DESIGNING RESEARCH USEFUL IN DAILY LIFE

Steps in Developing Research Topic

Despite the advancement in knowledge and technology, there is still a lot to discover in this world. There is
still an ocean of things that we are yet to explore. It can be a difficult situation that we want to improve or eliminate, a
better understanding of the unfamiliar, information gaps we wish to fill, or theories that we want to validate. What
limits our choice of a topic are our capacity, understanding, resources, and skill.

Most researchers will agree that choosing a good topic is a challenging and tedious task. Because a
research topic serves as the groundwork for any succeeding actions, it must be defined appropriately at the
beginning of the research work. Otherwise, it may result in unanticipated complexities to the researcher.

Developing a research problem can be done in four (4) steps:

1. Choose a broad topic

2. Do a preliminary research
3. Define the problem
4. Refine the question

As a student researcher, let us go through these steps to guide us in choosing a quantitative

research topic related to our chosen field.

1. CHOOSE A BROAD TOPIC. The first step is quite simple. As a Senior High School student, these tips will
surely guide you in selecting a broad topic for quantitative research:

A. Choose an interesting topic.

Research is a very challenging task that demands your time and persistence. Your motivation to find the
answer to the problem should keep you going, thus building a momentum along the way. Therefore, your research
topic must be something that you are passionate about. Review your answers in activity 1, and it might lead you to
the right path. After all, nothing is more satisfying than accomplishing something that matters to you.

B. Select a significant topic.

A topic that is worth researching must be able to answer or solve problems in the community. No one will
take an interest in your topic if it is obsolete and does not address any real problem. To be proactive and to take
part in solving problems with socio-economic xrelevance gives a sense of accomplishment. You do not even have to
look far, just take a look at your household, neighborhood, school, group of friends, or local community for a
common problem or difficulty. Activity 2 will help you identify some main points that can serve as a basis for
choosing your research study.

C. Choose a topic relevant to your field .

One of the goals of this course is for you to be able to produce a quantitative research study that is aligned
to your chosen track. A SHS student under ABM must choose a topic related to business and management while
students taking HUMSS may consider choosing a topic about politics, culture, and arts. Choosing a topic that you
can relate will certainly make your research project less challenging.

In the event, that the three tips above do not shed some light on your minds, do not despair; other sources
of ideas like the ones below may be available for you.

i. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Harmonized National R & D Agenda for 2017-2022. Early in
2017, DOST, together with researchers from the health, agriculture, industry, and academe, released
research priorities for 2017 to 2022 that are relevant for the economic growth of the country. Visit this link
https://bit.ly/3hHTf2Y for a list of suggested studies.
ii. Review of Literature. Some researchers reveal that reading previous studies fueled their minds with tons of
research topics. Reviewing the literature lets them know what has been studied, what is not yet done, and
what other researchers suggest working on. Journals, periodicals, and peer-reviewed articles are a good
read.
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 WEEK 4 HANDOUTS
 iii. Field experts. Gather up some guts to approach anyone you know that are experts on the field of your
choice because they may give valuable inputs or may currently be working on a study where you can
collaborate. Your instructor may also give you some advice, especially on the possible obstacles, resource
limitations, and expanse of the study.
iv. Brainstorming. Do not underestimate the ideas from classmates, friends, and family members. You may be
overwhelmed at first by the outpouring of ideas, just build a list, then cross off any topic unrelated to your
field or not so interesting to you. Of course, you must take precautionary measures in doing this by
observing physical distancing. You can use any social media platform to do this.

2. DO A PRELIMINARY RESEARCH. The second step is much more time-consuming. Once you have chosen a
broad topic, you need to have a better understanding of it by reading some more articles, journals, and related
research studies. Find out how other researchers gathered their data, what research instruments were used,
how the data were analyzed, and what important findings they shared. Take note of every relevant research
study for future reference. If you started the topic search (first step) by doing a literature review, the second
step is just a continuation of what you started. A much deeper discussion of the literature review will be done in
module 3.

3. DEFINE THE PROBLEM. After getting enough information, you may be able to list some questions or
problems that you want to research. At this stage, you should be able to narrow down broad topic into feasible
and manageable research questions. A broad topic can be narrowed down by limiting the population, place,
period, or a certain characteristic. However, be very mindful that your problem may not be too narrow that it
becomes very simple and does not need to collect unique data or does not generate new information. A very
narrow research question can be developed by doing a comparative study or expanding the scope of the study.

REFINE THE QUESTION. This step lets you evaluate the questions formulated. What specific questions should you
ask? How should you gather your data sufficient to answer the questions? Are the questions too narrow, or does it
need to be trimmed down? While evaluating the research question, consider the requirements of the course. How
much time are you given to finish the research? What resources do you need and are they available? You will learn
more about research questions in lesson 4.

RESEARCH TITLE
ACTIVITY: Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.

_____________1. Inserting humor on the research title makes it more interesting to the reader.
_____________2. Abbreviations are a must to make the research title shorter.
_____________3. Proper punctuation and correct grammar must be observed in writing the title.
_____________4. All types of quantitative research design must include the independent and dependent variables in the title.
_____________5. Jargons make a research title more sophisticated.
_____________6. Only the first letter of nouns and pronouns are capitalized.
_____________7. To minimize the number of characters in the title, only use the chemical formula than generic names.
_____________8. Use declarative format in writing the research title.
_____________9. To make it more specific, the year must be included in the title.
_____________10. Using obsolete terms do not matter in writing the title.

BASIC GUIDELINES IN MAKE RESEARCH TITLE

A research study title is the very first thing a reader comes across when searching for scientific literature. It is a concise
description of the content of the research study containing the fewest possible words, yet adequate to describe the contents of
the paper for a simple reason that we do not want to mislead the readers. After conceptualizing a most probable research topic,
drafting the title early in the research process helps in keeping your focus on the subject. The following are the basic guidelines
in making a research study title:

1. Use an accurate description of the subject and scope of the study instead of using general terms.
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 WEEK 4 HANDOUTS
2. Do not use abbreviations except for commonly known ones like DNA and ICT.
3. Do not include words like “The study of,” “analysis of,” “an investigation of” or similar construction as these would
only lengthen the title.
4. Include the main dependent and independent variables.
5. Be mindful of the proper use of grammar and punctuation.
6. Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs as well as the first letter of the first and last words.
7. State in a declarative form, although you may also see titles in question form from time to time.
8. The year the study has been conducted should not be indicated unless it is a historical study.
9. Use current terminology.
10. Depending on the institutional requirements, 5 to15 words are sufficient to describe the research study.
11. Use the common name instead of chemical formula (e.g., NH4)
12. Write and italicize the full scientific names.
13. Must reflect the tone of the paper. An academic research paper has title which is not casual, or informal, or does not
contain humor.

THE FOLLOWING STEPS CAN GUIDE YOU IN WRITING YOUR RESEARCH TITLE:

1. Determine what it is that you wish to accomplish or know from your study. Write one to two sentences to state the
main objectives of your research project.
2. Include important keywords and variables. Revise the sentences into one complete sentence that includes important
keywords and variables of the study.
3. Shorten the title by eliminating unnecessary words. You may also shrink a phrase into a simpler phrase or a single
word. In doing this, make sure that the main thought of the research study is retained.
4. Correct grammar and punctuation errors if there is any.
5. Observe proper formatting. The format may vary according to the requirements of the course or school. Please seek
guidance from your professor.

Activity: Directions: Evaluate the following erroneous research title and justify what makes it wrong.

Example: Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of S. trifasciata leaves

Answer: The scientific name was abbreviated and not italicized.

1. An investigation of the effects of electronics uses on Interpersonal Relationship in adults.

Answer: ________________________________________________________

2. Effects of Coconut Oil and Beeswax Edible coating.

Answer: ________________________________________________________

3. The Effects of Arts-Integrated Instruction on Arithmetic Skills of Students for S.Y. 2018-2019.
Answer: _________________________________________________________

4. Antibacterial effects of C2H5OH extract of Carica papaya leaves.

Answer: _________________________________________________________

5. Managing business during global pandemic.

Answer: _________________________________________________________

Background of Research
The background of the study is the part of your paper where you inform the reader of the context of the study. When we say
context, it means the situation or circumstances within which your research topic was conceptualized. Ideally, this part is
written when you have already conducted a literature review and has a good perception of the topic so you can articulate the
importance and validity of the research problem. It is also in this part of the paper where you justify the need to conduct a
research study about the topic selected by establishing the research gap.

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 WEEK 4 HANDOUTS

 A research gap is an under or unexplored area of a topic that requires further exploration. The gap can be in a form of
other variables, conditions, population, methodology, or test subject. To identify research gaps, an exhaustive literature review
regarding the topic is required. You may have to look for similar or related studies employing quantitative, qualitative, or
mixed-methods from legitimate sources and examine the gray areas. Reading through the Discussion, Conclusion, or the
Recommendations sections of the articles will help you know potential areas of study that need further attention. Identifying
research gaps sometimes would even make researchers modify their research problem as they get noteworthy ideas from fellow
researchers.

While both the Background of the Study and the Review of Related Literature involves reading past related studies,
they differ in some aspects. The former is at the introductory part of the paper with the purpose of relaying the importance of
your research study; the latter is more comprehensive and thoroughly discuss the studies mentioned in the background of
research. Moreover, the background of the study will answer the following questions:
1. What is already known about the topic?
2. What is not known about the topic?
3. Why do you need to address those gaps?
4. What is the rationale of your study?

While answering these questions, keep in mind that the studies you include in this part of the paper are laid down as part of the
introduction and should not be discussed in great detail. The depth and length of the background information largely depend on
how much information you think the reader needs to know to have a full grasp of the topic being discussed.

Directions: Let’s expand the research topic and title you did in the activities from lessons 1 and 2 by composing a one to two-
page Background of the Study. Print it on a short bond paper in the format below:

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2 WEEK 4 HANDOUTS