Research Course: Beginning to Advance (Batch-28)

About Course

This research course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental concepts and practical skills required for conducting research and writing scientific manuscripts. The course covers various aspects of research methodology, including proposal development, literature review, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. Additionally, it focuses on enhancing students’ proficiency in using software tools and techniques commonly employed in research.

The course begins with an introduction to research basics, including proposal development and article selection techniques. Students are also exposed to discussions on predatory journals and strategies for accessing reliable research articles. Emphasis is placed on referencing techniques, including citation, bibliography, and referencing styles commonly used in academic writing. The use of reference management software, such as Zotero and Mendeley, is also explored.

The course delves into the topic of plagiarism and paraphrasing, offering insights into tools that can assist in detecting and avoiding plagiarism. It further provides guidance on selecting appropriate research topics and formulating effective research titles. Students learn to develop a strong research introduction, including discussions on background, problem statement, rationale, research objectives, and research questions.

A significant portion of the course is dedicated to literature review and theoretical framework development, where students acquire skills in critically evaluating existing research and synthesizing knowledge to support their own study. Methodology and research design are discussed, covering topics such as population sampling, sample size estimation, and selection techniques. The use of data collection tools, such as questionnaires, is explored, including considerations for inclusion and exclusion criteria.

The course also incorporates the use of software tools for data collection, analysis, and management. Students gain hands-on experience with tools like Google Forms, KoBo Toolbox, Nvivo (for qualitative data analysis), and SPSS (for quantitative data analysis). They learn to perform descriptive statistics and advanced statistical tests, including T-tests, Pearson and Chi-Square tests, and analysis of Likert scale data.

Furthermore, the course provides guidance on writing the results and discussion sections of a manuscript, highlighting effective techniques for communicating research findings. Students are exposed to the publication process, including article submission and considerations for manuscript publication. Limitations, policy implications, and abstract writing are also covered.

As an added benefit, the course offers supplementary lectures on other essential topics, such as curriculum vitae (CV) writing, statement of purpose (SOP), letter of recommendation (LOR), and application procedures. Additionally, students have the opportunity to explore manuscript writing using LaTeX and engage in systematic review methodologies, including data search, extraction, and analysis.

By the end of the course, students will have developed a strong foundation in research methodology and scientific writing. They will possess the skills necessary to conduct independent research, critically analyze existing literature, collect and analyze data, and effectively communicate their findings through manuscript preparation and submission.