Research Methodologies and References

Research Methodologies and References

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Research Methodologies and References

Characteristics of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies

The quantitative research method gathers information in numerical form, which is put into categories or measured in unit measurements. It involves a larger group that is randomly selected. It is purposely used to test a hypothesis, and the variables studied are specific.  Findings are generalized, and the data can be presented in tables and graphs. Closed-ended questionnaires and application forms are an example of quantitative methodologies. On the other hand, the qualitative method typically gathers descriptive data. The study involves a smaller group of participants, and no specific variable is studied. Its purpose is to explore and explain the understanding of social interactions, and conclusions are drawn from the evidence. The study findings are specialized and less generalized. Examples of qualitative methods include unstructured interviews, direct observations, open-ended questionnaires, and diary accounts (Noye, 2019). Both methods are useful in data collection in the research process.

Importance of analyzing resources critically

Analysis of various study resources is crucial as it enables the researcher to identify specific and relevant research sources. Aliste(2018) stated different reasons for critically analyzing resources.  Accuracy and quality of the resources are one of the reasons. A researcher should verify if the reliability of a resource. Another reason for analyzing resources is to find out the objectivity of the resource. Researchers should explore studies to avoid resources, which are biased with less diverse points of view.Additionally, determining coverage is a reason for resource analysis.  According to Umesh, Karippacheril, and Magazine (2016), a researcher is required to compare the in-depth coverage of the resource. Resource analysis also provides information about the professional authority of the authors.

Differences between scholarly articles and media news

Scholarly articles are written for professionals in a specific discipline. The language used in these articles is specific to a particular field, and the authors are often experts in the given field. Information in the scholarly articles is edited by the board comprising experts from a specific field and reviewed by external peers before publication. They have a specific format, such as abstract, literature review, methodologies, results, and conclusion. They have a bibliography and footnotes that describe the study (Alister, 2018). On the other hand, as Al-Rawi (2017) pointed out, media news is written for the public’s consumption in a language easily understood. Media news is written by authors who are not experts ona specific topic. Media News is edited by professional journalists who have no specialized knowledge of the topics discussed and are not peer-reviewed. It also has neither a specific format nor a bibliography documenting the information.

References

Al-Rawi A. (2017). News values on social media: News organizations’ Facebook use. Journalism (London, England), 18(7), 871–889. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884916636142.

McAlister V. C. (2018). Article importance: Processes to evaluate the success of published articles are subjective. Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie, 61(2), 76–77. https://doi.org/10.1503/cjs.003418.

Noyes, J., Booth, A., Moore, G., Flemming, K., Tunçalp, Ö, &Shakibazadeh, E. (2019). Synthesizing quantitative and qualitative evidence to inform guidelines on complex interventions: clarifying the purposes, designs, and outlining some methods. BMJ global health, 4(Suppl 1), e000893. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000893

Umesh, G., Karippacheril, J. G., & Magazine, R. (2016). Critical appraisal of published literature. Indian journal of anesthesia, 60(9), 670–673. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5049.190624