comparing that to the sales in each market would be part of a causal research study. 9

The final method of collecting data is through an ethnographic design. Ethnographic research is conducted in the field by watching people interact in their natural environment. For marketing research, ethnographic designs help to identify how a product is used, what actions are included in a selection, or how the consumer interacts with the product. 10

Examples of ethnographic research would be to observe how a consumer uses a particular product, such as baking soda. Although many people buy baking soda, its uses are vast. So are they using it as a refrigerator deodorizer, a toothpaste, to polish a belt buckle, or to use in baking a cake?

Select the Data Collection Method

Data collection is the systematic gathering of information that addresses the identified problem. What is the best method to do that? Picking the right method of collecting data requires that the researcher understand the target population and the design picked in the previous step. There is no perfect method; each method has both advantages and disadvantages, so it’s essential that the researcher understand the target population of the research and the research objectives in order to pick the best option.

Sometimes the data desired is best collected by watching the actions of consumers. For instance, how many cars pass a specific billboard in a day? What website led a potential customer to the company’s website? When are consumers most likely to use the snack vending machines at work? What time of day has the highest traffic on a social media post? What is the most streamed television program this week? Observational research is the collecting of data based on actions taken by those observed. Many data observations do not require the researched individuals to participate in the data collection effort to be highly valuable. Some observation requires an individual to watch and record the activities of the target population through personal observations .

Unobtrusive observation happens when those being observed aren’t aware that they are being watched. An example of an unobtrusive observation would be to watch how shoppers interact with a new stuffed animal display by using a one-way mirror. Marketers can identify which products were handled more often while also determining which were ignored.

Other methods can use technology to collect the data instead. Instances of mechanical observation include the use of vehicle recorders, which count the number of vehicles that pass a specific location. Computers can also assess the number of shoppers who enter a store, the most popular entry point for train station commuters, or the peak time for cars to park in a parking garage.

When you want to get a more in-depth response from research participants, one method is to complete a one-on-one interview . One-on-one interviews allow the researcher to ask specific questions that match the respondent’s unique perspective as well as follow-up questions that piggyback on responses already completed. An interview allows the researcher to have a deeper understanding of the needs of the respondent, which is another strength of this type of data collection. The downside of personal interviews it that a discussion can be very time-consuming and results in only one respondent’s answers. Therefore, in order to get a large sample of respondents, the interview method may not be the most efficient method.

Taking the benefits of an interview and applying them to a small group of people is the design of a focus group . A focus group is a small number of people, usually 8 to 12, who meet the sample requirements. These individuals together are asked a series of questions where they are encouraged to build upon each other’s responses, either by agreeing or disagreeing with the other group members. Focus groups are similar to interviews in that they allow the researcher, through a moderator, to get more detailed information from a small group of potential customers (see Figure 6.5 ).

Link to Learning

Focus groups.

Focus groups are a common method for gathering insights into consumer thinking and habits. Companies will use this information to develop or shift their initiatives. The best way to understand a focus group is to watch a few examples or explanations. TED-Ed has this video that explains how focus groups work.

You might be asking when it is best to use a focus group or a survey. Learn the differences, the pros and cons of each, and the specific types of questions you ask in both situations in this article .

Preparing for a focus group is critical to success. It requires knowing the material and questions while also managing the group of people. Watch this video to learn more about how to prepare for a focus group and the types of things to be aware of.

One of the benefits of a focus group over individual interviews is that synergy can be generated when a participant builds on another’s ideas. Additionally, for the same amount of time, a researcher can hear from multiple respondents instead of just one. 11 Of course, as with every method of data collection, there are downsides to a focus group as well. Focus groups have the potential to be overwhelmed by one or two aggressive personalities, and the format can discourage more reserved individuals from speaking up. Finally, like interviews, the responses in a focus group are qualitative in nature and are difficult to distill into an easy statistic or two.

Combining a variety of questions on one instrument is called a survey or questionnaire . Collecting primary data is commonly done through surveys due to their versatility. A survey allows the researcher to ask the same set of questions of a large group of respondents. Response rates of surveys are calculated by dividing the number of surveys completed by the total number attempted. Surveys are flexible and can collect a variety of quantitative and qualitative data. Questions can include simplified yes or no questions, select all that apply, questions that are on a scale, or a variety of open-ended types of questions. There are four types of surveys (see Table 6.2 ) we will cover, each with strengths and weaknesses defined.

Let’s start off with mailed surveys —surveys that are sent to potential respondents through a mail service. Mailed surveys used to be more commonly used due to the ability to reach every household. In some instances, a mailed survey is still the best way to collect data. For example, every 10 years the United States conducts a census of its population (see Figure 6.6 ). The first step in that data collection is to send every household a survey through the US Postal Service (USPS). The benefit is that respondents can complete and return the survey at their convenience. The downside of mailed surveys are expense and timeliness of responses. A mailed survey requires postage, both when it is sent to the recipient and when it is returned. That, along with the cost of printing, paper, and both sending and return envelopes, adds up quickly. Additionally, physically mailing surveys takes time. One method of reducing cost is to send with bulk-rate postage, but that slows down the delivery of the survey. Also, because of the convenience to the respondent, completed surveys may be returned several weeks after being sent. Finally, some mailed survey data must be manually entered into the analysis software, which can cause delays or issues due to entry errors.

Phone surveys are completed during a phone conversation with the respondent. Although the traditional phone survey requires a data collector to talk with the participant, current technology allows for computer-assisted voice surveys or surveys to be completed by asking the respondent to push a specific button for each potential answer. Phone surveys are time intensive but allow the respondent to ask questions and the surveyor to request additional information or clarification on a question if warranted. Phone surveys require the respondent to complete the survey simultaneously with the collector, which is a limitation as there are restrictions for when phone calls are allowed. According to Telephone Consumer Protection Act , approved by Congress in 1991, no calls can be made prior to 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in the recipient’s time zone. 12 Many restrictions are outlined in this original legislation and have been added to since due to ever-changing technology.

In-person surveys are when the respondent and data collector are physically in the same location. In-person surveys allow the respondent to share specific information, ask questions of the surveyor, and follow up on previous answers. Surveys collected through this method can take place in a variety of ways: through door-to-door collection, in a public location, or at a person’s workplace. Although in-person surveys are time intensive and require more labor to collect data than some other methods, in some cases it’s the best way to collect the required data. In-person surveys conducted through a door-to-door method is the follow-up used for the census if respondents do not complete the mailed survey. One of the downsides of in-person surveys is the reluctance of potential respondents to stop their current activity and answer questions. Furthermore, people may not feel comfortable sharing private or personal information during a face-to-face conversation.

Electronic surveys are sent or collected through digital means and is an opportunity that can be added to any of the above methods as well as some new delivery options. Surveys can be sent through email, and respondents can either reply to the email or open a hyperlink to an online survey (see Figure 6.7 ). Additionally, a letter can be mailed that asks members of the survey sample to log in to a website rather than to return a mailed response. Many marketers now use links, QR codes, or electronic devices to easily connect to a survey. Digitally collected data has the benefit of being less time intensive and is often a more economical way to gather and input responses than more manual methods. A survey that could take months to collect through the mail can be completed within a week through digital means.

Design the Sample

Although you might want to include every possible person who matches your target market in your research, it’s often not a feasible option, nor is it of value. If you did decide to include everyone, you would be completing a census of the population. Getting everyone to participate would be time-consuming and highly expensive, so instead marketers use a sample , whereby a portion of the whole is included in the research. It’s similar to the samples you might receive at the grocery store or ice cream shop; it isn’t a full serving, but it does give you a good taste of what the whole would be like.

So how do you know who should be included in the sample? Researchers identify parameters for their studies, called sample frames . A sample frame for one study may be college students who live on campus; for another study, it may be retired people in Dallas, Texas, or small-business owners who have fewer than 10 employees. The individual entities within the sampling frame would be considered a sampling unit . A sampling unit is each individual respondent that would be considered as matching the sample frame established by the research. If a researcher wants businesses to participate in a study, then businesses would be the sampling unit in that case.

The number of sampling units included in the research is the sample size . Many calculations can be conducted to indicate what the correct size of the sample should be. Issues to consider are the size of the population, the confidence level that the data represents the entire population, the ease of accessing the units in the frame, and the budget allocated for the research.

There are two main categories of samples: probability and nonprobability (see Figure 6.8 ). Probability samples are those in which every member of the sample has an identified likelihood of being selected. Several probability sample methods can be utilized. One probability sampling technique is called a simple random sample , where not only does every person have an identified likelihood of being selected to be in the sample, but every person also has an equal chance of exclusion. An example of a simple random sample would be to put the names of all members of a group into a hat and simply draw out a specific number to be included. You could say a raffle would be a good example of a simple random sample.

Another probability sample type is a stratified random sample , where the population is divided into groups by category and then a random sample of each category is selected to participate. For instance, if you were conducting a study of college students from your school and wanted to make sure you had all grade levels included, you might take the names of all students and split them into different groups by grade level—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior. Then, from those categories, you would draw names out of each of the pools, or strata.

A nonprobability sample is a situation in which each potential member of the sample has an unknown likelihood of being selected in the sample. Research findings that are from a nonprobability sample cannot be applied beyond the sample. Several examples of nonprobability sampling are available to researchers and include two that we will look at more closely: convenience sampling and judgment sampling.

The first nonprobability sampling technique is a convenience sample . Just like it sounds, a convenience sample is when the researcher finds a group through a nonscientific method by picking potential research participants in a convenient manner. An example might be to ask other students in a class you are taking to complete a survey that you are doing for a class assignment or passing out surveys at a basketball game or theater performance.

A judgment sample is a type of nonprobability sample that allows the researcher to determine if they believe the individual meets the criteria set for the sample frame to complete the research. For instance, you may be interested in researching mothers, so you sit outside a toy store and ask an individual who is carrying a baby to participate.

Collect the Data

Now that all the plans have been established, the instrument has been created, and the group of participants has been identified, it is time to start collecting data. As explained earlier in this chapter, data collection is the process of gathering information from a variety of sources that will satisfy the research objectives defined in step one. Data collection can be as simple as sending out an email with a survey link enclosed or as complex as an experiment with hundreds of consumers. The method of collection directly influences the length of this process. Conducting personal interviews or completing an experiment, as previously mentioned, can add weeks or months to the research process, whereas sending out an electronic survey may allow a researcher to collect the necessary data in a few days. 13

Analyze and Interpret the Data

Once the data has been collected, the process of analyzing it may begin. Data analysis is the distillation of the information into a more understandable and actionable format. The analysis itself can take many forms, from the use of basic statistics to a more comprehensive data visualization process. First, let’s discuss some basic statistics that can be used to represent data.

The first is the mean of quantitative data. A mean is often defined as the arithmetic average of values. The formula is:

A common use of the mean calculation is with exam scores. Say, for example, you have earned the following scores on your marketing exams: 72, 85, 68, and 77. To find the mean, you would add up the four scores for a total of 302. Then, in order to generate a mean, that number needs to be divided by the number of exam scores included, which is 4. The mean would be 302 divided by 4, for a mean test score of 75.5. Understanding the mean can help to determine, with one number, the weight of a particular value.

Another commonly used statistic is median. The median is often referred to as the middle number. To generate a median, all the numeric answers are placed in order, and the middle number is the median. Median is a common statistic when identifying the income level of a specific geographic region. 14 For instance, the median household income for Albuquerque, New Mexico, between 2015 and 2019 was $52,911. 15 In this case, there are just as many people with an income above the amount as there are below.

Mode is another statistic that is used to represent data of all types, as it can be used with quantitative or qualitative data and represents the most frequent answer. Eye color, hair color, and vehicle color can all be presented with a mode statistic. Additionally, some researchers expand on the concept of mode and present the frequency of all responses, not just identifying the most common response. Data such as this can easily be presented in a frequency graph, 16 such as the one in Figure 6.9 .

Additionally, researchers use other analyses to represent the data rather than to present the entirety of each response. For example, maybe the relationship between two values is important to understand. In this case, the researcher may share the data as a cross tabulation (see Figure 6.10 ). Below is the same data as above regarding social media use cross tabulated with gender—as you can see, the data is more descriptive when you can distinguish between the gender identifiers and how much time is spent per day on social media.

Not all data can be presented in a graphical format due to the nature of the information. Sometimes with qualitative methods of data collection, the responses cannot be distilled into a simple statistic or graph. In that case, the use of quotations, otherwise known as verbatims , can be used. These are direct statements presented by the respondents. Often you will see a verbatim statement when reading a movie or book review. The critic’s statements are used in part or in whole to represent their feelings about the newly released item.

Infographics

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. For this reason, research results are often shown in a graphical format in which data can be taken in quickly, called an infographic .

Check out this infographic on what components make for a good infographic. As you can see, a good infographic needs four components: data, design, a story, and the ability to share it with others. Without all four pieces, it is not as valuable a resource as it could be. The ultimate infographic is represented as the intersection of all four.

Infographics are particularly advantageous online. Refer to this infographic on why they are beneficial to use online .

Prepare the Research Report

The marketing research process concludes by sharing the generated data and makes recommendations for future actions. What starts as simple data must be interpreted into an analysis. All information gathered should be conveyed in order to make decisions for future marketing actions. One item that is often part of the final step is to discuss areas that may have been missed with the current project or any area of further study identified while completing it. Without the final step of the marketing research project, the first six steps are without value. It is only after the information is shared, through a formal presentation or report, that those recommendations can be implemented and improvements made. The first six steps are used to generate information, while the last is to initiate action. During this last step is also when an evaluation of the process is conducted. If this research were to be completed again, how would we do it differently? Did the right questions get answered with the survey questions posed to the respondents? Follow-up on some of these key questions can lead to additional research, a different study, or further analysis of data collected.

Methods of Quantifying Marketing Research

One of the ways of sharing information gained through marketing research is to quantify the research . Quantifying the research means to take a variety of data and compile into a quantity that is more easily understood. This is a simple process if you want to know how many people attended a basketball game, but if you want to quantify the number of students who made a positive comment on a questionnaire, it can be a little more complicated. Researchers have a variety of methods to collect and then share these different scores. Below are some of the most common types used in business.

Is a customer aware of a product, brand, or company? What is meant by awareness? Awareness in the context of marketing research is when a consumer is familiar with the product, brand, or company. It does not assume that the consumer has tried the product or has purchased it. Consumers are just aware. That is a measure that many businesses find valuable. There are several ways to measure awareness. For instance, the first type of awareness is unaided awareness . This type of awareness is when no prompts for a product, brand, or company are given. If you were collecting information on fast-food restaurants, you might ask a respondent to list all the fast-food restaurants that serve a chicken sandwich. Aided awareness would be providing a list of products, brands, or companies and the respondent selects from the list. For instance, if you give a respondent a list of fast-food restaurants and ask them to mark all the locations with a chicken sandwich, you are collecting data through an aided method. Collecting these answers helps a company determine how the business location compares to those of its competitors. 17

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

Have you ever been asked to complete a survey at the end of a purchase? Many businesses complete research on buying, returning, or other customer service processes. A customer satisfaction score , also known as CSAT, is a measure of how satisfied customers are with the product, brand, or service. A CSAT score is usually on a scale of 0 to 100 percent. 18 But what constitutes a “good” CSAT score? Although what is identified as good can vary by industry, normally anything in the range from 75 to 85 would be considered good. Of course, a number higher than 85 would be considered exceptional. 19

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Customer Effort Score (CES)

Other metrics often used are a customer acquisition cost (CAC) and customer effort score (CES). How much does it cost a company to gain customers? That’s the purpose of calculating the customer acquisition cost. To calculate the customer acquisition cost , a company would need to total all expenses that were accrued to gain new customers. This would include any advertising, public relations, social media postings, etc. When a total cost is determined, it is divided by the number of new customers gained through this campaign.

The final score to discuss is the customer effort score , also known as a CES. The CES is a “survey used to measure the ease of service experience with an organization.” 20 Companies that are easy to work with have a better CES than a company that is notorious for being difficult. An example would be to ask a consumer about the ease of making a purchase online by incorporating a one-question survey after a purchase is confirmed. If a number of responses come back negative or slightly negative, the company will realize that it needs to investigate and develop a more user-friendly process.

Knowledge Check

It’s time to check your knowledge on the concepts presented in this section. Refer to the Answer Key at the end of the book for feedback.

• Defining the problem
• Developing the research plan
• Selecting a data collection method
• Designing the sample
• you are able to send it to all households in an area
• it is inexpensive
• responses are automatically loaded into the software
• the data comes in quickly
• Primary data
• Secondary data
• Secondary and primary data
• Professional data
• It shows how respondents answered two variables in relation to each other and can help determine patterns by different groups of respondents.
• By presenting the data in the form of a picture, the information is easier for the reader to understand.
• It is an easy way to see how often one answer is selected by the respondents.
• This analysis can used to present interview or focus group data.

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Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/1-unit-introduction

• Authors: Dr. Maria Gomez Albrecht, Dr. Mark Green, Linda Hoffman
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Principles of Marketing
• Publication date: Jan 25, 2023
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/principles-marketing/pages/1-unit-introduction
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What is Research Design? Features, Components

• Post last modified: 13 August 2023
• Reading time: 15 mins read
• Post category: Research Methodology

What is Research Design?

Research design refers to the overall strategy or plan that a researcher outlines to conduct a study and gather relevant data to address a research question or test a hypothesis. It serves as a blueprint for the entire research process, providing a structure and guidance for the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.

In the field of research, the major purpose of research is to find a solution for a given research problem. The researcher can find a solution to a research problem by ensuring that he/she uses an appropriate research design.

Table of Content

• 1 What is Research Design?
• 2 Concept of Research Design
• 3 Need and Features of Research Design
• 4.1 Neutrality
• 4.2 Reliability
• 4.3 Performance
• 4.4 General practice
• 4.5 Qualitative
• 4.6 Quantitative
• 5.1 Research questions
• 5.2 Course suggestions
• 5.3 Unit analysis
• 5.4 Data linking and propositions
• 5.5 Interpretation of findings from the study

The chances of success of a research project depend on how the researcher has taken care to develop a research design that is in line with the research problem. A research design is created or developed when the researcher prepares a plan, structure and strategy for conducting research.

Research design is the base over which a researcher builds his research. A good research design provides vital information to a researcher with respect to a research topic, data type, data sources and techniques of data collection used in the research. In this chapter, you will study about the concept of research design, its need, features, components, etc.

Next, the chapter will describe the types of research design, research design framework, and types of errors affecting research design. Towards the end, you will study about the meaning of experiments and types of experiments.

Concept of Research Design

The research design refers to the framework of research methods and techniques selected by a researcher. The design chosen by the researchers allows them to use appropriate methods to study and plan their studies effectively and in the future. The descriptive research method focuses primarily on defining the nature of a class of people, without focusing on the “why” of something happening.

In other words, it “explains” the topic of research, without covering why “it” happens. Let us study in detail about the concept of research design, its requirements, features or characteristics, designing research framework its related case studies and observations.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, casual research and errors arising while designing the research which are related to improper selection of respondents. This is a framework for determining the research methods and techniques to be used. This design enables researchers to set the research methods that are most relevant to the subject.

The design of the research topic describes the type of research (testing, research, integration, experimentation, review) and its sub-type (test design, research problem, descriptive case study). Research design can also be considered as the blueprint for collection, measurement and analysis of data.

The type of research problem the organisation is facing will determine the structure of the research and not the other way around. The study design phase determines which tools to use and how to use them. Impact studies often create less bias in the data and increase confidence in the accuracy of the data collected. A design that produces a small error limit in test studies is usually considered to be the desired result.

In research, the important things are:

• A specific statement of intent
• Strategies used to collect and analyse data
• Type of research methodology
• Potential objections to research
• Research study settings
• Analysis rating

Need and Features of Research Design

Much of what we do in our daily lives is based on understanding, what we have learned from others, or what we have learned through personal experience or observation. Sometimes, there are conflicting ideas about what is good or what works in a particular situation.

In addition, what works in one situation or situation may be ineffective or even harmful in another, or it may be combined with other measures. Psychological techniques ignore the impact of external factors that can influence what is seen. Even in health care settings, there are gaps in knowledge, ideas about how something can work better and ideas for improvement.

Since health professionals cannot afford to be risky, research is needed. For clinical trials, this is also a legal requirement that pharmaceutical companies cannot obtain marketing authorisation (i.e., permission to sell their new drugs) until they are approved by the relevant authorities.

Another advantage of doing research is that in most studies, the findings can be statistically recorded and statistically evaluated to determine if the findings are significant (meaning how much they can be called with a certain degree of certainty that they are not just a risk factor).

With limited studies, results can usually be performed in a broader population (for example, in people with dementia, caregivers, GPs, or generalised individuals, depending on the study group). This is because steps would be taken to ensure that the group of participants in the study, represented other people in that category, as far as possible.

The advantage of many quality studies is that they allow for a thorough investigation of a particular aspect of the human experience. They give people the opportunity to express in their own words how they feel, what they think, and how they make sense of the world around them.

In some cases, the results may be passed on to others as conditions. However, the advantage of quality studies is that it provides rich, logical and insightful information on the complexity of human experience with all the contradictions, differences and idiosyncrasies. Others discuss topics that have not been researched before and maybe facing issues that are controversial, critical, or illegal.Some courses also work to give voice to vulnerable or small groups

Features of Research Design

Proper research design makes your study a success. Effective research provides accurate and impartial information. You will need to create a survey that meets all the key design features. Key features of a good research design are:

When planning your study, you may need to think about the details you are going to collect. The results shown in the study should be fair and impartial. Understand the ideas about the last scores tested and the conclusions from most people and consider those who agree with the results obtained.

Reliability

With regular research, the researcher involved expects the same results regularly. Research design should be developed in a way that good research questions are developed and quality results are ensured. You will only be able to access the expected results if your design is reliable.

Performance

There are many measuring tools available. However, the only valid measurement tools are those that assist the researcher in measuring results according to the research purpose. The list of questions created from this project will be valid.

General practice

The effect of your design should apply to people and not just to the restricted sample. A comprehensive design means that your survey can be done on any part of the people with the same accuracy. The above factors affect the way respondents respond to research questions and therefore all of the above factors should be balanced in good design. The researcher must have a clear understanding of the different types of study design in order to choose which model to use in the study.

Qualitative

Quality research helps in understanding the problem and to develop hypothesis. Researchers rely on high-quality research methods that conclude “why” a certain idea exists and what “responders” say.

Quantitative

A quantitative study is one of the situations in which statistical conclusions are arrived at on the basis of collected data. Numbers provide a better idea of how to make critical business decisions. Research is needed for the growth of any organisation. The information taken from the data and the analysis of the hard data is very effective in making decisions related to the future of the business.

Components of Research Design

The main purpose behind the design of the study is to help avoid a situation where the evidence does not address the main research questions. The research design is about a logical problem and not a planning problem.

The five main components of a research design are:

Research questions

Course suggestions.

• Units of analysis
• Linking data to propositions
• Interpretation of the findings of the study

The components of research design apply to all types of standardised, extra-terrestrial research, whether physical or social sciences.

This first item raises the type of question – about “who,” “what,” “where,” “how,” and “why” – provides important clues as to the proper research methodology used. Use three paragraphs: First, use the books to reduce your interest in one or two topics. In 2nd paragraph, take a closer look — or cut — a few key lessons from your favorite topic. Find questions in those few studies and conclude with new questions for future research. In the 3rd paragraph, check out another science group on the same topic. They may offer support for your potential questions or suggest ways to sharpen it.

Each suggestion directs the focus to something needed to be tested within the study. Only if you are forced to give some suggestions will you go the right way. For example, you would think that businesses are cooperating as they receive the same benefits. This suggestion, in addition to highlighting an important theoretical issue (that some corporate incentives do not exist or do not matter), also begins to tell you where to look for related evidence (defining and determining the magnitude of specific benefits in each business).

Unit analysis

It is associated with the basic problem of defining what “case” is – a problem that has affected many researchers at the beginning of the study. Take the example of medical patients. In this case, the person is being studied, and that person is an important unit of analysis.

Information about the right person will be collected, and few such people can be part of a multidisciplinary investigation. You will need study questions and suggestions to help you find the right information to collect about this person or people. Without such questions and suggestions, you may be tempted to cover “everything” about the person (s), which is not possible.

Data linking and propositions

Data linking methods and propositions such as pattern, definition structure, time series analysis, logic models and cross-case synthesis. The actual analysis will require you to compile or calculate your study data as a direct indication of your initial study suggestions.

Interpretation of findings from the study

Statistical analysis determines whether the research results support the hypothesis. Several statistical tests, for example, T-tests (determining whether two groups are statistically different from each other), Chi-square tests (where data is compared with the expected result), and oneway analysis of variance (provides multiple group comparisons), are performed by data type, number, and types of variables and data categories.

Statistical analysis provides some clear ways to translate. For example, according to the agreement, social science looks at a level below -55 to show that perceived differences are “statistically significant.” On the other hand, the analysis of many cases will not depend on the use of statistics and therefore focuses on alternative approaches to these approaches.

Business Ethics

( Click on Topic to Read )

• What is Ethics?
• What is Business Ethics?
• Values, Norms, Beliefs and Standards in Business Ethics
• Indian Ethos in Management
• Ethical Issues in Marketing
• Ethical Issues in HRM
• Ethical Issues in IT
• Ethical Issues in Production and Operations Management
• Ethical Issues in Finance and Accounting
• What is Corporate Governance?
• What is Ownership Concentration?
• What is Ownership Composition?
• Types of Companies in India
• Internal Corporate Governance
• External Corporate Governance
• Corporate Governance in India
• What is Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)?
• What is Assessment of Risk?
• What is Risk Register?
• Risk Management Committee

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

• Theories of CSR
• Arguments Against CSR
• Business Case for CSR
• Importance of CSR in India
• Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility
• Developing a CSR Strategy
• Implement CSR Commitments
• CSR Marketplace
• CSR at Workplace
• Environmental CSR
• CSR with Communities and in Supply Chain
• Community Interventions
• CSR Monitoring
• CSR Reporting
• Voluntary Codes in CSR
• What is Corporate Ethics?

Lean Six Sigma

• What is Six Sigma?
• What is Lean Six Sigma?
• Value and Waste in Lean Six Sigma
• Six Sigma Team
• MAIC Six Sigma
• Six Sigma in Supply Chains
• What is Binomial, Poisson, Normal Distribution?
• What is Sigma Level?
• What is DMAIC in Six Sigma?
• What is DMADV in Six Sigma?
• Six Sigma Project Charter
• Project Decomposition in Six Sigma
• Critical to Quality (CTQ) Six Sigma
• Process Mapping Six Sigma
• Flowchart and SIPOC
• Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility
• Statistical Diagram
• Lean Techniques for Optimisation Flow
• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• What is Process Audits?
• Six Sigma Implementation at Ford
• IBM Uses Six Sigma to Drive Behaviour Change
• Research Methodology
• What is Research?
• What is Hypothesis?
• Sampling Method
• Research Methods
• Data Collection in Research
• Methods of Collecting Data
• Application of Business Research

Levels of Measurement

• What is Sampling?
• Hypothesis Testing

Research Report

• What is Management?
• Planning in Management
• Decision Making in Management
• What is Controlling?
• What is Coordination?
• What is Staffing?
• Organization Structure
• What is Departmentation?
• Span of Control
• What is Authority?
• Centralization vs Decentralization
• Organizing in Management
• Schools of Management Thought
• Classical Management Approach
• Is Management an Art or Science?
• Who is a Manager?

Operations Research

• What is Operations Research?
• Operation Research Models
• Linear Programming
• Linear Programming Graphic Solution
• Linear Programming Simplex Method
• Linear Programming Artificial Variable Technique
• Duality in Linear Programming
• Transportation Problem Initial Basic Feasible Solution
• Transportation Problem Finding Optimal Solution
• Project Network Analysis with Critical Path Method
• Project Network Analysis Methods
• Project Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
• Simulation in Operation Research
• Replacement Models in Operation Research

Operation Management

• What is Strategy?
• What is Operations Strategy?
• Operations Competitive Dimensions
• Operations Strategy Formulation Process
• What is Strategic Fit?
• Strategic Design Process
• Focused Operations Strategy
• Corporate Level Strategy
• Expansion Strategies
• Stability Strategies
• Retrenchment Strategies
• Competitive Advantage
• Strategic Choice and Strategic Alternatives
• What is Production Process?
• What is Process Technology?
• What is Process Improvement?
• Strategic Capacity Management
• Production and Logistics Strategy
• Taxonomy of Supply Chain Strategies
• Factors Considered in Supply Chain Planning
• Operational and Strategic Issues in Global Logistics
• Logistics Outsourcing Strategy
• What is Supply Chain Mapping?
• Supply Chain Process Restructuring
• Points of Differentiation
• Re-engineering Improvement in SCM
• What is Supply Chain Drivers?
• Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model
• Customer Service and Cost Trade Off
• Internal and External Performance Measures
• Linking Supply Chain and Business Performance
• Netflix’s Niche Focused Strategy
• Disney and Pixar Merger
• Process Planning at Mcdonald’s

Service Operations Management

• What is Service?
• What is Service Operations Management?
• What is Service Design?
• Service Design Process
• Service Delivery
• What is Service Quality?
• Gap Model of Service Quality
• Juran Trilogy
• Service Performance Measurement
• Service Decoupling
• IT Service Operation
• Service Operations Management in Different Sector

Procurement Management

• What is Procurement Management?
• Procurement Negotiation
• Types of Requisition
• RFX in Procurement
• What is Purchasing Cycle?
• Vendor Managed Inventory
• Internal Conflict During Purchasing Operation
• Spend Analysis in Procurement
• Sourcing in Procurement
• Supplier Evaluation and Selection in Procurement
• Blacklisting of Suppliers in Procurement
• Total Cost of Ownership in Procurement
• Incoterms in Procurement
• Documents Used in International Procurement
• Transportation and Logistics Strategy
• What is Capital Equipment?
• Procurement Process of Capital Equipment
• Acquisition of Technology in Procurement
• What is E-Procurement?
• E-marketplace and Online Catalogues
• Fixed Price and Cost Reimbursement Contracts
• Contract Cancellation in Procurement
• Ethics in Procurement
• Legal Aspects of Procurement
• Global Sourcing in Procurement
• Intermediaries and Countertrade in Procurement

Strategic Management

• What is Strategic Management?
• What is Value Chain Analysis?
• Mission Statement
• Business Level Strategy
• What is SWOT Analysis?
• What is Competitive Advantage?
• What is Vision?
• What is Ansoff Matrix?
• Prahalad and Gary Hammel
• Strategic Management In Global Environment
• Competitor Analysis Framework
• Competitive Rivalry Analysis
• Competitive Dynamics
• What is Competitive Rivalry?
• Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
• What is PESTLE Analysis?
• Fragmentation and Consolidation Of Industries
• What is Technology Life Cycle?
• What is Diversification Strategy?
• What is Corporate Restructuring Strategy?
• Resources and Capabilities of Organization
• Role of Leaders In Functional-Level Strategic Management
• Functional Structure In Functional Level Strategy Formulation
• Information And Control System
• What is Strategy Gap Analysis?
• Issues In Strategy Implementation
• Matrix Organizational Structure
• What is Strategic Management Process?

Supply Chain

• What is Supply Chain Management?
• Supply Chain Planning and Measuring Strategy Performance
• What is Warehousing?
• What is Packaging?
• What is Inventory Management?
• What is Material Handling?
• What is Order Picking?
• Receiving and Dispatch, Processes
• What is Warehouse Design?
• What is Warehousing Costs?

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Ethics in research, types of errors affecting research design, what is causal research advantages, disadvantages, how to perform, what is hypothesis testing procedure, what is literature review importance, functions, process,, what is hypothesis definition, meaning, characteristics, sources, data analysis in research, sampling process and characteristics of good sample design, what is parametric tests types: z-test, t-test, f-test, types of charts used in data analysis, leave a reply cancel reply.

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Research Design, Feature of a Good Research Design

Research Design is defined as a framework of methods and techniques chosen by a researcher to combine various components of research in a reasonably logical manner so that the research problem is efficiently handled. It provides insights about “how” to conduct research using a particular methodology.

Types of Research Design

A researcher must have a clear understanding of the various types of research design to select which type of research design to implement for a study. Research design can be broadly classified into quantitative and qualitative research design.

• Qualitative Research Design

Qualitative research is implemented in cases where a relationship between collected data and observation is established on the basis of mathematical calculations. Theories related to a naturally existing phenomenon can be proved or disproved using mathematical calculations. Researchers rely on qualitative research design where they are expected to conclude “why” a particular theory exists along with “what” respondents have to say about it.

• Quantitative Research Design

Quantitative research is implemented in cases where it is important for a researcher to have statistical conclusions to collect actionable insights. Numbers provide a better perspective to make important business decisions. Quantitative research design is important for the growth of any organization because any conclusion drawn on the basis of numbers and analysis will only prove to be effective for the business. 

Further, research design can be divided into five types :

(I) Descriptive Research Design: In a descriptive research design, a researcher is solely interested in describing the situation or case under his/her research study. It is a theory-based research design which is created by gather, analyze and presents collected data. By implementing an in-depth research design such as this, a researcher can provide insights into the why and how of research. 

(II) Experimental Research Design: Experimental research design is used to establish a relationship between the cause and effect of a situation. It is a causal research design where the effect caused by the independent variable on the dependent variable is observed. For example, the effect of an independent variable such as price on a dependent variable such as customer satisfaction or brand loyalty is monitored. It is a highly practical research design method as it contributes towards solving a problem at hand. The independent variables are manipulated to monitor the change it has on the dependent variable. It is often used in social sciences to observe human behavior by analyzing two groups – effect of one group on the other.

(III) Correlational Research Design: Correlational research is a non-experimental research design technique which helps researchers to establish a relationship between two closely connected variables. Two different groups are required to conduct this research design method. There is no assumption while evaluating a relationship between two different variables and statistical analysis techniques are used to calculate the relationship between them.

Correlation between two variables is concluded using a correlation coefficient, whose value ranges between -1 and +1. If the correlation coefficient is towards +1, it indicates a positive relationship between the variables and -1 indicates a negative relationship between the two variables. 

(IV) Diagnostic Research Design: In the diagnostic research design, a researcher is inclined towards evaluating the root cause of a specific topic. Elements that contribute towards a troublesome situation are evaluated in this research design method.

There are three parts of diagnostic research design:

• Inception of the issue
• Diagnosis of the issue
• Solution for the issue

(V) Explanatory Research Design: In exploratory research design, the researcher’s ideas and thoughts are key as it is primarily dependent on their personal inclination about a particular topic. Explanation about unexplored aspects of a subject is provided along with details about what, how and why related to the research questions.

Features of a Good Research Design

The features of good research design is often characterized by adjectives like flexible, appropriate, efficient, economical and so on. Generally, the design which minimizes bias and maximizes the reliability of the data collected and analyzed is considered a good design. The design which gives the smallest experimental error is supposed to be the best design in many investigations. Similarly, a design which yields maximal information and provides an opportunity for considering many different aspects of a problem is considered most appropriate and efficient design in respect of many research problems. Thus, the question of good design is related to the purpose or objective of the research problem and also with the nature of the problem to be studied. A design may be quite suitable in one case, but may be found wanting in one respect or the other in the context of some other research problem. One single design cannot serve the purpose of all types of research problems.

A research design appropriate for a particular research problem, usually involves the consideration of the following factors:

• The means of obtaining information;
• The availability and skills of the researcher and his staff, if any;
• The objective of the problem to be studied;
• The nature of the problem to be studied; and
• The availability of time and money for the research work.

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MCQs on Research Problem & Research Plan [Additional 20 Questions] for NTA NET and SLET Exam

MCQ on research problem and Research Plan

Research methodology MCQs

Also useful for B.Com/M.Com, NTA NET / JRF and SET Exam

In this Post You will get Additional 20  MCQs on Research Problem & Research Plan  which is very helpful for the students of B. Com, M. Com,  NTA NET and SLET Exam . More than 200 MCQs are added including the first part and more questions will be added soon.

Research methodology Chapter wise MCQs are also available on our blog. Links are given below:

a)  Research Methodology MCQs [Part 1] (40 Questions)

b) Research Methodology MCQS Part I1 (35 Questions)

c) Sampling MCQs (35 Questions)

d) MCQ on Research Problem and Research Plan (20 Questions)

e) Collection of data MCQs (33 Questions)

f) MCQ on Research Report Writing (30 Questions)

***********************************************

1. Research process begins with:

a) Identification of research problem.

b) Research design.

c) Collection of data.

d) Report writing.

Ans: a) Identification of research problem

2. Which of the following problems require research?

a) Why brand Z is more popular than brand Y?

b) Why people of Assam preferred Tea than Coffee?

c) How price affects sale of any product?

d) All of the above.

Ans: d) All of the above .

3. Research is a process of:

a) Repeated search for facts.

b) Search for a problem.

c) Collecting primary and secondary data.

d) Preparing report on a problem.

Ans: a) Repeated search for facts.

4. If the researcher is not familiar with research problem, then which study is conducted to acquire knowledge of the subject?

a) Pre-testing.

b) Pilot-study.

c) Detailed-study.

d) Analytical-study.

Ans: b) Pilot-study .

5. Which of the following is true?

a) A good research design is such which gives minimum experimental error.

b) If data is insufficient, then the research problem will exist.

c) Technological changes are a constant search problem for research.

Ans: d) All of the above.

6. Research design strategy encompasses all of the components below except:

a) Data collection design.

b) Sampling design.

c) Instrument development.

d) Data analysis.

Ans: d) Data analysis .

 7. Research design refers to the:

a) Plan that specify how data should be collected and analyzed for the purpose of research.

b) Analysis of data for the purpose of preparing research report.

c) Steps necessary to define the research problem.

d) Suggestions made in the report about the research problem.

Ans: a) Plan that specify how data should be collected and analyzed for the purpose of research.

8. Research design is a  blue-print of  any research work.  

Ans: True .

9. Which is an important feature of a good research plan?

a) A good research design gives minimum experimental error.

b) A good research design should be flexible, efficient and appropriate.

c) A good research design should be economical.

10. All full fledge miniature study of research problem is called:

11. Pre-testing helps in:

a) Formulation of schedules and questionnaires.

b) Improvement of schedules and questionnaires.

c) Revealing the strength and weakness of schedules and questionnaires.

12. Why do you need to review the existing literature?

a) To make sure you have a long list of references.

b) Because without it, you could never reach the required word – count.

c) To find out what is already known about your area of interest.

d) To help in your general studying.

Ans: c) To find out what is already known about your area of interest .

13. The purpose of literature review is to:

a) Get some idea about the project.

b) Helps in framing research questions and hypothesis.

c) Get an idea about the availability of data and materials about the proposed areas.

14. Research is based on:

a) Primary data.

b) Secondary Data.

c) Both a & b.

d) None of the above.

Ans: c) Both a & b .

15. List out the important elements of research design.

a) Need and important of the study.

b) Review of existing literature.

c) Scope and Objectives of the study.

d) Hypothesis formulation.

e) Source of data collection.

f) Method, tools and techniques of data collection.

g) Data analysis.

h) All of the above.

16 Formulation of research problem is the:

a) First stage in research process.

b) Last stage in research process.

c) Middle stage in research process.

Ans: a) First stage in research process.

17. A research problem is feasible only when:

a) It is researchable,

b) It consists of independent and dependent variables.

c) When it has utility and relevance.

18. Hypothesis cannot be stated in:

a) General terms.

b) Declaration terms.

c) Null and Questions terms.

d) Directional terms.

Ans: a) General terms .

19. _______ is compared to Mariner’s Compass in sea voyage

a) Research Problem.

b) Data collection.

c) Sampling.

d) Research design.

Ans: d) Research design.

20. _______ prevent a researcher from blind search and intellectual wandering

c) Research tools.

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Team-Building Strategies: Building a Winning Team for Your Organization

Discover how to build a winning team and boost your business negotiation results in this free special report, Team Building Strategies for Your Organization, from Harvard Law School.

What is BATNA? How to Find Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement

Always know your batna when entering into a negotiation.

By Guhan Subramanian — on May 2nd, 2024 / BATNA

What is BATNA? The definition, or the ability to identify a negotiator’s best alternative to a negotiated agreement , is among one of the many pieces of information negotiators seek when formulating dealmaking and negotiation strategies . If your current negotiation reaches an impasse, what’s your best outside option?

Most seasoned negotiators understand the value of evaluating their BATNA,  a concept that Roger Fisher, William Ury , and Bruce Patton introduced in their seminal book  Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In .

Claim your FREE copy: BATNA Basics

Discover how to unleash your power at the bargaining table in this free special report, BATNA Basics: Boost Your Power at the Bargaining Table , from Harvard Law School.

A Classic Definition

Here’s a classic illustration of the BATNA negotiation skills concept:

Negotiation skill or negotiation strategy? It’s a bit of both – identifying a negotiator’s BATNA is a necessary skill for developing the best strategies to use at the bargaining table.

Importance of BATNA for Negotiators at the Bargaining Table

When bargaining, take time out for an explicit translation process to ensure that you aren’t giving up a good deal in hand for a BATNA in the bush.

For example, as the renewal deadline for Sam’s homeowner’s insurance policy approached, he decided to do a “market check” to compare prices. Sam’s existing insurer – let’s call it Acme – had been raising rates by 7% and 10% annually for the past three years, and Sam wasn’t sure he was getting the best deal. He then found a carrier that offered a policy for 30% less than Acme’s renewal rate.

Delighted, Sam came very close to switching to the new insurer. But after doing some digging (and receiving some self-interested guidance from Acme), Sam identified important coverage and term definitions buried deep in the legalese of the two policies. After going through a translation process to make the prices comparable, Sam realized that Acme, his current insurer, was offering him a better deal (see also, BATNA and Other Sources of Power at the Negotiation Table to learn more about power in negotiations and how BATNA helps negotiators to make solid strategies for the negotiation table).

The lesson: Rather than assuming that the deal on the table matches your BATNA point by point, translate your BATNA to fully understand what it means for the current negotiation. To learn more, read  Know Your BATNA: The Power of Information in Negotiation .

How have you used any of these strategies in an important negotiation? Leave a comment below.

Adapted from “Taking Your BATNA to the Next Level” by  Guhan Subramanian  in the January 2007 issue of the  Negotiation  newsletter.

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No Responses to “What is BATNA? How to Find Your Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement”

2 responses to “what is batna how to find your best alternative to a negotiated agreement”.

Hello, Author! I just finished reading your article on the Program on Negotiation (PON) at Harvard Law School website, and I wanted to reach out and leave a comment. Firstly, I want to express my gratitude for sharing valuable insights on translating BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) to the current deal. Negotiation is an essential skill in various aspects of life, and your article provided practical advice on optimizing the negotiation process.

Your explanation of BATNA and its significance in negotiations was clear and concise. I appreciated how you emphasized the importance of understanding your BATNA before entering into a negotiation, as it provides a benchmark to evaluate the potential outcomes and make informed decisions. Your step-by-step guide on translating BATNA to the current deal was highly informative and offered a systematic approach to improving negotiation outcomes.

Moreover, the examples you provided throughout the article were helpful in illustrating the concept. By demonstrating how different parties can assess their BATNAs and strategically leverage them during negotiations, you showcased the practical application of the theory. It’s evident that a well-defined BATNA can empower negotiators to navigate complex situations and maximize their leverage.

In conclusion, thank you, Author, for sharing your expertise on negotiating and translating BATNA to the current deal. Your article was insightful, well-structured, and provided practical tips that can benefit negotiators at all levels. I believe that understanding and effectively utilizing BATNA is crucial for successful negotiations, and your article serves as a valuable resource in this regard. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to reading more engaging and informative articles from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School!

I recommend adding Ury’s “Getting Past No” to the suggested resources.

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Understanding how to arrange the meeting space is a key aspect of preparing for negotiation. In this video, Professor Guhan Subramanian discusses a real world example of how seating arrangements can influence a negotiator’s success. This discussion was held at the 3 day executive education workshop for senior executives at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.

Guhan Subramanian is the Professor of Law and Business at the Harvard Law School and Professor of Business Law at the Harvard Business School.

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Best Cell Phones for Seniors in 2024, Tested and Reviewed by Tech Experts

Our top picks.

Consumer Cellular IRIS Flip

Jitterbug Smart4 from Lively

iPhone 15 from AT&T

The best cell phones for seniors are easy to use, have great value, and won’t break the bank. If you’re in the market for a new phone, we can help!. Our team of tech experts spent over 300 hours of research, online shopping, conversations with customer service, and hands-on testing to choose our picks for the best cell phones for seniors. We compared the phones using important decision-making factors like price, value, and senior-friendly features. We found that Consumer Cellular’s IRIS Flip is the best cell phone for seniors thanks to its simplicity, affordable price, and great phone plans for seniors.

Our Methodology

How we chose the best phones for seniors.

My grandma trying out the Jitterbug Smart4

Each phone on this list was ranked using several metrics, including price, senior-friendly features, battery life, durability, sound quality, appearance, ease of use, and provider perks. The three most influential metrics in our evaluation were:

• Senior-friendly features: All phones that made the cut have features that meet seniors’ specific needs and lifestyles. While these features vary by phone, they include big buttons or icons, bright screens, loud and adjustable speakers, hearing aid compatibility, and an easy-to-grip design.
• No long-term contracts: Cell phone plans that lock you in for years are a thing of the past. All of the cell phone models and carriers on our list offer month-to-month options, so you can cancel your service at any time without any extra hassle.
• Price vs. quality: We know that every budget is different. While some cell phones for seniors on our list are more expensive than others, we’ve included only phones whose quality matches or exceeds the price. We’ve made sure to include budget-friendly cell phones on our list, along with somewhat pricier high-tech devices, so you can find the phone that’s right for both your wallet and your needs.

How We Tested the Best Phones for Seniors

To get a more hands-on look at how older adults feel about different phones, I had my grandma test out many of the phones with me! During this process, we unpacked each phone, used it over a week-long period, and tested out all the features, such as taking photos, speakerphone volume, hearing aid connectivity, and ease of navigation. We also spent time speaking with customer service and researching the phones online to get a well-rounded picture of each device. Afterward, we discussed what we liked and disliked about each, eventually compiling all of this information to create our list of the best senior-friendly phones!

Other Good Cell Phones for Seniors

It’s possible that none of the phones outlined above meets your needs. If that’s the case, we wanted to include a few more options for phones that we really liked but didn’t quite make the cut:

• Samsung Galaxy S23: A good Android phone for tech-savvy seniors
• RAZ Mobility Memory Phone: A phone specifically designed for seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or cognitive decline; check out our RAZ Mobility review to learn more.
• Motorola Moto G Power 5G: A budget-friendly 5G smartphone with ample storage and features
• Google Pixel 8 5G: A lightning-fast smartphone that balances value and features

» Learn About: Best cell phones for seniors with dementia

Cell Phone Carriers for Seniors

Not every carrier is designed specifically for seniors, like Lively or Consumer Cellular , but many offer special deals and discounts for older adults. Here’s a breakdown of our picks for the best cell phone carriers for seniors .

• Consumer Cellular: Consumer Cellular specifically designs all of its plans and offerings around the needs of older adults. This makes it an easy carrier to navigate as a senior, especially if you want affordable premiums and no contracts.
• Lively: Lively is another carrier that specializes in phones and plans just for older adults. If you’re willing to pay a bit extra each month, Lively can even turn your phone into a medical alert device.
• AT&T: AT&T is a solid mobile carrier with a large coverage area. However, it’s not quite as senior-friendly as other carriers since you can access AT&T’s 55+ plan only if you live in Florida. Still, the carrier offers plenty of other plans for those who live outside of Florida.
• T-Mobile: T-Mobile is among the best carriers for 5G coverage. This carrier offers three 55+ unlimited plans that are packed with perks, like hotspot data, in-flight Wi-Fi, and service abroad.
• Mint Mobile: int Mobile is an increasingly popular carrier that offers great deals for seniors. If you’re 55 or older, you can currently get three months of unlimited talk and text for just $15 per month.
• Verizon: While Verizon is not one of the official carriers on our list, Lively’s phones run on the Verizon network. Fortunately, Verizon is one of the most reliable networks in the country, with nationwide 4G and 5G coverage. The carrier also offers a 55+ plan for Florida residents. Visit our Verizon review to learn more.

Cell Phones for Seniors Buying Guide

There are a variety of phones on the market for older adults, so how do you choose the one that’s right for you? Check out our guide to choosing a senior-friendly phone below for all of our tips and tricks.

Do I want a basic phone or a smartphone?

Basic options, like flip phones and brick-style phones, allow you to send texts, make calls, and take pictures, and you can add a few extra features if you like. There’s no pressure to get a smartphone just because it’s what your grandkids or friends have, especially if you’re on a tight budget. On the other hand, if you want a phone with all the latest features, like mobile apps, video chatting, internet access, GPS tracking, and a touch screen, you’ll want a smartphone.

Pro Tip: If you’re still having trouble deciding, compare our list of the best smartphones for seniors and the best flip phones for seniors .

What is my budget?

When choosing a cell phone, you’ll need to account for any upfront device costs in your budget, as well as the monthly price for a talk, text, and/or data plan. Also, check if the provider charges extra fees for things like activation or shipping.

If you want a smartphone with all of the latest features but your budget is only $50 for a device, you’ll need to reconsider. Basic flip phones start at about $30 and can go up to around $100, depending on the provider and features. Basic smartphones begin at around $150 and may cost up to $1,000 or more for advanced options, like the latest iPhone. Many providers will allow you to pay off your phone in monthly installments, so if that’s better for your budget, it’s an option to consider.

What type of phone plan do I want?

If you walk into a phone store and buy a phone, you may feel overwhelmed by all the information provided to you about phone plan options. For this reason, it’s a good idea to know what kind of plan you prefer in advance. Generally, there are two types of phone plans: prepaid and postpaid.

» Compare Your Options: Best prepaid phone plans for seniors

With a prepaid plan, you pay ahead of time for what you plan to use. This type of plan can be less expensive, but it often comes with fewer features and may have caps on the amount of data or minutes you can use. Alternatively, a postpaid plan allows you to use the service for the plan you’ve chosen and pay your bill at the end of the month. A postpaid plan may require a contract, but it often allows you to enjoy more perks, like unlimited data, texting, and calling.

Do I need medical alert capabilities?

You’ll need to decide if you just want a senior-friendly phone that comes with standard calling, texting, and data, or one that’s designed with medical alert features. These features include fall detection, an emergency help button, 24/7 monitoring, location tracking, and other health and safety add-ons. If you want a phone that’s easy to use and you’re not concerned about medical alert capabilities, there’s no need to purchase a phone with these features or monthly monitoring charges. However, if you’re looking for the added protection that a medical alert device offers, you may want a phone with these features.

Do I want a phone with internet access?

The more basic cell phones offer texting and calling only, while more advanced options allow you to add a data plan and internet access for a monthly fee. If you want to surf the web, use social media and other mobile apps, or watch shows on your phone, you’ll need to look for a phone that offers data. On the other hand, if you want to stick to the basics, there’s no need to pay for a data plan that you won’t use.

Did You Know? There are plenty of senior discounts for phone and internet service. Our senior discount page has over 100 discounts to explore.

What features are most important to me?

The features cell phones offer are endless, so it’s important to establish what exactly you’re looking for. Do you want a phone that features a high-quality camera, medical alert capabilities, and a touch screen? Or maybe you’re looking for a flip phone with internet access and hearing aid compatibility. Whatever it is you want, make a list before starting your search to narrow down your options.

That said, there are a few features that you should look for in any senior-friendly phone:

• Large buttons and screen
• Voice-to-text functionality
• Ability to zoom in or increase the font size
• Loud speaker
• Hearing aid compatibility
• Touch ID or Face ID
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Virtual assistant
• Easy-to-grip design

Keep in mind that not every phone will have all of these features. For example, if you want a traditional flip phone, you likely won’t be able to enjoy zoom-in features or Touch ID accessibility. However, choosing a phone that has at least some of these senior-friendly features increases the chances you’ll select a phone that meets your needs.

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The childcare conundrum: How can companies ease working parents’ return to the office?

Finding quality, affordable childcare has long been an issue for working parents in the United States, but events of the past two years have only intensified the challenge and highlighted what a porous, patchwork system childcare has become.

The global pandemic drove many day care centers, after-school programs, private nannies and babysitters, and other childcare resources to reduce their hours, change the scope of their services, or close their doors altogether. In response, some working parents in the United States left or considered leaving the workforce  as they struggled to meet employers’ work-from-home demands while still attending to the needs of homebound toddlers and school-aged children.

According to survey research we conducted recently with the Marshall Plan for Moms, 1 In February 2022, we conducted surveys of working parents across the United States. The surveys spanned multiple industries and demographic groups, with a population that was representative of census-tract demographics. There were 2,000 respondents who were parents of children under age 14 and 1,003 parents of children aged five and under. Marshall Plan for Moms (marshallplanformoms.com) is a campaign of the nonprofit organization Girls Who Code. the childcare conundrum continues: workable childcare options remain elusive for those planning a return to the workforce, for those who never left, and particularly for working mothers with preschool-aged children.

Indeed, the survey shows that 45 percent of mothers with children aged five and under who left the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic cited childcare as a major reason for their departure, compared with just 14 percent of fathers who said the same. Additionally, 24 percent of the mothers with children aged five and under said they had considered reducing their hours or moving to a part-time schedule, compared with 18 percent of the fathers.

Many of these parents are midtenure employees who enhance the social fabric of their organizations— as many women managers have done in supporting colleagues’ health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. If these parents do drop out, companies stand to lose functional expertise, institutional knowledge, managerial capabilities, and mentorship at a time when such skills are needed most.

As companies begin to think about managing returning talent and attracting new joiners—whether in traditional or hybrid work environments —they can no longer ignore employees’ (and potential employees’) childcare requirements. In this article, we review the findings from our research and outline the key challenges for working parents (particularly working mothers) with respect to affordability, quality, reliability, convenience, and accessibility of childcare.

Gone for now, or gone for good? How to play the new talent game and win back workers

We also suggest some ways for companies to better support their employees’ childcare-related needs. And it is important to start doing so now: the social contract between employers and employees in corporate America is being fundamentally rewritten on the fly. By removing penalties for parents who are taking care of young children, companies can turn the Great Attrition into the Great Attraction  and develop and advance more diverse talent.

Understanding the pain points

Our research points to five core challenges parents have had and are still facing in securing sustainable, equitable childcare.

Affordability. The cost of childcare varies across the United States depending on region and age of child; in general, however, care for very young children tends to be the most expensive given the recommended lower child-to-teacher ratios. 2 Hunter Blair and Elise Gould, “Who’s paying now? The explicit and implicit costs of the current early childcare and education system,” Economic Policy Institute, January 15, 2020.

It will likely come as no surprise, then, that for the working parents in our survey with children aged five and under, affordability was ranked as the top childcare concern (or tied for first with another concern). Cost was a particular concern for women and parents who worked hourly jobs and had to find care for children aged five and under (Exhibit 1).

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) considers 7 percent of a family’s household income to be the threshold amount for childcare to be deemed affordable. Under that standard, the average annual cost of childcare for one child (about $9,400) would not be affordable for a family with a median household income below $130,000. 3 For information about family copayment contributions, see “Family Copayment Contribution,” Child Care Technical Assistance Network, accessed April 2022; and “Picking up the pieces: Building a better child care system post COVID-19,” Child Care Aware of America, July 2020.

Quality. Respondents ranked quality almost as high as affordability in our survey: 48 percent of parents with children aged five and under who are receiving some form of childcare said quality was their top concern (or tied for first with another concern). Parents overwhelmingly said they want their children in safe, supportive educational environments—though, according to academic research, only 13 percent of two-year-olds in the United States currently attend childcare settings that would be deemed high quality. 4 Emma K. Lee and Zachary Parolin, “The care burden during COVID-19: A national database of child care closures in the United States,” Sociological Research for a Dynamic World , Volume 7, January–December 2021.

Reliability. Industry data show that about 35 percent of childcare centers that were shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic remain closed for various staffing and financial reasons. 5 Emma K. Lee and Zachary Parolin, “The care burden during COVID-19: A national database of child care closures in the United States,” Sociological Research for a Dynamic World , Volume 7, January–December 2021. When primary childcare options such as these are unavailable, working parents need access to reliable backups so they don’t have to significantly modify their work schedules or take time off entirely. However, only 8 percent of the working parents in our survey with children aged five and under said their employer provided access to emergency and backup childcare, and only 13 percent said their employer provided paid emergency-care days.

The lack of childcare backup may help explain why 50 percent of the working mothers in the cohort with children aged five and under believed their childcare responsibilities became “somewhat more difficult” or “much more difficult” during the COVID-19 pandemic; 40 percent of working fathers in this cohort said the same. Indeed, some 34 percent of working mothers reported childcare concerns as a top reason for voluntarily leaving the workforce, compared with 20 percent of working fathers (Exhibit 2). Those findings square with data from McKinsey and LeanIn.Org’s recent Women in the Workplace  report, which points to high rates of burnout among mothers of young children during the pandemic.

Convenience. Some 28 percent of the parents in our survey with children aged five and under who are receiving some form of childcare rated convenience as a top concern (or tied for first with another concern). While not as much of a deal breaker as affordability, questions of convenience did play a big role in these parents’ childcare decisions—for instance, is the childcare center close to the office (or close to home in the case of hybrid situations)? Do the center’s hours of operation match parents’ work schedules? If not, parents may be discouraged from signing up their children for caregiving programs, and the already-precarious work–life balance for employees may remain off-kilter.

Accessibility. In many US communities, there is often not enough childcare to adequately serve the population. According to a 2018 study by the Center for American Progress (CAP), more than half of US residents live in a childcare desert—communities where there may be three or more children for every available licensed childcare slot. These deserts are situated almost equally within rural and urban communities. 6 The Coronavirus will make child care deserts worse and exacerbate inequality , Center for American Progress Action Fund, June 22, 2020.

How can companies support employees’ childcare needs?

The working parents in our survey highlighted significant pain points in the childcare landscape, particularly in the care of very young children—but they also revealed some of what it would take to mitigate these issues and usher their return to the workplace. The data we compiled on recruitment, retention, and advancement may be of particular interest to companies that are reconsidering their employee value propositions in the wake of the Great Attrition . The employers who pay attention to this feedback, and act thoughtfully to support employees’ childcare needs, may gain a competitive edge with current and prospective employees. They may even establish themselves as destination workplaces over the long term—truly differentiating themselves in the ever-evolving talent game.

Recruitment and attraction

When it comes to recruitment and attraction, 69 percent of the women with children aged five and under who are currently looking for employment said they would be more likely to choose an employer that offered assistance with childcare expenses or provided access to on-site childcare. About half the respondents cited flexible working arrangements as the top reason they would pick one job over another, while 26 percent of respondents ranked predictable hours and scheduling as first priorities (assuming their compensation remained the same).

When deciding whether to stay with a company or switch to another, 83 percent of the women and 81 percent of the men in our survey with children aged five and under said that childcare benefits would be a “very important” or “somewhat important” factor in the decision. About 40 percent of respondents who were considering moving to a less-demanding job said that on-site childcare services at their current company may cause them to reconsider. And 38 percent of respondents said that their companies’ assistance with childcare expenses would also be a key factor in their staying put.

Advancement

The working mothers of children aged five and under in our research base said they received fewer professional-development opportunities as a result of their childcare responsibilities. Indeed, 57 percent reported feeling held back professionally for this very reason, compared with 38 percent of working fathers in our survey (Exhibit 3). Fifty-three percent of working mothers with children aged five and under who left the workforce temporarily, reduced their hours, or moved to a less-demanding job said they did so in full or in part because of childcare responsibilities. Additionally, 40 percent of respondents who refrained from pursuing promotion said having access to on-site childcare would have allowed them to reverse that decision.

Fifty-three percent of working mothers with children aged five and under who left the workforce temporarily, reduced their hours, or moved to a less-demanding job said they did so in full or in part because of childcare responsibilities.

Making the commitment

How companies choose to support employees’ childcare efforts will differ depending on industry context, operational implications, and available resources. However, particularly as people return to work (in whatever combination of physical and virtual presence that entails) and rebuild connections, there is no downside to polling working parents within your organization, identifying the childcare pain points unique to your organization, and discussing ways to address both the company’s and employees’ needs.

That’s what business leaders at the financial services company Synchrony did during the COVID-19 pandemic: they assessed the childcare needs of their corporate and call-center employees through surveys and listening sessions. As a result of that exercise, the company developed a package of benefits that has helped to empower and support working parents. The package included an extension from 25 to 60 days of backup childcare, the addition of virtual after-school and summer camp programs and tutoring, the distribution of laptops to further children’s education, and flexibility in employees’ hours and work location.

Other forms of commitment to employees may include:

• Addressing the childcare affordability gap. Companies may offer full or partial tuition subsidies for center- or home-based care, flexible-spending accounts for dependent care, or creative financing models to cover childcare costs in the first five years of a child’s life (the most expensive in terms of caregiving services).
• Expanding employees’ access to childcare. Companies may want to explore on-site day care initiatives, as Patagonia has done, offering childcare at its headquarters in California and at a distribution center in Reno, Nevada. Tuition is on a sliding scale, and services are available to both hourly and salaried workers. The company has reported 25 percent lower turnover rates among employees who use the childcare program compared with the overall workforce. 7 Kathryn Mayer, “Patagonia’s secret to employee engagement? Onsite daycare,” Employee Benefit News, June 28, 2017. Alternatively, companies could offer excess space in their facilities to childcare operators or provide demand guarantees to operators in childcare deserts.
• Making childcare more convenient. Companies can make childcare more convenient for working parents by addressing their need for flexible arrangements and hours—for instance, allowing them to change when they start and end their workdays so they can better meet childcare center drop-off and pickup deadlines. One professional-services firm has established a “bring your baby to work” program that allows new working mothers in particular to ease into changed routines at home and at work. Other businesses are offering telework and hybrid work arrangements to working parents (including both salaried and hourly employees). Synchrony, for instance, has adopted enhanced flex scheduling that allows team members to work through a centralized system to determine how and where they may be able to take hours off and make them up later. The company also employs split shifts, which lets employees complete a four-hour shift in the morning and a four-hour shift in the evening with extended time off in the middle of the day. Employees can also take vacation or personal time off in hourly increments.
• Ensuring greater reliability in childcare. Some companies offer services that give employees access to backup care if a nanny is sick, a home-based day care closes suddenly, or another emergency crops up. Such services may be subsidized by the company, in part or in whole. Synchrony’s backup-care benefit is notable in that the company cut the red tape and made it very easy for employees to choose the best provider for the situation ahead of time—whether a family member or a childcare center or other third-party option—ensuring that employees could get backup childcare on short notice.
• Raising the bar on quality. There are many ways employers can help working parents find quality childcare—including serving as a conduit to critical community information. A large clothing retailer, for instance, conducted a childcare census to understand the challenges and needs of working parents. Armed with such data, the company reached out to service providers and other key stakeholders in the community to identify the most relevant resources and share them with working parents.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Attrition, the country is at a critical juncture where improving the childcare experience is fundamentally tied to gender equity and economic competitiveness. Corporate leaders have a unique opportunity to innovate in childcare support and help working families achieve their full potential. Providing this kind of support goes beyond the realm of employee benefits; it is core to employers’ value propositions and talent-development strategies.

Sarah Gitlin is an associate partner in McKinsey’s Washington, DC, office; Ayushi Gummadi is a consultant in the Bay Area office, where Alexis Krivkovich is a senior partner and Kunal Modi is a partner.

The authors wish to thank Kweilin Ellingrud, Dina Kuttab, Brandon Lu, Tracy Nowski, and Ramesh Srinivasan for their contributions to this article.

This article was edited by Roberta Fusaro, an executive editor in the Waltham, Massachusetts, office.

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