The Process of Scientific Research

The Process of Scientific Research
The research process can roughly be divided into several phases: (1) Proposal writing, (2) Study
implementation, (3) Manuscript writing, (4) Research communication and peer review, and (5)
Research utilization. Normally, the researchers’ task ends with the fourth one, though this can
spill over to the fifth. Each phase and their respective steps and outputs will be presented briefly
below.
Phases Steps Output
I. Proposal 1. Select topic under your discipline Research proposal

writing 2. Conduct literature search and review
3. Identify research issue, problem, gap
4. Craft research objective
5. State hypothesis/es, research question/s
6. Conceptualize methods
II. Study 7. Gather data Draft of Results and
implementation 8. Organize data Discussion, with tables
9. Analyze data and figures (or themes,
10. Discuss results patterns, categories, and
11. Draft conclusions quotes)
III. Manuscript 12. Write full manuscript to add Results, Full manuscript
writing Discussion, and Conclusion to the
proposal text
IV. Research 13. Paper presentation Research proceedings;
communication 14. Publication Journal article, book
and peer chapter, book, patent, or
review utility model
V. Research 15. Citations, practical applications Citations, referencing
utilization
I. Proposal writing
1. Topic selection. Start by settling down on a topic. This may come from your knowledge
gained from academic courses and readings, personal interests, experiences, work, or
engagements. Make sure that you are really interested in the topic, as this will be your
area of research specialization for life. Do not go for a topic just to finish a research as
soon as possible. Second, make sure this falls under your discipline or program. For this,
you need to confer with your Graduate Program Coordinator or with knowledgeable
faculty. In fact, an alternate way is to contact an experienced and published faculty who
has a topic that you can collaborate on. S/he then becomes your adviser/research
promoter. This will be easier, as the faculty member is familiar with his/her own topic,
including relevant materials, methods, etc. The downside is that you will have to align
your interest to his/her topic, though this is not necessarily a disadvantage on its own.
G. P. Kibiten. “The process of scientific research,” 19 June 2021

2. Search and review literature. The purpose of doing literature review is to find out on
what is already known about the topic. By doing so, you can identify issues, problems, or
knowledge gaps on the topic that you can pursue specifically for your research. This is
critical, as you cannot proceed if there is no issue, problem or gap to begin with.
3. State the issue, problem, or knowledge gap in the form of a problem statement.
4. Craft the research objective, which is what your study wants to do in order to address the
identified issue, problem, or knowledge gap.
5. State your research hypothesis/es (for quantitative research) or research question/s (for
qualitative research)
At this point, draft the proposal introduction. This presents the literature review together
with the identified issue, problem, or knowledge gap that your study wants to address,
your research objective/s, and the research hypothesis/es or research questions.
6. Conceptualize the methods section, or the steps that you will implement in order to gather
the data that will address your hypothesis or research question.
Once the Methods has been drafted, you add this to the Introduction in order to come up
with the research proposal text. Complete the text by listing down the initial references
cited in the Introduction and Methods, and likewise including necessary attachments (like
the data gathering instruments).
II. Study implementation
7. Data gathering. Collect data following the steps outlined in your Methods.
8. Organize the data. Arrange the data in an orderly manner in preparation for analysis.
Come up with tables (quantitative research), or transcripts and memos/notes (qualitative
research).
9. Analyze the data. Run statistical tests (quantitative) or identify patterns and themes
(qualitative), and write down the results in a clear and logical presentation. Include
figures (for quantitative work) or photos, images, and quotes (for qualitative outputs).
10. Discuss results. Explain the meanings and implications of the results.
11. Write down conclusions. Write down the intended take-home message of the paper.
III. Manuscript writing
12. Write up the full manuscript by adding the drafts of the results, discussion, and
conclusions to the earlier proposal text. Likewise, include the Abstract and Keywords. Do
final touches to ensure that the whole text flows smoothly from one part to the next.
Finalize the reference list on the basis of what was actually cited in the manuscript.

IV. Research communication and peer-review
Research communication pertains to the sharing of research outputs to the public, which
is a condition set for researchers and scholars under the Mertonian norms of
‘communalism’ and ‘disinterestedness.’ We do not do research just for our own; we have
to make it public so that it can benefit the society at large. Research communications
come through two formal avenues: paper presentations and publications.
13. Present the results of your study in a research conference. Prior to being presented into a
conference, your paper needs to be vetted and accepted to consider its quality and
suitability for the conference.
14. Publish the results in a journal, book chapter, or book. Before the study is published, it
has to go through a rigid peer-review by experts in order to ensure its quality. This is
more thorough than the assessment done for conference presentations, as publication is
the final form of research communication. The peer-review process embodies the
Mertonian norms of ‘universalism’ (i.e., all scholarly works should be assessed on the
basis of objective criteria collectively set by the scientific community and not on the
personal and social attributes of the researcher) and ‘organized skepticism’ (i.e., critical
examination of any research claim before this gets accepted by the community).
Once the work is published in a peer-reviewed journal, book chapter, or book (also
includes patent or utility model as forms of publication), it then gets to be formally part
of the body of knowledge in your discipline or area of specialization. To the contrary, if
the work is not published, it will be treated as gray literature and will be ignored by the
scientific community. Which means, the findings of the study will never make it to their
intended purpose of being used by other researchers and stakeholders.
V. Research utilization
15. Once published (having gone through peer-review, which is the quality control
mechanism for science and scholarship), the work can be trusted for its integrity and
contribution as a scientific literature. It is only by then that this can formally be cited by
other researchers (including you) in their subsequent studies – to confirm, refute, or
improve on its findings and claims. The latter can also be used by other stakeholders in
their work/service/practice for whatever practical applications it may have.

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The Process of Scientific Research

Phases Steps Output

I. Proposal 1. Select topic under your discipline Research proposal

G. P. Kibiten. “The process of scientific research,” 19 June 2021

II. Study implementation

III. Manuscript writing

G. P. Kibiten. “The process of scientific research,” 19 June 2021

G. P. Kibiten. “The process of scientific research,” 19 June 2021

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