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The Most Important Research Skills (With Examples)

• What Are Hard Skills?
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• What Are What Are Life Skills?
• What Are Social Media Skills Resume?
• What Are Administrative Skills?
• What Are Analytical Skills?
• What Are Research Skills?
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Research skills are the ability to find out accurate information on a topic. They include being able to determine the data you need, find and interpret those findings, and then explain that to others. Being able to do effective research is a beneficial skill in any profession, as data and research inform how businesses operate.

Whether you’re unsure of your research skills or are looking for ways to further improve them, then this article will cover important research skills and how to become even better at research.

Key Takeaways

Having strong research skills can help you understand your competitors, develop new processes, and build your professional skills in addition to aiding you in finding new customers and saving your company money.

Some of the most valuable research skills you can have include goal setting, data collection, and analyzing information from multiple sources.

You can and should put your research skills on your resume and highlight them in your job interviews.

What are research skills?

Why are research skills important, 12 of the most important research skills, how to improve your research skills, highlighting your research skills in a job interview, how to include research skills on your resume, resume examples showcasing research skills, research skills faqs.

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Research skills are the necessary tools to be able to find, compile, and interpret information in order to answer a question. Of course, there are several aspects to this. Researchers typically have to decide how to go about researching a problem — which for most people is internet research.

In addition, you need to be able to interpret the reliability of a source, put the information you find together in an organized and logical way, and be able to present your findings to others. That means that they’re comprised of both hard skills — knowing your subject and what’s true and what isn’t — and soft skills. You need to be able to interpret sources and communicate clearly.

Research skills are useful in any industry, and have applications in innovation, product development, competitor research, and many other areas. In addition, the skills used in researching aren’t only useful for research. Being able to interpret information is a necessary skill, as is being able to clearly explain your reasoning.

Research skills are used to:

Do competitor research. Knowing what your biggest competitors are up to is an essential part of any business. Researching what works for your competitors, what they’re doing better than you, and where you can improve your standing with the lowest resource expenditure are all essential if a company wants to remain functional.

Develop new processes and products. You don’t have to be involved in research and development to make improvements in how your team gets things done. Researching new processes that make your job (and those of your team) more efficient will be valued by any sensible employer.

Foster self-improvement. Folks who have a knack and passion for research are never content with doing things the same way they’ve always been done. Organizations need independent thinkers who will seek out their own answers and improve their skills as a matter of course. These employees will also pick up new technologies more easily.

Manage customer relationships. Being able to conduct research on your customer base is positively vital in virtually every industry. It’s hard to move products or sell services if you don’t know what people are interested in. Researching your customer base’s interests, needs, and pain points is a valuable responsibility.

Save money. Whether your company is launching a new product or just looking for ways to scale back its current spending, research is crucial for finding wasted resources and redirecting them to more deserving ends. Anyone who proactively researches ways that the company can save money will be highly appreciated by their employer.

Solve problems. Problem solving is a major part of a lot of careers, and research skills are instrumental in making sure your solution is effective. Finding out the cause of the problem and determining an effective solution both require accurate information, and research is the best way to obtain that — be it via the internet or by observation.

Determine reliable information. Being able to tell whether or not the information you receive seems accurate is a very valuable skill. While research skills won’t always guarantee that you’ll be able to tell the reliability of the information at first glance, it’ll prevent you from being too trusting. And it’ll give the tools to double-check .

Experienced researchers know that worthwhile investigation involves a variety of skills. Consider which research skills come naturally to you, and which you could work on more.

Data collection . When thinking about the research process, data collection is often the first thing that comes to mind. It is the nuts and bolts of research. How data is collected can be flexible.

For some purposes, simply gathering facts and information on the internet can fulfill your need. Others may require more direct and crowd-sourced research. Having experience in various methods of data collection can make your resume more impressive to recruiters.

Data collection methods include: Observation Interviews Questionnaires Experimentation Conducting focus groups

Analysis of information from different sources. Putting all your eggs in one source basket usually results in error and disappointment. One of the skills that good researchers always incorporate into their process is an abundance of sources. It’s also best practice to consider the reliability of these sources.

Are you reading about U.S. history on a conspiracy theorist’s blog post? Taking facts for a presentation from an anonymous Twitter account?

If you can’t determine the validity of the sources you’re using, it can compromise all of your research. That doesn’t mean just disregard anything on the internet but double-check your findings. In fact, quadruple-check. You can make your research even stronger by turning to references outside of the internet.

Examples of reliable information sources include: Published books Encyclopedias Magazines Databases Scholarly journals Newspapers Library catalogs

Finding information on the internet. While it can be beneficial to consulate alternative sources, strong internet research skills drive modern-day research.

One of the great things about the internet is how much information it contains, however, this comes with digging through a lot of garbage to get to the facts you need. The ability to efficiently use the vast database of knowledge that is on the internet without getting lost in the junk is very valuable to employers.

Internet research skills include: Source checking Searching relevant questions Exploring deeper than the first options Avoiding distraction Giving credit Organizing findings

Interviewing. Some research endeavors may require a more hands-on approach than just consulting internet sources. Being prepared with strong interviewing skills can be very helpful in the research process.

Interviews can be a useful research tactic to gain first-hand information and being able to manage a successful interview can greatly improve your research skills.

Interviewing skills involves: A plan of action Specific, pointed questions Respectfulness Considering the interview setting Actively Listening Taking notes Gratitude for participation

Report writing. Possessing skills in report writing can assist you in job and scholarly research. The overall purpose of a report in any context is to convey particular information to its audience.

Effective report writing is largely dependent on communication. Your boss, professor , or general reader should walk away completely understanding your findings and conclusions.

Report writing skills involve: Proper format Including a summary Focusing on your initial goal Creating an outline Proofreading Directness

Critical thinking. Critical thinking skills can aid you greatly throughout the research process, and as an employee in general. Critical thinking refers to your data analysis skills. When you’re in the throes of research, you need to be able to analyze your results and make logical decisions about your findings.

Critical thinking skills involve: Observation Analysis Assessing issues Problem-solving Creativity Communication

Planning and scheduling. Research is a work project like any other, and that means it requires a little forethought before starting. Creating a detailed outline map for the points you want to touch on in your research produces more organized results.

It also makes it much easier to manage your time. Planning and scheduling skills are important to employers because they indicate a prepared employee.

Planning and scheduling skills include: Setting objectives Identifying tasks Prioritizing Delegating if needed Vision Communication Clarity Time-management

Note-taking. Research involves sifting through and taking in lots of information. Taking exhaustive notes ensures that you will not neglect any findings later and allows you to communicate these results to your co-workers. Being able to take good notes helps summarize research.

Examples of note-taking skills include: Focus Organization Using short-hand Keeping your objective in mind Neatness Highlighting important points Reviewing notes afterward

Communication skills. Effective research requires being able to understand and process the information you receive, either written or spoken. That means that you need strong reading comprehension and writing skills — two major aspects of communication — as well as excellent listening skills.

Most research also involves showcasing your findings. This can be via a presentation. , report, chart, or Q&A. Whatever the case, you need to be able to communicate your findings in a way that educates your audience.

Communication skills include: Reading comprehension Writing Listening skills Presenting to an audience Creating graphs or charts Explaining in layman’s terms

Time management. We’re, unfortunately, only given 24 measly hours in a day. The ability to effectively manage this time is extremely powerful in a professional context. Hiring managers seek candidates who can accomplish goals in a given timeframe.

Strong time management skills mean that you can organize a plan for how to break down larger tasks in a project and complete them by a deadline. Developing your time management skills can greatly improve the productivity of your research.

Time management skills include: Scheduling Creating task outlines Strategic thinking Stress-management Delegation Communication Utilizing resources Setting realistic expectations Meeting deadlines

Using your network. While this doesn’t seem immediately relevant to research skills, remember that there are a lot of experts out there. Knowing what people’s areas of expertise and asking for help can be tremendously beneficial — especially if it’s a subject you’re unfamiliar with.

Your coworkers are going to have different areas of expertise than you do, and your network of people will as well. You may even know someone who knows someone who’s knowledgeable in the area you’re researching. Most people are happy to share their expertise, as it’s usually also an area of interest to them.

Networking involves: Remembering people’s areas of expertise Being willing to ask for help Communication Returning favors Making use of advice Asking for specific assistance

Attention to detail. Research is inherently precise. That means that you need to be attentive to the details, both in terms of the information you’re gathering, but also in where you got it from. Making errors in statistics can have a major impact on the interpretation of the data, not to mention that it’ll reflect poorly on you.

There are proper procedures for citing sources that you should follow. That means that your sources will be properly credited, preventing accusations of plagiarism. In addition, it means that others can make use of your research by returning to the original sources.

Attention to detail includes: Double checking statistics Taking notes Keeping track of your sources Staying organized Making sure graphs are accurate and representative Properly citing sources

As with many professional skills, research skills serve us in our day to day life. Any time you search for information on the internet, you’re doing research. That means that you’re practicing it outside of work as well. If you want to continue improving your research skills, both for professional and personal use, here are some tips to try.

Differentiate between source quality. A researcher is only as good as their worst source. Start paying attention to the quality of the sources you use, and be suspicious of everything your read until you check out the attributions and works cited.

Be critical and ask yourself about the author’s bias, where the author’s research aligns with the larger body of verified research in the field, and what publication sponsored or published the research.

Use multiple resources. When you can verify information from a multitude of sources, it becomes more and more credible. To bolster your faith in one source, see if you can find another source that agrees with it.

Don’t fall victim to confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is when a researcher expects a certain outcome and then goes to find data that supports this hypothesis. It can even go so far as disregarding anything that challenges the researcher’s initial hunch. Be prepared for surprising answers and keep an open mind.

Be open to the idea that you might not find a definitive answer. It’s best to be honest and say that you found no definitive answer instead of just confirming what you think your boss or coworkers expect or want to hear. Experts and good researchers are willing to say that they don’t know.

Stay organized. Being able to cite sources accurately and present all your findings is just as important as conducting the research itself. Start practicing good organizational skills , both on your devices and for any physical products you’re using.

Get specific as you go. There’s nothing wrong with starting your research in a general way. After all, it’s important to become familiar with the terminology and basic gist of the researcher’s findings before you dig down into all the minutia.

A job interview is itself a test of your research skills. You can expect questions on what you know about the company, the role, and your field or industry more generally. In order to give expert answers on all these topics, research is crucial.

Start by researching the company . Look into how they communicate with the public through social media, what their mission statement is, and how they describe their culture.

Pay close attention to the tone of their website. Is it hyper professional or more casual and fun-loving? All of these elements will help decide how best to sell yourself at the interview.

Next, research the role. Go beyond the job description and reach out to current employees working at your desired company and in your potential department. If you can find out what specific problems your future team is or will be facing, you’re sure to impress hiring managers and recruiters with your ability to research all the facts.

Finally, take time to research the job responsibilities you’re not as comfortable with. If you’re applying for a job that represents increased difficulty or entirely new tasks, it helps to come into the interview with at least a basic knowledge of what you’ll need to learn.

Research projects require dedication. Being committed is a valuable skill for hiring managers. Whether you’ve had research experience throughout education or a former job, including it properly can boost the success of your resume .

Consider how extensive your research background is. If you’ve worked on multiple, in-depth research projects, it might be best to include it as its own section. If you have less research experience, include it in the skills section .

Focus on your specific role in the research, as opposed to just the research itself. Try to quantify accomplishments to the best of your abilities. If you were put in charge of competitor research, for example, list that as one of the tasks you had in your career.

If it was a particular project, such as tracking the sale of women’s clothing at a tee-shirt company, you can say that you “directed analysis into women’s clothing sales statistics for a market research project.”

Ascertain how directly research skills relate to the job you’re applying for. How strongly you highlight your research skills should depend on the nature of the job the resume is for. If research looks to be a strong component of it, then showcase all of your experience.

If research looks to be tangential, then be sure to mention it — it’s a valuable skill — but don’t put it front and center.

Example #1: Academic Research

Simon Marks 767 Brighton Blvd. | Brooklyn, NY, 27368 | (683)-262-8883 | [email protected] Diligent and hardworking recent graduate seeking a position to develop professional experience and utilize research skills. B.A. in Biological Sciences from New York University. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Lixus Publishing , Brooklyn, NY Office Assistant- September 2018-present Scheduling and updating meetings Managing emails and phone calls Reading entries Worked on a science fiction campaign by researching target demographic Organizing calendars Promoted to office assistant after one year internship Mitch’s Burgers and Fries , Brooklyn, NY Restaurant Manager , June 2014-June 2018 Managed a team of five employees Responsible for coordinating the weekly schedule Hired and trained two employees Kept track of inventory Dealt with vendors Provided customer service Promoted to restaurant manager after two years as a waiter Awarded a $2.00/hr wage increase SKILLS Writing Scientific Research Data analysis Critical thinking Planning Communication RESEARCH Worked on an ecosystem biology project with responsibilities for algae collection and research (2019) Lead a group of freshmen in a research project looking into cell biology (2018) EDUCATION New York University Bachelors in Biological Sciences, September 2016-May 2020

Example #2: Professional Research

Angela Nichols 1111 Keller Dr. | San Francisco, CA | (663)-124-8827 |[email protected] Experienced and enthusiastic marketer with 7 years of professional experience. Seeking a position to apply my marketing and research knowledge. Skills in working on a team and flexibility. EXPERIENCE Apples amp; Oranges Marketing, San Francisco, CA Associate Marketer – April 2017-May 2020 Discuss marketing goals with clients Provide customer service Lead campaigns associated with women’s health Coordinating with a marketing team Quickly solving issues in service and managing conflict Awarded with two raises totaling $10,000 over three years Prestigious Marketing Company, San Francisco, CA Marketer – May 2014-April 2017 Working directly with clients Conducting market research into television streaming preferences Developing marketing campaigns related to television streaming services Report writing Analyzing campaign success statistics Promoted to Marketer from Junior Marketer after the first year Timberlake Public Relations, San Francisco, CA Public Relations Intern – September 2013–May 2014 Working cohesively with a large group of co-workers and supervisors Note-taking during meetings Running errands Managing email accounts Assisting in brainstorming Meeting work deadlines EDUCATION Golden Gate University, San Francisco, CA Bachelor of Arts in Marketing with a minor in Communications – September 2009 – May 2013 SKILLS Marketing Market research Record-keeping Teamwork Presentation. Flexibility

What research skills are important?

Goal-setting and data collection are important research skills. Additional important research skills include:

Using different sources to analyze information.

Finding information on the internet.

Interviewing sources.

Writing reports.

Critical thinking.

Planning and scheduling.

Note-taking.

Managing time.

How do you develop good research skills?

You develop good research skills by learning how to find information from multiple high-quality sources, by being wary of confirmation bias, and by starting broad and getting more specific as you go.

When you learn how to tell a reliable source from an unreliable one and get in the habit of finding multiple sources that back up a claim, you’ll have better quality research.

In addition, when you learn how to keep an open mind about what you’ll find, you’ll avoid falling into the trap of confirmation bias, and by staying organized and narrowing your focus as you go (rather than before you start), you’ll be able to gather quality information more efficiently.

What is the importance of research?

The importance of research is that it informs most decisions and strategies in a business. Whether it’s deciding which products to offer or creating a marketing strategy, research should be used in every part of a company.

Because of this, employers want employees who have strong research skills. They know that you’ll be able to put them to work bettering yourself and the organization as a whole.

Should you put research skills on your resume?

Yes, you should include research skills on your resume as they are an important professional skill. Where you include your research skills on your resume will depend on whether you have a lot of experience in research from a previous job or as part of getting your degree, or if you’ve just cultivated them on your own.

If your research skills are based on experience, you could put them down under the tasks you were expected to perform at the job in question. If not, then you should likely list it in your skills section.

University of the People – The Best Research Skills for Success

Association of Internet Research Specialists — What are Research Skills and Why Are They Important?

MasterClass — How to Improve Your Research Skills: 6 Research Tips

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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What are research skills?

Last updated

26 April 2023

Reviewed by

Broadly, it includes a range of talents required to:

Find useful information

Perform critical analysis

Form hypotheses

Solve problems

It also includes processes such as time management, communication, and reporting skills to achieve those ends.

Research requires a blend of conceptual and detail-oriented modes of thinking. It tests one's ability to transition between subjective motivations and objective assessments to ensure only correct data fits into a meaningfully useful framework.

As countless fields increasingly rely on data management and analysis, polishing your research skills is an important, near-universal way to improve your potential of getting hired and advancing in your career.

Make research less tedious

Dovetail streamlines research to help you uncover and share actionable insights

What are basic research skills?

Almost any research involves some proportion of the following fundamental skills:

Organization

Decision-making

Investigation and analysis

Creative thinking

What are primary research skills?

The following are some of the most universally important research skills that will help you in a wide range of positions:

Time management — From planning and organization to task prioritization and deadline management, time-management skills are highly in-demand workplace skills.

Problem-solving — Identifying issues, their causes, and key solutions are another essential suite of research skills.

Critical thinking — The ability to make connections between data points with clear reasoning is essential to navigate data and extract what's useful towards the original objective.

Communication — In any collaborative environment, team-building and active listening will help researchers convey findings more effectively through data summarizations and report writing.

What are the most important skills in research?

Detail-oriented procedures are essential to research, which allow researchers and their audience to probe deeper into a subject and make connections they otherwise may have missed with generic overviews.

Maintaining priorities is also essential so that details fit within an overarching strategy. Lastly, decision-making is crucial because that's the only way research is translated into meaningful action.

• Why are research skills important?

Good research skills are crucial to learning more about a subject, then using that knowledge to improve an organization's capabilities. Synthesizing that research and conveying it clearly is also important, as employees seek to share useful insights and inspire effective actions.

Effective research skills are essential for those seeking to:

Analyze their target market

Investigate industry trends

Identify customer needs

Detect obstacles

Find solutions to those obstacles

Develop new products or services

Develop new, adaptive ways to meet demands

Discover more efficient ways of acquiring or using resources

Why do we need research skills?

Businesses and individuals alike need research skills to clarify their role in the marketplace, which of course, requires clarity on the market in which they function in. High-quality research helps people stay better prepared for challenges by identifying key factors involved in their day-to-day operations, along with those that might play a significant role in future goals.

• Benefits of having research skills

Research skills increase the effectiveness of any role that's dependent on information. Both individually and organization-wide, good research simplifies what can otherwise be unwieldy amounts of data. It can help maintain order by organizing information and improving efficiency, both of which set the stage for improved revenue growth.

Those with highly effective research skills can help reveal both:

Opportunities for improvement

Brand-new or previously unseen opportunities

Research skills can then help identify how to best take advantage of available opportunities. With today's increasingly data-driven economy, it will also increase your potential of getting hired and help position organizations as thought leaders in their marketplace.

• Research skills examples

Being necessarily broad, research skills encompass many sub-categories of skillsets required to extrapolate meaning and direction from dense informational resources. Identifying, interpreting, and applying research are several such subcategories—but to be specific, workplaces of almost any type have some need of:

Searching for information

Attention to detail

Taking notes

Problem-solving

Communicating results

Time management

• How to improve your research skills

Whether your research goals are to learn more about a subject or enhance workflows, you can improve research skills with this failsafe, four-step strategy:

Make an outline, and set your intention(s)

Know your sources

Learn to use advanced search techniques

Practice, practice, practice (and don't be afraid to adjust your approach)

These steps could manifest themselves in many ways, but what's most important is that it results in measurable progress toward the original goals that compelled you to research a subject.

• Using research skills at work

Different research skills will be emphasized over others, depending on the nature of your trade. To use research most effectively, concentrate on improving research skills most relevant to your position—or, if working solo, the skills most likely have the strongest impact on your goals.

You might divide the necessary research skills into categories for short, medium, and long-term goals or according to each activity your position requires. That way, when a challenge arises in your workflow, it's clearer which specific research skill requires dedicated attention.

How can I learn research skills?

Learning research skills can be done with a simple three-point framework:

Clarify the objective — Before delving into potentially overwhelming amounts of data, take a moment to define the purpose of your research. If at any point you lose sight of the original objective, take another moment to ask how you could adjust your approach to better fit the original objective.

Scrutinize sources — Cross-reference data with other sources, paying close attention to each author's credentials and motivations.

Organize research — Establish and continually refine a data-organization system that works for you. This could be an index of resources or compiling data under different categories designed for easy access.

Which careers require research skills?

Especially in today's world, most careers require some, if not extensive, research. Developers, marketers, and others dealing in primarily digital properties especially require extensive research skills—but it's just as important in building and manufacturing industries, where research is crucial to construct products correctly and safely.

Engineering, legal, medical, and literally any other specialized field will require excellent research skills. Truly, almost any career path will involve some level of research skills; and even those requiring only minimal research skills will at least require research to find and compare open positions in the first place.

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What Are Research Skills, and How You Can Improve Them

• Posted on March 9, 2022

Original research is an arduous task, no matter how you slice it. Conducting extensive research and collecting relevant information for an original idea is complicated. It involves much more than just reading several recently published papers.

Good research will help you develop a data collection that provides accurate and relevant information to your topic. So, is research a skill that you can develop and improve? What are research skills?

Research skills are the abilities and techniques needed to conduct research. This includes finding and assessing information and properly citing all research. Research skills are fundamental to academic success, and the more you practice, the better you will become.

Research Skills vs. Research Methods

Some people use the terms research skills and research methods interchangeably. Although they relate closely, they are different.

Research skills are a part of the process, but they also take a lot of time to master. Research methods are what you use during the research stages.

For example, one research method may be a literature review. Research skills would involve learning how to conduct the best possible literature review.

You can practice research skills and improve your speed, accuracy, and reliability. Critical thinking, project management, effective note-taking, and time management are great examples of research skills.

How To Improve Your Research Skills

Conducting high-quality research requires mastering several skills. Some of the best skills for good academic research come with practice and experience. You can improve your research skills by using outlines, sources and practicing.

Use Outlines to Your Advantage

An outline is a great way to keep yourself organized and on topic. By paying close attention to the outline you craft, you set yourself up to conduct good research that lends itself to a well-written paper. After all, an outline makes it easier to write your first draft, and a structured approach will improve your writing.

Before you even begin your research, outline what you need to do to complete your paper on time. Start with an introduction, add your first point and then supporting evidence, a second point with its supporting evidence, and then a third, fourth, or fifth, depending on how in-depth your paper will be. The last step will be your conclusion or a summary of your content.

Often outlining will give you ideas for research methods that you may not have considered before. Data collection can be challenging, but devising an outline can make the process much easier.

Because an outline allows you to think about all the topics you need to cover in your paper, you’ll be better prepared when you begin researching.

Dig Into Your Sources

It’s daunting to determine relevant information, especially if it’s a topic that you’re not knowledgeable about. It’s important to know when your sources are reliable for academic research . It’s also imperative to use different sources when finding relevant information, or you may display a bias. This also helps you avoid plagiarism by relying on multiple points of reference.

For example, you should know that an article published in a peer-reviewed journal will be more reliable than an article found on Wikipedia. Wikipedia, though often sourced, is open to be edited by anyone. The sources supplied themselves are not always credible, as the organization largely relies on unpaid editors to donate time to review articles.

A peer-reviewed journal will be fact-checked multiple times, demonstrate a history of credibility, and use reputable sources to support any arguments or claims.

Your sources should also answer the question that you are trying to ask. You should perform a light critical analysis of your source materials to determine their value. This requires investigative thinking and research itself. You need to discover:

• Who wrote the source?
• What was their agenda?
• Who sponsored the publication, if anyone?
• What was the agenda of the publisher?
• Does the publisher have a notable bias?
• Does the author have a notable bias?
• What year was the material published, and has it become outdated?

Try Advanced Search Techniques

Google and other search engines aren’t the only way to find information for your research paper. Library resources offer a wealth of services and tools, such as full-text journals and databases. Your local university library is another excellent place to start.

Often, librarians will be able to assist you with your research and can help you utilize advanced research methods you may not have thought of. They can direct you to the correct database and demonstrate how to best use it to find information about your subject. They may know of specific journals or other literature that could be a good starting point to get your footing.

During your research process, seek a different point of view and new ways to find reliable sources for your paper. When you rely on a single viewpoint or only one credible source, you not only develop a bias by showing just one side of your topic, but you run the risk of plagiarism. Where will your source’s argument end and yours begin? It may appear that you’re simply copying someone else’s hard work.

Practice Makes Perfect

Research isn’t a skill that people learn overnight. But you’d be surprised how fast these skills develop every time you conduct research. Once you get used to collecting data from reliable sources, you can become a master at it by learning from your own research paper mistakes.

One of the most overlooked aspects of research is a person’s time management skills. Those who wait until the last minute to start research run the risk of not finding adequate sources and producing a sub-par product. By giving yourself extra time, especially as you develop your research skills, you allow yourself to thoroughly investigate your sources, find appropriate support for your arguments, and develop a conclusion based on research, rather than trying to scramble to find research to support a specific conclusion.

6 Steps for Conducting Research

Conducting research isn’t easy, and many people find it frustrating. It can be like solving a puzzle to uncover the best information about the topic you’re researching. Here are 5 steps to help with your research strategy.

• Clearly define your research question. Precisely formulate your question so you know exactly which information sources are relevant to your research. This will save you lots of time.
• Draft a solid outline. Put your research question at the top of the document, then write out each of your supporting points or arguments. Include a few thoughts that go with each of those points.
• Determine the research methods you’ll use. Depending on the type of research paper you’re writing, you may need primary or secondary research. Your research will likely be either qualitative, quantitative, descriptive, or experimental.
• Find data from reliable sources. Make sure your resources are reliable by looking for things like the date of publication, author credentials, and publisher.
• Focus on your note-taking. Take detailed notes in whatever format you’re most comfortable with, whether that’s on your computer, tablet, or by hand in your notebook or on index cards.
• Draft your research paper. Combine your notes with a solid outline, and put it all together. Don’t forget to cite all of your sources . Give your paper a final review, then you’re done!

Final Thoughts

Conducting research can be a frustrating assignment. Here is the good news: the above steps and tools will make research report writing more effective.

By clearly defining your research question, determining the type of research methods you’ll use, and finding data from reliable sources, you’ll be on your way to conducting successful research.

Your last steps should be using a plagiarism detector and a citation generator, to double-check your work. Quetext is an online plagiarism checker with a built citation generator, so you can easily cite everything that you read.

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What are Research Skills? How to Improve Your Skills in Research

Learn strategies and techniques to improve your research skills. Avoid common mistakes and implement proven methods for efficient research. This article offers practical tips to enhance your ability to find and evaluate high-quality information.

Are you struggling to find relevant and reliable information for your research? Do you want to avoid getting lost in a sea of sources and needing help knowing where to start? Improving your research skills is essential for academic success and professional growth.

In today's information age, effectively conducting research has become more important than ever. Whether you are a student, a professional, or simply someone who wants to stay informed, knowing how to find and evaluate information is crucial.

Fortunately, some strategies and techniques can help you improve your research skills and become a more efficient and effective researcher. By avoiding common mistakes and implementing proven methods, you can enhance your ability to find high-quality information and make the most of your research endeavors. This article will explore some practical tips and tricks to help you improve your research skills and achieve better results.

What is Research?

Research is a critical part of learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. It is an essential process used in every field for both the individual and collective’s mutual benefit and success. Research involves systematically gathering data from primary or secondary sources, analyzing it, interpreting it, and communicating its findings to researchers and other interested parties.

Research can be divided into two main categories: quantitative research, which uses numerical data to describe phenomena, and qualitative research, which seeks to understand people's beliefs, opinions, values, or behaviors. Quantitative research often involves applying model-based approaches that can predict outcomes based on observations. It is one of the most powerful methods of discovering information about the world, as it allows for testing hypotheses in a systematic manner. Qualitative research is more exploratory in nature by focusing on understanding the motivations behind what people do or think rather than developing models or producing statistics in order to conclude behavior and relationships between variables. This type of research usually relies more on observation and engagement with people instead of using statistical models.

What are Research Skills?

Research skills are the abilities and talents required to focus on an objective, gather the relevant data linked to it, analyze it using appropriate methods, and accurately communicate the results. Taking part in research indicates that you have acquired knowledge of your subject matter, have digested that knowledge, and processed, evaluated, and analyzed it until you can resolve a problem or answer a query. It is highly beneficial for employers to hire people with strong research skills since they can provide valuable insights and add value to the company’s performance. Therefore, researching effectively has become crucial to securing a job in most industries.

Why Do Research Skills Matter?

Research skills are essential if one intends to succeed in today's competitive world. With technology ever-evolving and a need to stay ahead of the competition, employees who possess research skills can prove invaluable to their employers. These skills include researching, analyzing, and interpreting data and making informed decisions based on that information.

Employers value workers who can quickly develop a thorough understanding of any changes or trends in their field of work through accurate research. Knowing how to assess customer needs, recognize competition, write reports, improve productivity, and advise on investments can also benefit any business. With the help of research skills, companies can uncover ways to adapt their services or products that better serve their customers’ needs while helping them save money at the same time. This makes overall operations more efficient as well as helps a company remain ahead of its competitors.

Essential Research Skills :

Here is a list of essential research skills:

Data Collection

Data collection is an important part of comprehending a certain topic and ensuring reliable information is collected while striving to answer complex questions. Every situation differs, but data collection typically includes surveys, interviews, observations, and existing document reviews. The data collected can be quantitative or qualitative, depending on the nature of the problem at hand. As students advance through university and other educational institutions, they will need to read extensively into a particular field and may even need to undertake comprehensive literature reviews to answer fundamental questions.

The skills acquired through data collection during university are invaluable for future roles and jobs. Gaining experience in understanding complex topics, reading widely on a given subject matter, collecting relevant data, and analyzing findings - all these activities are integral when dealing with any type of project within the corporate sector. Therefore, embarking on various research projects enhances a person's education level and brings about significant professional experience.

Goal-Setting

Setting goals is an important skill for any successful research project. It allows you to stay focused and motivated throughout the process. Goals are also essential in helping with direction: they provide a path to organize our thoughts, narrow our focus, and prioritize the tasks we need to undertake to achieve our desired result. The concept of goal-setting is inherent in most research processes, as everything needs to have something to strive for — whether that’s gaining knowledge about a particular topic or testing a theory.

When it comes to creating and setting goals during the research process, you must have clear and specific objectives in mind from the outset. Writing down your thoughts helps define these objectives, which can inform the data collection process; moreover, thinking about short-term and long-term goals can help you create manageable steps toward achieving them. Learning how to break up larger projects into smaller “mini-goals effectively” can make all the difference when tackling complex investigations — allowing researchers to monitor their progress more easily and culminate results further down the line.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is an integral part of the modern workplace. To succeed, one must be able to look at a situation objectively and make decisions based on evidence. The information examined needs to come from various sources, such as data collection, personal observation, or analysis. The goal should then be to take all this information and form a logical judgment that informs an action plan or idea.

Someone who displays strong critical thinking skills will not just accept proposed ideas at face value but instead can understand how these ideas can be applied and challenged. Accepting something without consideration means making the wrong decision due to a lack of thought. Critical thinkers understand how brainstorming works, assessing all elements before forming any decision. From negotiating with colleagues or customers in adversarial scenarios to analyzing complex documents such as legal contracts in order to review business agreements - critical dedicated apply their knowledge effectively and are able to back up their evaluation with evidence collected from multiple sources.

Observation Skills

Observation skills are necessary for conducting any form of research, whether it be in the workplace or as part of an investigative process. It is important to be able to pick up on the details that might otherwise pass unnoticed, such as inconsistencies in data or irregularities in how something is presented, and to pay careful attention to regulations and procedures that govern the company or environment. This can help researchers to ensure their processes are accurate and reliable.

As well as analyzing what we see around us directly, many research methodologies often involve calculated statistical analyses and calculations. For this reason, it’s important to develop strong observation skills so that the legitimacy of information can be confirmed and checked before conclusions are formed. Improving this skill requires dedication and practice, which could include keeping a journal reflecting on experiences, posing yourself questions about what you have observed, and seeking out opportunities in unfamiliar settings to test your observations.

Detail Orientation

Detail orientation is an important research skill for any scientific endeavor. It allows one to assess a situation or problem in minute detail and make appropriate judgments based on the information gathered. A detail-oriented thinker can easily spot errors, inconsistencies, and vital pieces of evidence, which can help lead to accurate conclusions from the research. Additionally, this skill allows someone to evaluate the quality and accuracy of data recorded during an experiment or project more efficiently to ensure validity.

Spotting small mistakes that may otherwise have been overlooked is a crucial part of conducting detailed research that must be perfected. Individuals aiming for superior outcomes should strive to develop their skill at detecting details by practicing critical analysis techniques, such as breaking down large bodies of information into smaller tasks to identify finer points quickly. Moreover, encouragement should also be made for elaborate comparison and analysis between different pieces of information when solving a complex problem, as it can help provide better insights into problems accurately.

Investigative Skills

Investigative skills are an essential component when it comes to gathering and analyzing data. In a professional setting, it is important to determine the accuracy and validity of different sources of information before making any decisions or articulating ideas. Generally, effective investigation requires collecting different sets of reliable data, such as surveys and interviews with stakeholders, employees, customers, etc. For example, if a company internally assesses possible challenges within its business operations environment, it would need to conduct more profound research involving talking to relevant stakeholders who could provide critical perspectives about the situation.

Data-gathering techniques such as comparison shopping and regulatory reviews have become more commonplace in the industry as people strive for greater transparency and more accurate results. Knowing how to identify reliable sources of information can give individuals a competitive advantage and allow them to make sound decisions based on accurate data. Investing time in learning different investigative skills can help recruiters spot applicants dedicated to acquiring knowledge in this field. Developing these investigative skills is also valuable for those looking for executive positions or starting their own business. By familiarizing themselves with their application process, people can become adept at collecting high-quality data they may use in their research endeavors.

Time Management

Time management is a key skill for any researcher. It's essential to be able to allocate time between different activities so you can effectively plan and structure your research projects. Without good time management, you may find yourself hastily completing tasks or feeling stressed out as you rush to complete an analysis. Ultimately, managing your time allows you to stay productive and ensure that each project is completed with the highest results.

Good time management requires various skills such as planning ahead, prioritizing tasks, breaking down large projects into smaller steps, and even delegating some activities when possible. It also means setting realistic goals for yourself in terms of the amount of research that can be achieved in certain timestamps and learning how to adjust these goals when needed. Becoming mindful of how you spend the same hours each day will propel your productivity and see positive results from your efforts. Time management becomes especially relevant regarding data collection and analysis – it is crucial to understand precisely what kind of resources are needed for each task before diving into the research itself. Knowing how much time should be dedicated to each step is essential for meeting deadlines while still retaining accuracy in the final outcomes of one’s study.

Tips on How to Improve Your Research Skills

Below are some tips that can help in improving your skills in research:

Initiate your project with a structured outline

When embarking on any research project, creating an outline and scope document must first ensure that you remain on the right track. An outline sets expectations for your project by forming a detailed strategy for researching the topic and gathering the necessary data to conclude. It will help you stay organized and break down large projects into more manageable parts. This can help prevent procrastination as each part of the project has its own timeline, making it easier to prioritize tasks accordingly.

Using an outline and scope document also allows for better structure when conducting research or interviews, as it guides which sources are most relevant, what questions need to be answered, and how information should be collected or presented. This ensures that all information received through research or interviews stays within the confines of the chosen topic of investigation. Additionally, it ensures that no important details are overlooked while minimizing the chance that extraneous information gets included in your results. Taking this time upfront prevents potential problems during analysis or reporting of findings later.

Acquire expertise in advanced data collection methods

When it comes to collecting data for research purposes, a range of advanced data collection techniques can be used to maximize your efficiency and accuracy. One such technique is customizing your online search results with advanced search settings. By adding quotation marks and wildcard characters to the terms you are searching for, you are more likely to find the information you need from reliable sources. This can be especially useful if, for instance, you are looking for exact quotes or phrases. Different search engines require different advanced techniques and tactics, so learning these can help you get more specific results from your research endeavors.

Aside from using online searches, another standard methodology when conducting research is accessing primary information through libraries or other public sources. A specific classification system will likely be in place that can help researchers locate the materials needed quickly and easily. Knowing and understanding this system allows one to access information much more efficiently while also giving them ample opportunity to increase their knowledge of various topics by browsing related content in the same category groups. Thus, by learning about advanced data collection techniques for both online and offline sources, researchers can make substantial progress in their studies more efficiently.

Validate and examine the reliability of your data sources

Collecting reliable information for research can be a challenge, especially when relying on online sources. It is essential to remember that not all sources are created equal, and some sites may contain false or inaccurate data. It is, therefore important to verify and analyze the data before using it as part of your research.

One way to start verifying and analyzing your sources is to cross-reference material from one source with another. This may help you determine if particular facts or claims are accurate and, therefore, more valid than others. Additionally, trace where the data is coming from by looking at the author or organization behind it so that you can assess their expertise in a particular field and authority on the topic at hand. Once these steps have been completed, you can confidently use this trusted information for your project.

Structure your research materials

Organizing your research materials is an integral part of any research process. When you’re conducting a project or study and trying to find the most relevant information, you can become overwhelmed with all the data available. It’s important to separate valid from invalid materials and to categorize research materials by subject for easy access later on. Bookmarking websites on a computer or using a digital asset management tool are two effective methods for organizing research information.

When researching, it’s critical to remember that some sources have limited value and may be outside the scope of your topic. Recognizing reliable material versus trustworthy resources can be complex in this sea of information. However, sorting data into appropriate categories can help narrow down what is necessary for producing valid conclusions. This method of classifying information helps ensure that vital documents aren't overlooked during the organization process as they are placed in folders shortcutted for quick access within one centralized source whenever needed. Separating valuable sources also makes it easier to reference later on when writing reports or giving presentations - material won't get lost among irrelevant data, and conclusions will be backed by sound evidence.

Enhance your research and communication capabilities

Developing research and communication skills is essential for succeeding academically and professionally in the modern world. The key to improving these skills lies in rigorous practice, which can begin with small projects such as resolving common issues or completing a research task that can be made into a personal project. One way to do this is to volunteer for research projects at work and gain experience under the guidance of experienced researchers. This will improve your research skills and help you develop communication skills when working with others on the project. Another option is to turn a personal project into a research task. For example, if you plan on taking a holiday soon, you could create an objective method to select the best destination by conducting online research on destinations and making informed decisions based on thorough analysis. Practicing in this way enables you to complete any research task confidently and communicate efficiently with ease.

How to Articulate Research Skills on Your Resume

Research projects require commitment and perseverance, making it an important skill to include on a resume. Even if you have had limited research experience throughout your education or previous job, including this in your resume assesses these qualities to potential employers. It's important to consider the extent of your research experience when deciding how to add this part of your background to your resume. If you have been involved with multiple in-depth research projects, it might be best to highlight this by including it as its own section. On the other hand, if the amount of research you have completed is more limited, then try including it in the skills section instead.

When adding research experience and accomplishments into either section of your resume, be sure to emphasize any specific roles or contributions you made during the process instead of just describing the project itself. Furthermore, remember to quantify any successes where possible - this showcases both communication and technical proficiency strengths, which can help make your resume stand out even more. By properly articulating research skills within a resume, employers will likely be more interested in what job seekers have accomplished in their careers.

How to Apply Research Skills Effectively in Your Workplace

Research skills are an invaluable set of abilities to bring to your workplace. To make sure you use them properly, a good place to start is by taking time to plan the project you have been assigned. Whether it’s writing a report or analyzing data, mapping out what tasks you need to do and how long they should take helps to understand the project timeline better. This also makes setting aside dedicated time for research easier too.

To ensure that the decisions made are sound and informed, reading up on the subject area related to the project remains one of the premier ways of doing this. This will help to ensure that any problems arising can be solved quickly and effectively, as well as provide answers before any decisions are actually put into practice. By arming yourself with knowledge gathered through reading about a particular topic, it can give you more confidence when formulating plans or strategies in which direction to take your work in.

Final Thoughts

Research skills are increasingly important in the modern world, and gaining proficiency in this area can significantly benefit a person's career. Research skills are essential for success in many different roles and fields, including those within business and industry, education, science, and medicine. Developing a deep understanding of research allows us to identify problems better and critically evaluate potential solutions. It also bolsters our problem-solving abilities as we work to find creative solutions that meet our efforts' objectives.

By improving your research capabilities, you can impress employers during an application process or when joining a team at work. Research skills are considered soft skills by potential employers since they signal that you have attention to detail while simultaneously demonstrating your ability to learn new things quickly. Employers regard these skills highly, making them one of the key graduate career skills recruiters seek. Furthermore, being able to add ‘research skills’ to your CV will be looked upon favorably by employers and help drive up your employability significantly. Demonstrating that you possess these sought-after traits makes it easier for recruiters to give you the opportunity you've been looking for, so it's worth investing the time into developing these life-long learning tools today.

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Research Skills: What they are and Benefits

Research skills play a vital role in the success of any research project, enabling individuals to navigate the vast sea of information, analyze data critically, and draw meaningful conclusions. Whether conducting academic research, professional investigations, or personal inquiries, strong research skills are essential for obtaining accurate and reliable results.

LEARN ABOUT:   Research Process Steps

By understanding and developing these skills, individuals can embark on their research endeavors with confidence, integrity, and the capability to make meaningful contributions in their chosen fields. This article will explore the importance of research skills and discuss critical competencies necessary for conducting a research project effectively.

Content Index

What are Research Skills?

Important research skills for research project, benefits of research skills.

• Improving your Research Skills

Talk to Experts to Improve Skills

Research skills are the capability a person carries to create new concepts and understand the use of data collection. These skills include techniques, documentation, and interpretation of the collected data. Research is conducted to evaluate hypotheses and share the findings most appropriately. Research skills improve as we gain experience.

To conduct efficient research, specific research skills are essential. These skills are necessary for companies to develop new products and services or enhance existing products. To develop good research skills is important for both the individual as well as the company.

When undertaking a research project, one must possess specific important skills to ensure the project’s success and accuracy. Here are some essential research skills that are crucial for conducting a project effectively:

Time Management Skills:

Time management is an essential research skill; it helps you break down your project into parts and enables you to manage it easier. One can create a dead-line oriented plan for the research project and assign time for each task. Time management skills include setting goals for the project, planning and organizing functions as per their priority, and efficiently delegating these tasks.

Communication Skills:

These skills help you understand and receive important information and also allow you to share your findings with others in an effective manner. Active listening and speaking are critical skills for solid communication. A researcher must have good communication skills.

Problem-Solving:  

The ability to handle complex situations and business challenges and come up with solutions for them is termed problem-solving. To problem-solve, you should be able to fully understand the extent of the problem and then break it down into smaller parts. Once segregated into smaller chunks, you can start thinking about each element and analyze it to find a solution.

Information gathering and attention to detail:

Relevant information is the key to good research design . Searching for credible resources and collecting information from there will help you strengthen your research proposal and drive you to solutions faster. Once you have access to information, paying close attention to all the details and drawing conclusions based on the findings is essential.

Research Design and Methodology :

Understanding research design and methodology is essential for planning and conducting a project. Depending on the research question and objectives, researchers must select appropriate research methods, such as surveys, experiments, interviews, or case studies. Proficiency in designing research protocols, data collection instruments, and sampling strategies is crucial for obtaining reliable and valid results.

Data Collection and Analysis :

Researchers should be skilled in collecting and analyzing data accurately. It involves designing data collection instruments, collecting data through various methods, such as surveys or observations, and organizing and analyzing the collected data using appropriate statistical or qualitative analysis techniques. Proficiency in using software tools like SPSS, Excel, or qualitative analysis software can be beneficial.

By developing and strengthening these research skills, researchers can enhance the quality and impact of their research process, contributing to good research skills in their respective fields.

Research skills are invaluable assets that can benefit individuals in various aspects of their lives. Here are some key benefits of developing and honing research skills:

Boosts Curiosity :

Curiosity is a strong desire to know things and a powerful learning driver. Curious researchers will naturally ask questions that demand answers and will stop in the search for answers. Interested people are better listeners and are open to listening to other people’s ideas and perspectives, not just their own.

Cultivates Self-awareness :

As well as being aware of other people’s subjective opinions, one must develop the importance of research skills and be mindful of the benefits of awareness research; we are exposed to many things while researching. Once we start doing research, the benefit from it reflects on the beliefs and attitudes and encourages them to open their minds to other perspectives and ways of looking at things.

Effective Communication:

Research skills contribute to practical communication skills by enhancing one’s ability to articulate ideas, opinions, and findings clearly and coherently. Through research, individuals learn to organize their thoughts, present evidence-based arguments, and effectively convey complex information to different audiences. These skills are crucial in academic research settings, professional environments, and personal interactions.

Personal and Professional Growth :

Developing research skills fosters personal and professional growth by instilling a sense of curiosity, intellectual independence, and a lifelong learning mindset. Research encourages individuals to seek knowledge, challenge assumptions, and embrace intellectual growth. These skills also enhance adaptability as individuals become adept at navigating and assimilating new information, staying updated with the latest developments, and adjusting their perspectives and strategies accordingly.

Academic Success:

Research skills are essential for academic research success. They enable students to conduct thorough literature reviews, gather evidence to support their arguments, and critically evaluate existing research. By honing their research skills, students can produce well-structured, evidence-based essays, projects, and dissertations demonstrating high academic research rigor and analytical thinking.

Professional Advancement:

Research skills are highly valued in the professional world. They are crucial for conducting market research, analyzing trends, identifying opportunities, and making data-driven decisions. Employers appreciate individuals who can effectively gather and analyze information, solve complex problems, and provide evidence-based recommendations. Research skills also enable professionals to stay updated with advancements in their field, positioning themselves as knowledgeable and competent experts.

Developing and nurturing research skills can significantly benefit individuals in numerous aspects of their lives, enabling them to thrive in an increasingly information-driven world.

Improving Your Research Skills

There are many things you can do to improve your research skills and utilize them in your research or day job. Here are some examples:

• Develop Information Literacy: Strengthening your information literacy skills is crucial for conducting thorough research. It involves identifying reliable sources, evaluating the credibility of information, and navigating different research databases.
• Enhance Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is an essential skill for effective research. It involves analyzing information, questioning assumptions, and evaluating arguments. Practice critical analysis by analyzing thoughtfully, identifying biases, and considering alternative perspectives.
• Master Research Methodologies: Familiarize yourself with different research methodologies relevant to your field. Whether it’s qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods research, realizing the strengths and limitations of each approach is crucial.
• Practice Effective Time Management: Research requires dedicated time and effort. Develop good time management skills to ensure that you allocate sufficient time for each stage of the research process, including planning, data collection, analysis, and writing.
• Embrace Collaboration: Collaborating with peers and colleagues can provide a fresh perspective and enrich your research experience. Engage in discussions, share ideas, and seek feedback from others. Collaborative projects allow for exchanging knowledge and skills.
• Continuously Update Your Knowledge: Stay informed about your field’s latest developments and advancements. Regularly read scholarly articles, attend conferences, and follow reputable sources of information to stay up to date with current research trends.

There is plenty of information available on the internet about every topic; hence, learning skills to know which information is relevant and credible is very important. Today most search engines have the feature of advanced search, and you can customize the search as per your preference. Once you learn this skill, it will help you find information. 

Experts possess a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insights that can significantly enhance your understanding and abilities in conducting research. Experts have often encountered numerous challenges and hurdles throughout their research journey and have developed effective problem-solving techniques. Engaging with experts is a highly effective approach to improving research skills.

Moreover, experts can provide valuable feedback and constructive criticism on your research work. They can offer fresh perspectives, identify areas for improvement, and help you refine your research questions, methodology, and analysis.

At QuestionPro, we can help you with the necessary tools to carry out your projects, and we have created the following free resources to help you in your professional growth:

• Survey Templates

Research skills are invaluable assets that empower individuals to navigate the ever-expanding realm of information, make informed decisions, and contribute to advancing knowledge. With advanced research tools and technologies like QuestionPro Survey Software, researchers have potent resources to conduct comprehensive surveys, gather data, and analyze results efficiently.

Where data-driven decision-making is crucial, research skills supported by advanced tools like QuestionPro are essential for researchers to stay ahead and make impactful contributions to their fields. By embracing these research skills and leveraging the capabilities of powerful survey software, researchers can unlock new possibilities, gain deeper insights, and pave the way for meaningful discoveries.

Authors : Gargi Ghamandi & Sandeep Kokane

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Empowering students to develop research skills

February 8, 2021

This post is republished from   Into Practice ,  a biweekly communication of Harvard’s  Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning

Terence D. Capellini, Richard B Wolf Associate Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, empowers students to grow as researchers in his Building the Human Body course through a comprehensive, course-long collaborative project that works to understand the changes in the genome that make the human skeleton unique. For instance, of the many types of projects, some focus on the genetic basis of why human beings walk on two legs. This integrative “Evo-Devo” project demands high levels of understanding of biology and genetics that students gain in the first half of class, which is then applied hands-on in the second half of class. Students work in teams of 2-3 to collect their own morphology data by measuring skeletons at the Harvard Museum of Natural History and leverage statistics to understand patterns in their data. They then collect and analyze DNA sequences from humans and other animals to identify the DNA changes that may encode morphology. Throughout this course, students go from sometimes having “limited experience in genetics and/or morphology” to conducting their own independent research. This project culminates in a team presentation and a final research paper.

The benefits: Students develop the methodological skills required to collect and analyze morphological data. Using the UCSC Genome browser  and other tools, students sharpen their analytical skills to visualize genomics data and pinpoint meaningful genetic changes. Conducting this work in teams means students develop collaborative skills that model academic biology labs outside class, and some student projects have contributed to published papers in the field. “Every year, I have one student, if not two, join my lab to work on projects developed from class to try to get them published.”

“The beauty of this class is that the students are asking a question that’s never been asked before and they’re actually collecting data to get at an answer.”

The challenges:  Capellini observes that the most common challenge faced by students in the course is when “they have a really terrific question they want to explore, but the necessary background information is simply lacking. It is simply amazing how little we do know about human development, despite its hundreds of years of study.” Sometimes, for instance, students want to learn about the evolution, development, and genetics of a certain body part, but it is still somewhat a mystery to the field. In these cases, the teaching team (including co-instructor Dr. Neil Roach) tries to find datasets that are maximally relevant to the questions the students want to explore. Capellini also notes that the work in his class is demanding and hard, just by the nature of the work, but students “always step up and perform” and the teaching team does their best to “make it fun” and ensure they nurture students’ curiosities and questions.

Takeaways and best practices

• Incorporate previous students’ work into the course. Capellini intentionally discusses findings from previous student groups in lectures. “They’re developing real findings and we share that when we explain the project for the next groups.” Capellini also invites students to share their own progress and findings as part of class discussion, which helps them participate as independent researchers and receive feedback from their peers.
• Assign groups intentionally.  Maintaining flexibility allows the teaching team to be more responsive to students’ various needs and interests. Capellini will often place graduate students by themselves to enhance their workload and give them training directly relevant to their future thesis work. Undergraduates are able to self-select into groups or can be assigned based on shared interests. “If two people are enthusiastic about examining the knee, for instance, we’ll match them together.”
• Consider using multiple types of assessments.  Capellini notes that exams and quizzes are administered in the first half of the course and scaffolded so that students can practice the skills they need to successfully apply course material in the final project. “Lots of the initial examples are hypothetical,” he explains, even grounded in fiction and pop culture references, “but [students] have to eventually apply the skills they learned in addressing the hypothetical example to their own real example and the data they generate” for the Evo-Devo project. This is coupled with a paper and a presentation treated like a conference talk.

Bottom line:  Capellini’s top advice for professors looking to help their own students grow as researchers is to ensure research projects are designed with intentionality and fully integrated into the syllabus. “You can’t simply tack it on at the end,” he underscores. “If you want this research project to be a substantive learning opportunity, it has to happen from Day 1.” That includes carving out time in class for students to work on it and make the connections they need to conduct research. “Listen to your students and learn about them personally” so you can tap into what they’re excited about. Have some fun in the course, and they’ll be motivated to do the work.

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• You are currently on: Research knowledge and skills

Research knowledge and skills

This development area incorporates the foundations required for any doctoral candidate to effectively undertake research. This includes the ability to efficiently source and store your data, rise to the challenges posed by new software and digital tools, navigate contextual frameworks, and develop and critically evaluate knowledge and ideas.

This development area is made up of four categories:

Finding and managing information

Building digital capabilities, critical and creative thinking, research methods and methodologies.

Data discovery and management underpins the research you do. Understanding or updating your knowledge on the most efficient ways to find information, store and manage data and get support can save you a significant amount of time and stress as your research data grows.

Examples and resources

Courses, workshops and events: Literature review: Finding and managing information; Managing research data.

Actions and experiences: Speak to a Research Services Advisor; Create a data management plan; Explore Research hub.

Links to other resources:

• Efficient discovery and research curation
• Working with data
• Centre for eResearch
• Finding and managing information (Canvas course)
• The Informed Researcher (PDF)

Whether you’re exploring referencing tools, data management options, analysing results or growing the reach of your research over social media, there are a plethora of ways that broadening your digital skills can help you work more effectively.

Courses, workshops and events: Data carpentry; LaTeX; R; Python; HTML; Thesis formatting for Word, SPSS Core Skills, NVivo Core Skills.

Actions and experiences: Join a Hacky Hour; Use a new digital tool; Attend ResBaz.

• IT skills workshops
• Software carpentry  

Critical and creative thinking are essential to generating your original contribution to knowledge, but these skills have far wider applications. In any situation that requires you to solve complex problems, brainstorm, evaluate ideas or analyse information, your ability to imagine new ideas and critically assess existing ones are vital.

Courses, workshops and events: Critical thinking; Mind mapping; Creativity

Actions and experiences: Participate in the Velocity $100K Challenge; Practice peer review; Explore the Maker Space at Unleash Space; Analyse your data and form a conclusion.

• The Creative Researcher (Podcast)
• Write@Uni
• Creative Thinking
• Design Thinking
• Creative thinking in research
• Logical and Critical Thinking (MOOC)

Successful researchers explore and identify appropriate research approaches early on in order to lay the groundwork for successful research.

Courses, workshops and events: Faculty/LSRI-based seminars and workshops

Actions and experiences: Attend a conference; Meet with an LLS Research Advisor  

Finding courses, workshops and events

There are a number of places outside of Wahapū that you can browse to find development activities, for example:

• Doctoral opportunities
• Libraries and Learning Services workshops  
• Research Hub
• Unleash Space

Explore the Framework

• Using the Doctoral Development Framework
• Candidature essentials
• The research environment
• Communication, influence and impact
• Collaboration and leadership
• Career development

Institute for Employment Research National Guidance Research Forum

Developing your research skills.

Developing Your Research Skills

Contribution from Jenny Bimrose, Warwick Institute for Employment Research (2003).

The following materials provide an introduction to some key issues for designing and progressing a research project in guidance through to successful completion.

Links to subsections: Contents

STAGE 1: Identifying a research need within a guidance (or related) context

Stage 2: reading for research, stage 3: selecting appropriating methods and procedures, stage 4: research models, traditions and approaches, stage 5: writing a research report.

Bibliography

Research in Practice website

Harvard Reference Style

This section will help you plan your research project.

1.1 Introduction

To carry out research, you will need to carry out a variety of tasks. Robson (1993:pxvii) identifies the main ones as:

deciding on the focus; developing the research question(s); choosing a research strategy; selecting the method(s); arranging the practicalities; collecting the data; preparing for, and carrying out analysis; reporting what you have found; and possibly acting on your findings There is no shortage of advice in books on how to approach your research (see the References and Bibliography sections - though, please note, that there are many other standard texts which contain the same type of general information). It is worth spending time reviewing the advice and suggestions contained in a selection of these texts, since learning from the experience of the experts who have written these texts can often save you time and effort in the longer term.

1.2 Objective: stage 1

The first stage in conducting successful research involves identifying a realistic and achievable research need which is relevant to your professional area, then undertaking some initial planning of your project.

By the end of this stage of your research project, you should have:

gathered and selected information from a variety of sources which is appropriate to your broad area of interest; synthesised this information to identify a research need; identified constraints associated with your chosen research focus together with possible solutions to potential problems they represent; considered likely trends related to the prospective research area; written a brief research proposal outlining your ideas for research (see 1.8 below).

1.3 Keeping a research diary

It is usual for initial ideas to change as you become more and more involved with the process of research. Because of this, it is worth keeping some informal notes about your progress, like a personal diary, which keeps a reasonably accurate record of key issues. These could include:

how and why you selected the particular focus for your study; difficulties anticipated and actually encountered; how and when difficulties are overcome; sources of inspiration; thoughts and feelings; insights and anxieties; critical turning points, etc. To ensure you do actually keep a diary, it’s important to select an approach to keeping a diary with which you feel comfortable. A small notebook would suffice or, alternatively, Blaxter et al (1996) suggest that diaries can also be kept on tape or a word processor. Whichever method of recording your choose, try to keep it readily accessible, so that ideas can be jotted down as and when they arise.

1.4 Models of research process

‘A rationale for the methods used to gather and process data, in what sequence and on what samples, taken together, constitutes a research methodology.’ Cryer, 1996: 45

The task of carrying out a research inquiry is complicated by the fact that there is no consensus about the way this should be done (Robson, 1993). A fundamental difference relates to the sequence and relationship of activities involved. One model says that you collect all the data before analysing it. One other model requires that data collection and analysis are intertwined. Another difference relates to views about the role of theory. Such differences can be categorised into two main traditions: quantitative (positivist, natural-science based, hypothetico-deductive) and qualitative (interpretative, ethnographic). The implications of adopting one as opposed to the other of these models are discussed later (4.5 and 4.6 below). However, whichever of these approaches (or combination of approaches) you decide to adopt, you will still need to develop your focus at an early stage of your research.

1.5 Selecting a topic

If you are reading this information, it is likely that you already have one (maybe several) idea(s) or a particular area of interest that you would like to research. To help you make your final selection, try to find out just how much has been written each topic. You probably won't have time to read extensively on each topic, so using a library catalogue can be a useful way of identifying relevant material. For example, try the catalogue linked to the careers library that can be accessed through this Forum). Additionally, talk to colleagues and others who might be interested. Discussing ideas about possible topics and the associated problems is an essential part of planning your research. Views may differ from (even conflict) with your own and you may be able to identify alternative approaches as a result of this process. For example, colleagues may be aware of sensitive aspects of certain topics that could cause difficulties at some stage. Use the discussion facility of the Forum to test out your ideas. If you are hoping to carry out research in your own employing organisation, early consultation with relevant individuals is essential to avoid later difficulties.

In selecting a topic, there is often a tendency to be over-ambitious. With limited resources (including time) at your disposal it’s important to prepare the ground carefully. Discussions and inquiries will help you select a topic which is likely to be of interest, which you have a good chance of completing and which may well have some practical application in a guidance context.

1.6 Ethical considerations

At a very early stage of your preparations to carry out research it is vital that you give serious thought to the ethical aspects of the enquiry you are proposing. Ethics refers to rules of conduct, and adopting an ethical approach involves conformity to a code or set of principles. Ethical problems can start at the very beginning of study. Some issues, which may be relevant to your research, are identified by Robson (1993:31):

Do individuals have the right not to take part? Even if they do, are there any overt or covert penalties for non-participation (e.g. 'it will look good on your reference if you have taken part in this study'). Do they know what they are letting themselves in for? Is their consent fully informed? Will individuals participating be protected, not only from any direct effects of the intervention, but also by the investigator ensuring that the reporting of the study maintains confidentiality? Is confidentiality always appropriate? If people have done something praiseworthy and put extra effort and time, should they get credit for this? Conversely, if inefficiency or malpractice is uncovered in your study, should the guilty ones be permitted to hide? What responsibility do investigators have for the knowledge they have acquired? Should those undertaking applied research target their knowledge and take responsibility for the consequences? These are just some examples. Each needs careful thought for your particular situation. Robson (1993: 32) lists ten questionable practices in social science research, relevant to a guidance context. These are:

Involving people without their knowledge or consent. Coercing them to participate. Withholding information about the true nature of the research. Otherwise deceiving the participant. Inducing them to commit acts diminishing their self-esteem. Violating rights of self-determination (e.g. in studies seeking to promote individual change). Exposing participants to physical or mental stress. Invading their privacy. Withholding benefits from some participants (e.g. in comparison groups). Not treating participants fairly, or with consideration, or with respect. He goes on to identify ethical principles relevant for 'action research' - one approach that you may choose to adopt, relevant to a guidance context, characterised by a collaborative effort between researcher and 'researched'. Ethical guidelines for this type of research emphasise the need for negotiation and involvement in the research process. These include:

Observe protocol: Ensure that the relevant persons, committees and authorities have been consulted and informed and that the necessary permission and approval has been obtained. Involve participants: Encourage those who have a stake in the improvement you envisage, shape the form of the work. Negotiate with those affected: Remember that not everyone will want to be directly involved. Your research should respect this. Report progress: Keep the work visible and remain open to suggestions to that both anticipated and unanticipated developments can be dealt with. All involved must have the opportunity to raise concerns with you. Negotiate descriptions of people's work. Always allow those described in your research to challenge your accounts on the grounds of fairness, relevance and accuracy. Negotiate reports for various levels of release. Different audiences demand different levels of reports. 1.7 Planning your research project

Bell (1993:23) provides a useful checklist for planning your project, which identifies the following stages:

Draw up a short list of topics; Select a broad topic for investigation; Refine the precise focus of the study; Decide on the aims and objectives; Draw up an initial project outline; Read enough to ensure you’re on the right lines; Devise a timetable to enable you to check that all stages will be covered and time allowed for writing. By the time you have completed all of these planning phases, you will be ready to write your Research Proposal.

1.8 Research proposal

It is good practice to produce a brief research proposal after your preliminary investigations. This need not be long or complicated, but helps order thoughts and organise subsequent action. It is also good preparation for when you may wish to submit a formal application for funding for research. It should include:

a statement of the research (including, aims and objectives), sources to be examined and identification of any potential ethical issues; a provisional timetable for carrying out the research and writing the report; a rationale for the research, which identifies probable outcomes (what you hope to achieve); a provisional outline of your research report, which can be expanded as your research progresses. Cryer (1996:51) identifies some examples of research outcomes, which are relevant to a guidance context:

A new product e.g. a book, a video, worksheets, etc. A development of or an improvement on something that already exists. A new theory. A reinterpretation of an existing theory. A new research tool or technique. A new model or perspective. An in-depth study. A critical analysis e.g. an analysis of the effects of a particular policy. A collection of general findings or conclusions.

Once you have written your research proposal, you are ready to move on to second stage of your research.

This section will help you focus on identifying and managing the reading materials for your research project.

2.1 Introduction

Carrying out any worthwhile research project will involve a significant amount of reading. The purpose of research is to extend and develop knowledge and understanding. Reading is an integral part of this process. Reading for research in guidance will probably involve reviewing or refreshing your current knowledge base (e.g. theories on which practice is based) as well as undertaking new reading. The types of skills required with reading for research (e.g. how to read, deciding what to read, how to interpret your reading) can be a source of anxiety, so the following sections have been designed to support and/or develop these skills.

2.2 Objective: stage 2

By the end of the second stage of your research you will be able to:

communicate effectively and clearly with others in the discipline area; develop information storage and retrieval strategies; develop skills relevant to library and resource use; develop skills relating to the organisation of reading, research time and tasks; use information to construct a rationale for your research project. 2.3 Information storage and retrieval strategies

For successful research, you will need to be familiar with the sound methods of keeping records and making notes. Whilst locating information for the first time can be difficult, re-locating it can be even more of a problem unless you have developed systematic record-keeping procedures. As well as keeping a record of useful sources, you should also keep a record of sources that proved to be of no interest (and why) to save valuable time later if you come across the same reference again. Remember that for all your sources, you need to record sufficient information for constructing your bibliography (see 2.7 below).

A number of texts on research suggest adopting a card index system (e.g. Bell, 1993 and Cryer, 1996). The merits of using different size cards are discussed (e.g. to contain more or less information) and the potential for keeping cards for various sources in different sections (e.g. cards on books in one section, cards on articles in another, etc.). Other methods could include using part of your 'Research Diary' (see 2.3 above), or using a computer to develop systems of recording.

Adopting a system may prove challenging because breaking off from reading an interesting report, article or chapter to record the necessary details requires a good deal of self-discipline – especially when you’re working under pressure. It is, however, worth persevering since your recording system will undoubtedly be a key feature of producing a high quality research report.

2.4 Reading for research

You may already have been involved in research connected with your professional role and this may have been undertaken without much direct reading (e.g. if you have been involved in administering questionnaires on someone's behalf). However, for research requiring more in-depth involvement, reading is essential since it will both be stimulated and informed by the knowledge acquired by your reading. Blaxter et al (1996:94) usefully suggest that reading should be undertaken at different stages of your research and for different purposes, as follows:

At the beginning of your research: to check what other research has been done, to focus your ideas and to explore the context for your project. During your research: to keep you interested and up to date with developments, to help you better understand the methods you are using and the field you are researching, and as a source of data. After your research: to see what impact your own work has had and to help you develop ideas for further research projects. Purposes of reading for your research are to familiarise yourself with:

research which has been undertaken on topics similar to your own; research methods being applied in ways which are similar to your own plans; accounts of the context relating to your project 2.5 Potential difficulties

One common difficulty is getting hold of relevant books, reports or journal articles. The careers library which can be accessed through this website, is one obvious source of relevant materials. However, remember that there is often competition for popular and scarce resources, so careful planning may be necessary to ensure you manage to access key texts for your research when you need them. It may also be necessary to negotiate access to libraries near to where you live. Local libraries can be very helpful - ordering specialist books on request – and you may be lucky enough to live near a University library, which often allow access to researchers. Wherever you access literature, you probably need to give some careful thought and planning to how and when you will access the material you wish to read.

Apart from libraries, you will need to use a wide variety of other sources for your reading. Your employer, colleagues, supervisors, friends, relations - even clients and research subjects - can prove to be a rich source of relevant material. The Internet can also produce relevant information and can be invaluable for identifying and locating possible material.

Blaxter et al (1996) identify four common concerns about reading for research:

the volume of literature: how do you get to grips with this? the variety of literature: how do you go about using the vast range of sources available? lack of boundaries: how do you decide which areas of literature are relevant? conflicting arguments: how do you assess and evaluate competing explanations? If you can identify with any, or all, of these concerns it is probably worth spending some time developing strategies for reading for research. Again, a number of texts that are readily available provide helpful hints on dealing with these sorts of problems. Some of these are summarised next.

2.6 Basic reading strategies

What to read Read as much as possible from as many sources as possible - books, journals, computer-based materials, reports, the popular media (daily and weekly press, magazines), memos, minutes, internal reports and even letters.

Remember that, even though it is important to be as up-to-date as possible, this does not preclude older sources like classic texts. Edited texts and literature reviews are also particularly useful for research purposes. The careers library accessed through this website is a rich source of this type of material since it contains historical collections of guidance materials. They can provide invaluable overviews of an area as well as excellent introductions to an area – though try to balance these with references to original materials where possible. Methodological accounts are also valuable sources.

Make sure you understand the extent to which the texts that you are using make use of original data:

primary sources: contain original data; secondary sources: contain discussions and interpretations of data, in which the author typically argues for a particular point of view; tertiary sources: presents information and references to the sources of that information. It’s best to try to draw from a mix of sources for your research report.

Making selections Familiarise yourself with key texts relevant to your research topic and then supplement with a broader, but selective, reading around the topic. Develop a selective approach by, for example:

Taking advice from available sources: for example from your colleagues or manager at work. Use the discussion section of this website under different section headings (e.g. Equal Opportunties; Improving Practice; Impact Analysis). Locating books or journals that appear relevant in a careers library by asking, browsing or using a catalogue. Keyword searches on computer-based catalogues are very useful. Following up interesting references from your original sources. Identifying key texts by noting those that are referred to repeatedly. Selective reading If you haven’t already done so, you will need to develop the skill of selective reading because you will not have time to read thoroughly all the written sources with which you need to be familiar. The following tips can help develop this skill:

record the author(s), title, publisher and date of the book, report or articles. Keep this safely and any notes you make on the content; look for an introduction, concluding chapter, abstract or executive summary. If it exists, read quickly, scanning the contents. If the book or report has a cover, the information printed there can be useful; with books and reports, look for the contents page. Identify any chapters that you think may be of particular relevance and focus on them, again starting from the introduction and/or conclusion. You can find your way through a chapter or section by using the sub-headings; in the text itself, key points will often be highlighted, or in the first or last paragraphs. Similarly, the first and last sentences of paragraphs are often used to indicate and summarise their contents. Remember - you should be able to understand the key points of a book or article in no more than five minutes. This should enable you to decide you need go no further, or decide which parts of the book or article you need to read in depth.

Critical reading This requires careful examination of what others have written (or said) on a particular subject. It is a difficult skill to develop but important for successful research. The types of questions you will need to ask as you are reading: does the author present convincing arguments or evidence to support assertions? Is information easy to find? Are the views expressed consistent? Are clear distinctions made between fact and opinion?

Blaxter et al (1996:106) suggest that critically sound sources:

go beyond mere descriptions by arguing their position - making a personal response to what has been written; relate different writings to each other, indicating their differences and contradictions, and highlighting what they are lacking; do not take what is written at face value; are explicit about the values and theories which inform and colour reading and writing; view research writing as contested terrain, within which alternative views and positions may be taken up; show an awareness of the power relations involved in research, and of where writers are coming from; use a particular language (e.g. the author asserts, argues, states, concludes or contends). 2.7 Referencing

There are several acceptable ways of recording sources and other information. The Harvard method is a common method that has various advantages. For example, it avoids footnotes and all sources mentioned appear at the end of your dissertation rather than at the end of each chapter. When sources are referred to in the text, only the name(s) of author(s) and year of publication appear. Even though there are different styles of referencing, they will probably contain the information identified below.

Books For all books you wish to include in your Bibliography, you will need the following information:

Author's surname and initials Year of publication (in brackets) Title (underlined) Edition, if relevant (in brackets) Place of publication Name of publisher

For example: Hodkinson, P., Sparkes, A.C. & Hodkinson, H. (1996) Triumphs and Tears: young people, markets and the transition from school to work, London, David Fulton Publishers.

References in the text should be given as follows:

Smith and Brown (1998:175) or (Smith and Brown, 1998:175)

Where there are three or more authors, only give the name of the first:

Smith et al. (1997:203) or (Smith et al., 1997:203)

When an author has published two or more items in one year, the references should be distinguished by:

Smith (1996a) Smith (1996b) and so on.

Where more than one reference has to be given at a single point in the text, they should be listed chronologically:

Brown (1986:47), Jones (1992:106) and Kaput (1997:427)

Articles and Chapters in Books quote the following:

Author's surname and initials Year of publication (in brackets) Title (in inverted commas or italics) Source of journal or book, that is: ~ Title of journal or book (underlined) ~ Volume number, issue and page numbers in journals

For example: Savickas, M.L. (1995) Current Theoretical Issues in Vocational Psychology: Convergence, Divergence, and Schism in Walsh, W.B. and Osipow, S.H. Handbook of Vocational Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice, (2nd ed) Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Articles in Journals quote the following:

Author's surname and initials Year of publication Title (inverted commas or italics) Title of journal (underlined) Volume number, issue and page numbers

For example: Betz, N.E., Harmon, L.W. & Borgen, F.H. (1996) The Relationships of Self-Efficacy for the Holland Themes to Gender, Occupational Group Membership, and Vocational Interests in Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43, 1, p90-98.

Citing Web Pages As with printed references, the title should be either in Italics or underlined. Note that round brackets are used for (year) and (edition). Where there is no year given on the web material, your would record this as (no date).

Note also that square brackets are used for [medium] and [access date]. The access date is the date you last accessed that reference. This is important, given the volatility of web material, because it offers some indication of the currency of the reference. Without your access date, there might be no intention of how old the material is.

Author/editor. (Year). Title (edition).[Type of medium].Producer (optional). Available Protocol (if applicable):Site/Path/File[Access date].

For example: Equal Opportunities Commission (2003) ‘The Development of Gender Roles in Young Children’. [Online]. Available: http://www.eoc.org.uk/PDF/gender_roles.pdf [2003, May 22].

Whichever method you select for your Bibliography and referencing, remember that it is important to be consistent.

This section will help you to decide how to collect the evidence you require for your research project.

3.1 Introduction

Once you have decided on a research topic, you will be able to decide how to collect the evidence you require. This section will be concerned with general issues associated with the selection of methods and appropriate procedures for the project.

3.2 Objectives: stage 3

By the end of this stage of your research project, you will be able to:

identify appropriate criteria by which to judge the validity of a guidance project; approximate and estimate time involved, necessary materials and the quantities in which they are required, costs of the research, etc.; identify design principles relevant to the chosen research area; identify the major issues or problems in the specific research area; demonstrate the ability to re-formulate research design in response to unexpected circumstances; synthesise material, evidence and arguments to select appropriate methods and procedures for the project. 3.3 Validity, Reliability and Relevance

When judging the quality of any research, reliability, validity and relevance are important.

The validity of research refers to the credibility of the results. Has the research actually done the things it claims to do? Does an item measure or describe what it is supposed to measure or describe? In considering these issues, it needs to be acknowledged that discussions about validity provoke controversy amongst researchers. Some have rejected the concept of validity as inapplicable since it implies the possession of knowledge that is absolutely certain and, in this sense, knowledge can never be certain. McLeod (1999) argues that the concepts of validity and reliability that have been developed for use in quantitative research can’t be applied in the same way in qualitative studies. Nevertheless, in deciding the value of our own and other research, we need to be able to make reasoned judgements about it as a new contribution to knowledge.

Measuring the extent of validity can become extremely involved and there are different levels at which the question of validity can be considered. Put simply, if your research is valid, then you are observing, identifying or measuring what you say you are. A rough guide would be to ask the question: ‘would another researcher using my research instrument get the same responses?’ Additionally, ask other people whether the questions or items you have devised are likely to achieve what you want. Three different aspects of validity are discussed below:

Plausibility:

How plausible is this claim: that is, do we judge it to be likely to true, given our existing knowledge? Some claims may be so plausible that we can reasonably accept them at face value without needing to know anything else.

Credibility:

Does it seems likely that the researcher's judgement of matters relating to the claim is accurate, given the nature of the phenomena concerned, the circumstances of the research, the characteristics of the researcher, etc.?

Where a claim is neither sufficiently plausible, nor sufficiently credible, then we require evidence. When examining the evidence, we need to employ much the same means to assess its validity as we applied to the claim itself (plausibility and credibility) - and may require even more evidence!

McLeod (1999:101) outlines nine criteria suitable for evaluating the validity of qualitative research, which include:

Sufficient contextualisation of the study: Since qualitative research is more concerned with developing knowledge that is relevant and useful at particular times and places, it is necessary to contextualise the study in its historical, social and cultural location.

Credibility of the researcher (reflexivity):A reflexive account of internal processes of research, covering, for example, how contact was made with informants, issues of trust and rapport, how mistakes and misconceptions were dealt with, whether there was agreement over goals and tasks.

Catalytic validity: Defined as the degree to which the research process reorients, focuses and energies participants. Implicit in this is the idea that research should empower those who take part in it.

McNiff (1992) discusses the issue of validity in relation to action research, and distinguishes three types: 1) self validation, 2) peer validation and 3) learner validation. Action research is an approach that often has particular appeal to researchers working on issues related to professional practice. Because much of what McNiff (1992) discusses is applicable to a careers guidance and counselling context, a summary of some of the points she makes on validity follows.

Self-validation: If you are researching within the broad area of guidance and counselling, you are likely to be involved in interpreting your own practice and in making decisions about improving it. The implication of self-validation in this context refers to the potential of these interpretations of your own practice being recognised. McNiff (1992:133) discusses how certain criteria justify an individual's claim to knowledge. They include:

Practice as a realisation of values: where guidance and counselling research starts with a declaration (spoken or written) of values – for example, 'my clients have a right to self-determination'. Often the research inquiry is stimulated because those values are being denied in practice. If clients are being denied the service you think they deserve, this is where a cycle of imagined solutions, implementation, observation, evaluation, re-planning is enacted. Intentional critical reflection: where research inquiry occurs as a result of critical reflection, a desire to explore an intuitive understanding of practice and communicate it to others. Disciplined enquiry: where a researcher demonstrates publicly that s/he has followed a system of disciplined enquiry in arriving at a hypothesis. Personal interpretation as a basis for dialogue: where individuals recognise the potential in their interpretations of their own practice. Peer validation: This relates to the notion that a claim to knowledge or expertise derived from practice must be validated externally. It is the process whereby your findings are made available to and scrutinised by others who can agree that these findings are of interest and could be useful to their own practice. This external validation can come from a number of sources, including colleagues, manager or supervisor, the wider guidance and counselling community, other students, etc. Peer validation can be effective in moving your ideas forward. Questions may be asked which provide new insights and ways of thinking about your research, and invariably you will gain more confidence to progress your research from the process of peer validation.

Client validation: It is particularly useful to get the reactions of the clients themselves. This may be presented in short, written statements, recordings (tape or video), reports, etc. For example, data about the use of labour market information by guidance practitioners could be collected during focus group discussions. This could be written up into a report that was circulated to the practitioners who were asked to validate the accuracy of the reports. The findings could then be circulated more widely to the guidance community who are asked to comment on the relevance of these findings to their own experiences. This represents a powerful chain of validation.

Overall, validation of research findings in a guidance and counselling or related context is likely to involve the development of self-knowledge followed by a genuine attempt to share that knowledge with others.

Reliability

Whatever procedure is used for collecting data for research, it should always be examined critically to assess to what extent it is likely to be reliable, as well as valid. Reliability is the extent to which a test or procedure produces similar results under constant conditions on all occasions. Bell (1993:65) suggests two questions to ask yourself when checking items on a questionnaire or interview schedule you may devise to collect data. They are:

would two interviewers using the schedule or procedure get a similar results? would an interviewer obtain a similar picture using the procedures on different occasions? There are a number of devices for checking reliability in scales and tests. For example:

test-retest method: administering the same test some time after the first; alternate forms method: where equivalent versions of the same items in the test are given and results correlated; split-half method: where the items in the test are split into two matched halves and scores then correlated. These methods are not always feasible or necessary, and there are disadvantages and problems associated with all three. Such mechanisms are not usually necessary unless you are attempting to produce a test or scale. The check for reliability will come at the stage of wording questions and piloting your research instrument(s).

A third criterion for judging research in the area of guidance and counselling is relevance. Since the purpose of any research inquiry is to extend knowledge and understanding, it follows that this must be communicated to a wider audience. When we communicate with people, they assume that we are telling them something that is likely to be of significance to them. It follows that what is communicated should be relevant in some way to the chosen audience. Who are the appropriate audiences for your research and what sort of relevance should your research have for them? Audiences for research reports vary. If you are undertaking a research project within your employing organisation, its primary audience is likely to be members of that organisation. Additionally, your research findings should have some relevance to other audiences. These may include other researchers, a particular practitioner audience or even a more general audience. Whatever audience(s) you select as your target(s), you will need to consider two aspects of the relevance of your research:

importance of the topic: must relate to an issue of importance to the intended audience; contribution to existing: must add something to our knowledge of the issue to knowledge which they relate. Research that merely confirms what is already beyond reasonable doubt makes no contribution to the existing knowledge base. 3.4 Access

No researcher can demand access to an institution, an organisation or to materials. People will be doing you a favour if they agree to help, and will need to know exactly what they will be asked to do, how much time they will be expected to give and what use will be made of the information they provide. They will have to be convinced of your integrity and of the value of your research before they decide whether or not to cooperate. Bell (1993:58) provides a useful checklist of points to consider when negotiating access, including:

Clear official channels by formally requesting permission to carry out your research as soon as you have an agreed project outline. Speak to the people who will be asked to co-operate. Maintain strict ethical standards at all times. Submit the project outline to the principal, senior staff member. Decide what you mean by anonymity and confidentiality. Decide who will receive a copy of the report and/or see drafts of interview transcripts. Inform participants what is to be done with the information they provide. Prepare an outline of intentions and conditions under which the study will be carried out to hand to participants. Be honest about the purpose of the study and about the conditions of the research. Remember that people who agreed to help are doing you a favour. Even when strict protocol is adhered to, things can go wrong. Blaxter et al identify the following strategies to consider if access is denied (1996:144):

approach other individuals. If one person refuses to be interviewed or answer a questionnaire, try approaching another person in a similar position or sharing similar characteristics; approach another institution; approach another individual within the same institution (more risky because of possible communication with the institution); try again later, when people are less busy. Attitudes may have changed, people may have moved on, and you may have more to show to demonstrate the value of your research; change your research strategy. This is probably something you should be prepared to do, and plan for, throughout the research process. It may involve using other, perhaps less sensitive, methods for collecting data, or focusing on a slightly different set of issues, or studying alternative groups or organisations. 3.5 Managing your research project

Constraints operate on any research process. This section discusses time and costs, as well as identifying some others which may well be relevant for the type of research you are planning.

Inevitably, the nature and extent of your data collection will be constrained by your access to various resources – in particular time. Whatever the competing demands for your time and attention, it is important to think about what strategies you need to develop to manage the new demands of your research project in parallel with all the established demands.

A key strategy for managing your time effectively is to be realistic, initially, about the methods you are going to use to collect data and the amount of data needed. One common problem with new researchers is over-ambition. Since it’s likely that you will have a limited timescale to complete and write up your research, it follows that the methods you select will have to be informed by these (and other) considerations. For example, time available will limit the amount of any cross-checking you can undertake, and the size of your research sample.

The costs of research can mount up, so it is advisable to undertake a rough costing of the methods of data collection and analysis that you have considered to make sure they are affordable. The process of costing research activities will be very useful if you are, at any stage of your professional career, ever likely to apply for research funding. For applications for external funding, a detailed costing has to be submitted, and if successful, it is likely that you will have to adhere fairly closely to the original costing submitted.

The costs of your research project could include:

travel costs to your research sites and/or libraries; costs of consumables, such as paper, tapes, batteries, etc.; equipment purchase or hire costs (e.g. word processor, tape recorder, software); book, report and journal purchases; photocopying, printing and binding costs; postage and email/telephone costs. Other constraints

In addition to time and costs, there are bound to be other constraints you need to take into account when designing your research: for example, the willingness of people to be interviewed or observed. If you need to observe meetings or training sessions, you will be limited by the schedule of meetings or training events that will take place during the data-collection phase of your project. If you need to research some aspect of guidance and counselling that requires involvement with schools, colleges or universities, you are likely to be constrained by examination timetables and vacations.

To manage your research project successfully, you will need to anticipate routine constraints affecting the research process. This will help you to develop strategies to cope with these limitations and avoid difficult situations arising in the first place.

3.6 Overcoming obstacles

The process of successful research will, inevitably, involve developing problem-solving techniques. Problems that may arise can range from those relating directly to the research process (for example, the response rate is very low), to problems in other areas in your life (for example, changing your job or falling ill). Blaxter et al (1996: 137) suggest the following ways of coping with difficulties:

remind yourself that the purpose of carrying out research, particularly as a new researcher, may be as much to develop your understanding of the research process and/or the use of particular research methods as to explore substantive issues; remember that it may be just as valid to write up your research in terms of, for example, the problems of gaining access to a particular group, or of getting an adequate response from that group once access has been gained; as part of writing your research report, reflect on your research strategy, explore what went wrong and why and include recommendations for improvement; view research as being about the skills you have learnt and developed on the way. Part of doing research is about appreciating what is involved and where it may be leading you; if you have time and resources, you may choose to redirect your research strategy when you become stuck.

This section will help you understand the broader context of guidance research including consideration of both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

4.1 Introduction

This section examines the two major traditions of research methods: qualitative and quantitative. It discusses the dominant effect that one of these traditions (quantitative research) has had on current careers guidance and counselling practice and considers the value of piloting research.

4.2 Objectives: stage 4

distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research; outline some key issues from current practice which link with research method; describe the main features of qualitative research; describe the main features of quantitative research; pilot your research project. 4.3 Models of Research

The most common way of conceptualising the diversity of approaches to research is to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative models. It is this distinction that will be adopted here, though it should be stressed that this is a rather crude distinction that can be misleading. In reality, much social scientific research combines methods from the two traditions. So how are these two approaches different? Most obviously, quantitative research involves measurement on some numerical basis and usually employs statistical techniques, whereas qualitative research does not (at least to the same degree). Various other features of the research process are also associated with the different traditions. For example, quantitative research favours structured forms of data, which can consist of frequency counts or other types of measurements. In contrast, the data that qualitative researchers typically deal with are verbal descriptions in natural language often collected from an interview or some type of recorded conversation (for example, using audio tapes). They deal more in meanings, experiences and descriptions. This type of data cannot be directly subjected to counting or measuring, though, of course, they can subsequently be presented so that they can be analysed quantitatively.

Other differences have already been identified in 1.4 above. For example, the sequence and relationship of activities involved. A quantitative approach requires that the researcher collects all the data before analysing it. A qualitative approach requires that data collection and analysis are intertwined. One other important difference relates to views about the role of theory. These and other differences will be discussed in more detail later.

Methods of data collection are also varied. Some are clearly associated with quantitative research (for example, the scientific experiment) and other with qualitative research (for example, participant observation). Others are shared by both traditions (for example, questionnaires and interviews) though the precise design of the research instrument and the approach adopted by the researcher are likely to differ. There is a vast literature available on research methods. You will need to spend time reading about different methods and, once you have an idea of your research focus and methods, you will need to spend time researching issues related to different designs (for example, of questionnaires). Whichever approach (or combination of approaches) you choose to adopt for your research project and whatever methods, remember the underlying purpose is to extend knowledge and understanding about some aspect of careers guidance and counselling. As May (1996:3) expresses it more generally, the purpose of all research is:

'to understand and explain social phenomena, to focus attention on particular issues and to challenge conventionally held beliefs about the social and natural worlds'.

4.4 Research Traditions in Guidance and Counselling

Current Practice

The theories which underpin current careers guidance and counselling practice have come mainly from North America. Varied accounts exist which identify the main influences in the development of this body of knowledge (for example, Arthur et al,1989, Brown et al, 1990, Seligman, 1994, Scharf, 1997 and Zunker, 1998,). Despite disagreements about the particular strands of influence, there is agreement that Frank Parsons was the founding father of the vocational guidance movement. A seminal work by Parsons entitled Choosing a Vocation was published posthumously in 1909. His ideas about how people choose jobs came from differential psychology and were initially referred to as the 'talent matching' approach. They later developed into what became known as the 'trait and factor' theory of occupational choice, and were developed by theorists who had a major impact on practice such as John Holland (1966,1973, 1992) and Alec Rodger (1952). Parsons' core concept was that of 'matching'. He suggested that occupational choice occurs when people have achieved:

an accurate understanding of their individual traits (e.g. personal abilities, aptitudes, interests, etc.); a knowledge of jobs and the labour market and then made a rational and objective judgement about the relationship between these two groups of facts. A key assumption is that it is possible to measure both individual talents and the attributes required in particular jobs which can then be matched to achieve a 'good fit'. It is when individuals are in jobs best suited to their abilities, they perform best, and productivity is highest.

This theory of occupational choice has dominated careers guidance and counselling practice for nearly a century, partly because of its practical appeal. It provides careers guidance and counselling practitioners with a clear rationale and framework for practice. Additionally, the underlying philosophy has suited policy makers since it lends itself to the servicing of labour market requirements. Consequently, it has been embraced enthusiastically by policy makers and barely questioned by the majority of practitioners.

The theory contains, however, fatal flaws. Scharf (1997) reminds us that:

There is little research supporting or refuting trait and factor theory itself as a viable theory of career development. Rather, the research that has been done, of which there is a large amount, has related traits and factors to one another or has established the validity and reliability of measurements of traits and factors.' (p26).

There was no viable theoretical alternative during the first half of this century to this 'best fit' theory of occupational choice, and it was not until the 1950's and 1960's that theories originating from other academic disciplines such as sociology, and other branches of psychology like developmental psychology emerged as serious alternatives. Theories which were developed from these academic disciplines emphasised the context in which occupational 'choice' occurred and the importance of the maturation process of individuals, respectively. Since this time, the theories careers guidance practitioners have used to inform their practice have expanded dramatically. Whichever theories actually inform current practice, there is emerging consensus around the inadequacies of these theories. In particular, researchers are questioning the relevance of current theory for particular sectors of society.

Adequacy of Current Practice

There is a growing critique of the current practice of careers guidance and counselling which is based on theory derived from quantitative research methods. For example, Osipow and Littlejohn (1995) discuss serious weaknesses in applying current theory to Minority ethnic groups. They argue that a major problem is the manner in which all current theories use concepts which 'assume cultures that are relatively affluent and have good opportunities for education, upward mobility and family support and encouragement' (p255). Many members of minority ethnic groups, they argue, do not have access to these privileges.

Hackett (1997) identifies several problems in trying to apply current theory to girls and women: 'I am suggesting the need for formal testing of competing models as well as attempts at unification and integration....we also need to incorporate issues of sexism, racism and their interaction, along with considerations of relational orientation, support and barriers into all our developing conceptions of women's career psychology’ (p187).

Savickas (1995) relates current problems with theory to the more fundamental issue of different philosophical origins reflected in the two approaches to research. He identifies inherent tensions which arise from the academic traditions of different theories: 'sharp lines have been drawn on which philosophy of science to choose' (p15). He concludes that 'vocational psychology could benefit simultaneously from refinements forged within the distinct career theories, from advances produced by convergence among career macrotheories and from break-throughs induced by divergence in work-role microtheory' (p29).

Implications for Research Methods

Theories informing current guidance and counselling policy practice have been developed mainly by psychologists operating from scientific positivist paradigms of research using quantitative methods. What, then, are the concerns now being expressed about the limitations of this research method?

Taking just one example of careers guidance and counselling for girls and women, Harmon & Meara (1994) discuss the limitations of experimentally designed empirical inquiry that meets the criterion of internal validity for both policy and practice. They argue that 'those who are interested in career counselling for women seem to be swimming against this tide in an attempt to integrate science and practice' (p362).

Hackett (1997) reviews some of the criticisms made about the existing literature on women's career development which include research methodologies which have been used. In particular, she argues that there is a need to move beyond 'simple correlational designs' (p184) and suggests that qualitative research methods 'are highly appropriate in attempts of this sort to truly understand the experiences of a group that has received insufficient attention' (p185). She discusses the need to triangulate across different data sources using focus groups, diaries, archival documents, or observations, concluding that 'future research on this model will also benefit from the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods' (p186).

Others have also discussed the type of research methods which should be used for future research inquiry. For example, Rainey and Borders (1997) advocate the use of narratives, constructivist methods or other qualitative approaches to examine environmental factors for girls and women (p169). Edwards and Payne (1997) state simply that there is a need 'to embrace ideas from a wider moorland of study than is presently the case' (p537).

Overall, then, there is a growing consensus that scientific research methods from within a positivist paradigm have been found to be wanting in several respects. Knowledge and understanding built up from a particular approach to research needs to be complemented with knowledge and understanding derived from different ways of investigating social phenomenon.

4.5 Quantitative Research

'Quantitative research is concerned with the collection and analysis of data in numeric form. It tends to emphasise relatively large-scale and representative sets of data, and is often........... presented or perceived as being about the gathering of facts.' (Blaxter et al (1996:60).

Quantitative or traditional experimental approaches set out to quantify and measure the contributions of different factors to phenomenon (for example, occupational choice behaviour). It can be useful if you want to compare things, like test scores under different conditions or behaviour under different conditions. However, this approach to research has certain disadvantages for small scale studies. For example, you would need a large enough sample to ensure your data is statistically significant. Additionally, your sample must be representative so that you can be confident of getting the same pattern of results again when you repeat the same procedures on a different population. Only then would you be able to generalise your findings to a wider sample than the one you are testing.

Robson (1993:19) summarises the five sequential steps which are commonly regarded as typifying the 'scientific' or quantitative approach to research. These involve:

Deducing a hypothesis (a testable proposition about the relationship between two or more events or concepts) from theory. Expressing the hypothesis in operational terms (i.e. ones indicating exactly how the variables are to be measured) which propose a relationship between two specific variables. Testing this operational hypothesis. This will involve an experiment or some other form of empirical enquiry. Examining the specific outcome of the enquiry. It will either tend to confirm the theory or indicate the need for its modification. If necessary, modifying the theory in the light of the findings. An attempt is then made to verify the revised theory by going back to the first step and repeating the whole cycle. So, adopting a quantitative approach to research involves searching for causal relationships which are conceptualised in terms of the interaction of 'variables', some of which (independent variables) are seen as the cause of other (dependent variables). It will invariably involve designing and using standardized research instruments (for example, tests, questionnaires, attitude scales) so that numerical data can be collected which will then be manipulated using statistical techniques.

Some suitable data for this research method already exists in the form of published or unpublished statistics. Often, though, researchers have to produce the data they need for analysis themselves. For example, from a laboratory experiment or from psychometric or personality tests which have been administered to relatively large groups of participants. As previously indicated, if responses to unstructured questionnaires can be coded and then counted in some way, this may also be a source of quantitative data.

4.6 Qualitative research

'Qualitative research is concerned with collecting and analysing information in as many forms, chiefly non-numeric, as possible. It tends to focus on exploring, in as much detail as possible, smaller numbers of instances or examples which are seen as being interesting or illuminating, and aims to achieve 'depth' rather than 'breadth'.' (Blaxter et al.,1996:60).

Qualitative research is concerned with life as it is lived, things as they happen or situations as they are constructed in the day-to-day course of events. Qualitative researchers seek lived experiences in real situations, try not to disturb the scene and to be unobtrusive in their methods. This is to ensure that data and analysis will closely reflect what is happening. Qualitative researchers are also interested in 'natural' experiments. For example, when ordinary processes are disrupted, basic rules and norms are thrown into relief. Usually, these types of rules and norms are tacit and understood, perhaps subconsciously, by people in a particular situation. A recent example relevant to guidance in the UK is the recent is the introduction of Personnel Advisers to work with disaffected young people in the Connexions service. Reformed organisational structures, different relations with schools, colleges, Youth Services, Social Services, Youth Offending Teams, and Educational Welfare Officers, different working practices with clients (e.g. over a two year period) are all examples of natural experiments which would be legitimate areas for research inquiry using a qualitative approach.

When studying in this way, it is important not to start off with too many preconceptions about what you might find. It is necessary to maintain an openness, not pre-judging issues and not even settling for the first (even second) impressions formed. Guesses might be made, tested along the way and abandoned, changed or revised in the light of later discoveries. This mode of study will have implications for the relationship fostered with the subjects in the research (refer to 'ethics' in 1.6, and 'access' in 3.4).

Six characteristics of qualitative research are identified by Blaxter et al (1996:61):

Events can be understood adequately only if they are seen in context. A qualitative researcher therefore immerses her/himself in the setting. The contexts of inquiry are not contrived; they are natural; nothing is predefined or taken for granted. Qualitative researchers want those who are studied to speak for themselves, to provide their perspectives in words and other actions. Therefore qualitative research is an interactive process in which the persons studied teach the researcher about their lives. Qualitative researchers attend to the experience as a whole, not as separate variables. The aim of qualitative research is to understand experience as unified. Qualitative methods are appropriate to the above statements. There is no one general method. For many qualitative researchers, the process entails appraisal about what was studied. This approach to research, therefore, involves considered selection and interpretation. It is therefore important to make the choice of focus for study principled and clear as well as being careful to make only reasonable claims in the research report or dissertation. In addition to making the basis of selections and methods clear, the researcher needs to include some biographical information because s/he cannot be regarded as an objective recorder of absolute truths, but rather a participant in the research process.

4.7 Piloting

Piloting is the process whereby you try out the research techniques and methods you have in mind to see how well they work in practice. This enables you modify your plans before you commit too much time to one procedure. If you have spent time thinking about and planning your research project, you may be tempted to believe that you are clear about what you are doing. However, the value of piloting research cannot be overestimated. Things rarely work out the way you expect - respondents can answer a questionnaire or interpret an interview question in ways that you can never anticipate! Taking time to run a pilot can save you time, frustration and even anguish in the end.

In a small scale study, even an informal pilot can prove invaluable. Try out a couple of interviews, get some friends to fill out your questionnaires, go and observe some organisational activities - or whatever else you have in mind for the data collection phase of your project. You will almost certainly gain from doing this, even if it is a more accurate idea of the time collecting data can take. If you do this early enough, you can change your strategy before it's too late!

This section provides guidelines to help structure a research report.

When writing the main body of your research report, the following points may help with the structure:

Introduction:

Use your introduction to: set the context of your study (including information about your own role); explain why you approached your study in the way you did; what you hope to demonstrate by your results; and justify your approach with reasoned argument based on relevant theory and research evidence.

Literature Review:

The literature review should employ a critical, analytical approach with an understanding of (relevant) competing perspectives. It must go beyond a descriptive account and should be logically and coherently organised. Your review should demonstrate a detailed knowledge of original sources and the field together with your understanding of main theoretical and methodological issues. Do not be afraid to add your own ideas, especially if your study challenges established wisdom.

Research Method:

The purpose of this section is to enable your reader to understand exactly what you did as part of the research process, together with the results and your interpretation of their meaning. It should include sufficient details to enable the reader to understand:

the overall design of the study; details of participants (e.g. age, gender, experience, occupational role, etc.); research instruments used; procedures used in the study. This section should also contain a description of the overall purpose, summary of content, structure and justification of why this particular approach was used. If an instrument (e.g. questionnaire) was designed especially for your study, you should also include details of its piloting and include the final version as an appendix. Issues of validity and reliability should also be addressed.

Your results should be presented in a form that enables the reader to understand exactly what your data consists of and sources. It should also identify any trends that have emerged and (where relevant) statistical techniques used as well as the results of these analyses. Finally, this section should address the way(s) in which the data illuminate your research question(s).

It is likely that the results section will be the most difficult to write. If your have undertaken a qualitative study or have huge quantities of data, then you may need to include some discussion and not just description in this section. You should not include extensive ‘raw’ data and the results must be organised, summarised and selective. Where appropriate, tables or diagrams should be used to summarise your results. It may not even be possible to include all the results, as this may overwhelm your reader and obscure your main findings.

Discussion:

The purpose of this section is to:

present your interpretation of your results; justify your interpretation by anticipating counter arguments; and urge caution in accepting your interpretation where there are defects in the design and execution of the study. Few applied studies can be perfect, so demonstrate your awareness of flaws and weaknesses in your work and your understanding of how you might improve on your research. It is also important to comment on any practical difficulties you may have encountered, especially those out of your control. In summary, adopt a ‘reflective practitioner’ approach in reviewing the research process as a whole.

Your discussion should also highlight links between your own research and the literature review and evaluate your study's contribution to professional guidance practice.

Conclusion:

Your conclusion should present a summary of what you have achieved in your research project, without containing any new material. It should also suggest the implications of the findings, identify future related research and emphasise issues which require further research or investigation.

The 'Harvard Reference Style' is one system of referencing sources used internationally by scholars and researchers. At Coventry University the Centre for Academic Writing have produced a website and downloadable guide to this system which may be of interest. It includes sections on referencing new technology sources such as websites and emails. The link address is: http://home.ched.coventry.ac.uk/caw/harvard/index.htm

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What are Research Skills and why are they important?

Most jobs actually require some level of problem-solving. You may come across an impediment and come up with a question that you must answer in order to proceed. To answer this question, you will almost certainly need to conduct some research. People with research skills can identify a problem, gather informational resources that can help address the problem, assess the quality and relevance of these resources, and come up with an effective solution to the problem.

By the way, to diversify your research paper process you can find unique research paper topics .

What is Research?

Internet Research is the practice of conducting research using Internet information, particularly free information on Internet-based educational resources (such as Internet discussion forums).

Simply put, research is the process of discovering new knowledge. This knowledge can be either the development of new concepts or the advancement of existing knowledge and theories, leading to a new understanding that was not previously known.

In fact, almost every profession or job necessitates some level of research and research skills. As long as you encounter a question, which is a natural occurrence in almost everything, you should encounter an opportunity to conduct research. When there is a need for research, strong research skills come in handy.

What are Research Skills?

Research skills enable you to focus on a specific goal, gather relevant information, and communicate your findings to others. We are taught from a young age to develop research skills, and for good reason.

Teachers in academia required answers to a series of topic-related questions in an essay. Similarly, your boss may eventually request that you investigate a work-related topic or figure out how to solve a problem.

Why are Research Skills Important?

Research skills are important in the workplace for a variety of reasons, including the ability for individuals and businesses to:

• Develop new processes and outcomes. You don't have to be involved in research and development to improve the way your team works. Any sensible employer will value your efforts in researching new processes that will make your job (and those of your team) more efficient.
• Personal Growth. People who have a knack and a passion for research are never satisfied with doing things the same way they've always done them. Organizations require independent thinkers who will seek their own answers and continually improve their skills. These employees will also learn new technologies more quickly.
• Customer relationship management. In almost every industry, being able to conduct research on your customer base is critical. It's difficult to move products or sell services if you don't know what people want. It is a valuable responsibility to research your customer base's interests, needs, and pain points.
• Cost Effective. Whether your organization is launching a new product or simply trying to cut costs, research is critical for identifying wasted resources and redirecting them to more worthy causes. Anyone who goes out of their way to find ways for the company to save money will be praised by their boss.
• Competitor Analysis. Knowing what your top competitors are up to is crucial for any company. If a company wants to stay functioning, it must research what works for its competitors, what they do better than you, and where it may improve its standing with the least amount of resources.

Types of Research Skills

Experienced researchers understand that conducting a worthwhile investigation necessitates a wide range of abilities. Consider which research abilities you have naturally and which you could improve.

Goal Setting

You must first know what you're looking for before you can conduct any form of productive research. Setting goals is a skill just like any other. It will be lot easier to construct a path there if you can imagine the conclusion you're aiming to attain by investing effort into research. Goal-setting skills include:

• Specificity
• Time-Management
• Planning ahead
• Organization
• Accountable

Data Collection

The collection of data is often the first thing to remember when thinking about the research process. It is a systematic process to collect and measure information on variables of interest that allows one to respond to research questions, to test hypothesis and to assess results.

Simply collecting facts and information on the internet can meet your needs for some purposes. More direct and popular research may be needed by others. You will be more impressive with your experience in different methods of data collection. Methods of data collection are:

• Questionnaires and surveys
• Observations
• Documents and records
• Focus groups
• Oral histories

Evaluate and Analyze Information and Sources

In research, it is important to find reliable information suitable for your task. Some tasks may require the use of certain types of sources, such as primary or secondary sources or certain types of journals, like scientific journals. You may need to restrict the numbers sources you use for other assignments.

In all cases, the information contained in your assignments should always be assessed. Knowing how to assess information helps you with research tasks and with your life's bigger decisions. Knowing where to go for information that is relevant, credible, and accurate can assist you in making informed decisions about graduate school, a new car purchase, financial aid opportunities, daycare options, and other topics.

• Published books
• Encyclopedias
• Scholarly journals
• Library catalogs

Using the internet to gather information

Search engines are used to find the majority of information on the Internet. A search engine is an online service that employs web robots to query millions of web pages and compile an index of the results. Internet users can then utilize these services to search the web for information. While it is beneficial to consult different sources, today's research is driven by good online research skills.

One of the greatest things about the internet is how much information it holds; unfortunately, getting to the data you need requires sifting through a lot of rubbish. Employers value the ability to efficiently utilise the large reservoir of knowledge available on the internet without getting lost in the clutter. The following are some examples of internet research skills:

• Source checking
• Searching relevant questions
• Exploring deeper than the first options
• Avoiding distraction
• Giving credit
• Organizing findings

Due to the sheer size of the World Wide Web, and with the rapid growth of indexed web pages, finding relevant and reliable information demands specialized training and Internet research skills . We provide a centralized virtual platform for knowledge professionals that use the Internet as a primary source of information. This AofIRS is more than just a virtual collaboration and networking platform for researchers and knowledge professionals. The website is filled with free, up-to-date content and reference material that is ideal for research.

Interviewing

Some research projects may demand a more hands-on approach than relying just on online resources. In the research process, being prepared with great interviewing skills can be really beneficial. Interviews can be a good way to get first-hand knowledge for your research, and knowing how to conduct an effective interview can help you improve your research skills. Interviewing abilities include:

• A plan of action
• Specific, pointed questions
• Respectfulness
• Considering the interview setting
• Actively Listening
• Taking notes

Report Writing

Report writing skills can help you in both your employment and your academic studies. In any case, the overall goal of a report is to transmit specific facts to its audience.

Communication is crucial for effective report writing. Your supervisor, professor, or general reader should comprehend your findings and conclusions clearly. Skills in report writing include:

• Formatting is important.
• Including a synopsis
• Keeping your focus on your main goal
• Developing a plan
• Proofreading\sDirectness

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking skills can help you a lot in the research process and in general as an employee. Your data analysis skills are referred to as critical thinking. When you're conducting research, you'll need to be able to interpret your findings and make rational judgments based on them. The following are examples of critical thinking skills:

• Observation
• Assessing issues
• Problem-solving
• Communication

Planning and Scheduling 

The development of baseline productivity and success standards is one of the most significant components of planning and scheduling. You won't know if you're meeting goals until you have a particular strategy in place with a specific desired outcome defined by a completion date.

It also makes time management considerably easy. Employers value planning and scheduling abilities because they suggest a well-prepared employee. Skills in planning and scheduling include:

• Setting objectives
• Identifying tasks
• Prioritizing
• Delegating if needed
• Time-management

Note-taking

Research involves sifting through and taking in lots of information. Taking thorough notes ensures that you do not overlook any findings and allows you to communicate these findings to your coworkers. Being able to take good notes aids in the summarization of research. Here are some examples of note-taking abilities:

• Using short-hand
• Keeping your goal in mind
• Emphasizing important points
• Reviewing notes afterward

Time Management

Unfortunately, we only have 24 measly hours in a day. In a professional setting, the ability to effectively manage this time is extremely valuable. Hiring managers look for candidates who can complete tasks within a specific time frame.

Strong time management skills imply that you can organize a strategy for breaking down larger tasks in a project and completing them by a deadline. Improving your time management skills can significantly boost the productivity of your research. Time management abilities include the following:

• Creating task outlines
• Thinking strategically
• Stress-management
• Utilizing resources
• Setting reasonable expectations
• Meeting deadlines

Other Helpful Research Skills

The definition of research skills is broad, and there are many traits that could help you in the research process. Consider some of the additional research skills below.

• Attention to detail
• Reading and writing skills
• Considering keywords
• Competitor comparison
• Multitasking
• Summarization
• Presentation

How to Improve Your Research Skills

The great thing about research skills is that many of us use them on a daily basis. When you use a search engine to find information on a topic, you are conducting research. However, there are more proactive ways to begin improving your research skills today:

• Make a distinction between source quality. A researcher's worst source determines how good they are. Start paying attention to the quality of the sources you're using, and be wary of anything you read until you've double-checked the attributions and works cited. Examine the author's bias, the author's research's alignment with the greater body of confirmed research in the subject, and the journal that sponsored or published the research.
• Verify information from several sources. It gets increasingly trustworthy when you can verify information from a variety of sources. If you want to strengthen your belief in one source, check if you can locate another that agrees with it. When you run into contradictions and conflicts in your study, you know you need to keep going until you reach a more definitive conclusion.
• Don't be influenced by confirmation bias. Confirmation bias occurs when a researcher expects a specific result and then searches for data to support that hypothesis, ignoring any sources that contradict or invalidate the researcher's initial idea. Be ready for unexpected responses and keep an open mind. Also, keep in mind that you might not be able to discover a definitive answer. It's preferable to provide the important points of your research to someone (such as your employer) and explain that it didn't lead to a concrete plan of action than to alter your data and give the answer you or your boss want to hear.
• Stay organized. You'll encounter a lot of material during the data gathering process, from webpages to PDFs to videos. To avoid losing something or not being able to properly mention something, it's critical that you maintain all of this information organized in some way. There are numerous methods for keeping your research project structured, but here are a few of the most common: Bookmarks in your browser, index cards, and an annotated bibliography that you update as you go are all useful tools.
• Develop your research skills. Professional certification will help you improve your research skills. CIRS™ (Certified Internet Research Specialist), is by far the only professional credential that meets this challenge. Professional researchers owe it to themselves to seek structured certification programs and stay in touch with new materials and tools that are available to transform research problems from very difficult or impossible to quick and simple tasks. We have developed a CIRS Certification (Certified Internet Research Specialist) to educate and train Online Researchers that now form a significantly large group of people involved in digital information research work.
• Get specific as you go. There's nothing wrong with commencing your investigation in a broad sense. After all, it's critical to become acquainted with the vocabulary and substance of the researcher's results before delving into the details. Orienting yourself to a new topic is an important step that will prevent you from being discouraged and working backwards.
• Learn how to spot a reliable source. Because not all sources are trustworthy, it's critical to be able to distinguish between the good and the bad. To find a trustworthy source, utilize your critical thinking and analytical skills to ask yourself the following questions: Is this source consistent with other sources I've discovered? Is the author a subject matter expert? Is there a conflict of interest in the author's point of view on this subject?

If you're ready to conduct research to enhance your search efforts, the following resources will be useful:

• Educational Search Engines for Students
• Top 100  Academic Search Engines
• 3 ways to help students do efficient online research

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World's leading professional association of Internet Research Specialists - We deliver Knowledge, Education, Training, and Certification in the field of Professional Online Research. The AOFIRS is considered a major contributor in improving Web Search Skills and recognizes Online Research work as a full-time occupation for those that use the Internet as their primary source of information.

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Research: How Different Fields Are Using GenAI to Redefine Roles

• Maryam Alavi

Examples from customer support, management consulting, professional writing, legal analysis, and software and technology.

The interactive, conversational, analytical, and generative features of GenAI offer support for creativity, problem-solving, and processing and digestion of large bodies of information. Therefore, these features can act as cognitive resources for knowledge workers. Moreover, the capabilities of GenAI can mitigate various hindrances to effective performance that knowledge workers may encounter in their jobs, including time pressure, gaps in knowledge and skills, and negative feelings (such as boredom stemming from repetitive tasks or frustration arising from interactions with dissatisfied customers). Empirical research and field observations have already begun to reveal the value of GenAI capabilities and their potential for job crafting.

There is an expectation that implementing new and emerging Generative AI (GenAI) tools enhances the effectiveness and competitiveness of organizations. This belief is evidenced by current and planned investments in GenAI tools, especially by firms in knowledge-intensive industries such as finance, healthcare, and entertainment, among others. According to forecasts, enterprise spending on GenAI will increase by two-fold in 2024 and grow to $151.1 billion by 2027 .

• Maryam Alavi is the Elizabeth D. & Thomas M. Holder Chair & Professor of IT Management, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology .

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Learning science might help kids read better

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A growing chorus of education researchers, pundits and “science of reading” advocates are calling for young children to be taught more about the world around them . It’s an indirect way of teaching reading comprehension. The theory is that what we grasp from what we read depends on whether we can hook it to concepts and topics that we already know. Natalie Wexler’s 2019 best-selling book, The Knowledge Gap , championed knowledge-building curricula and more schools around the country, from Baltimore to Michigan to Colorado , are adopting these content-filled lesson plans to teach geography, astronomy and even art history. 

Makers of knowledge-building curricula say their lessons are based on research, but the truth is that there is scant classroom evidence that building knowledge first increases future reading comprehension. 

In 2023, University of Virginia researchers promoted a study of Colorado charter schools that had adopted E.D. Hirsch’s Core Knowledge curriculum . Children who had won lotteries to attend these charter schools had higher reading scores than students who lost the lotteries. But it was impossible to tell whether the Core Knowledge curriculum itself made the difference or if the boost to reading scores could be attributed to other things that these charter schools were doing, such as hiring great teachers and training them well. 

More importantly, the students at these charter schools were largely from middle and upper middle class families. And what we really want to know is whether knowledge building at school helps poorer children, who are less likely to be exposed to the world through travel, live performances and other experiences that money can buy.

A new study, published online on Feb. 26, 2024, in the peer-reviewed journal Developmental Psychology, now provides stronger causal evidence that building background knowledge can translate into higher reading achievement for low-income children . The study took place in an unnamed, large urban school district in North Carolina where most of the students are Black and Hispanic and 40% are from low-income families.

In 2019, a group of researchers, led by James Kim, a professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, randomly selected 15 of the district’s 30 elementary schools to teach first graders special knowledge-building lessons for three years, through third grade. Kim, a reading specialist, and other researchers had developed two sets of multi-year lesson plans, one for science and one for social studies. Students were also given related books to read during the summer. ( This research was funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is among the many funders of The Hechinger Report. )

The remaining 15 elementary schools in the district continued to teach their students as usual, still delivering some social studies and science instruction, but not these special lessons. Regular reading class was untouched in the experiment. All 30 schools were using the same reading curriculum, Expeditionary Learning , which follows science of reading principles and teaches phonics. 

COVID-19 hit in the middle of the experiment. When schools shut down in the spring of 2020, the researchers scrapped the planned social studies units for second graders. In 2021, students were still not attending school in person. The researchers revised their science curriculum and decided to give an abridged online version to all 30 schools instead of just half. In the end, children in the original 15 schools received one year of social studies lessons and three years of science lessons compared to only one year of science in the comparison group. 

Still, approximately 1,000 students who had received the special science and social studies lessons in first and second grades outperformed the 1,000 students who got only the abbreviated online science in third grade. Their reading and math scores on the North Carolina state tests were higher not only in third grade, but also in fourth grade, more than a year after the knowledge-building experiment ended. 

It wasn’t a huge boost to reading achievement, but it was significant and long-lasting. It cost about $400 per student in instructional materials and teacher training.

Timothy Shanahan, a literacy expert and a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago who was not involved in this research or the development of these science lessons, praised the study. “The study makes it very clear (as have a few others recently) that it is possible to combine reading with social studies and science curriculum in powerful ways that can improve both literacy and content knowledge,” he said by email. 

Connecting background knowledge to reading comprehension is not a new idea. A famous 1987 experiment documented that children who were weaker readers but knowledgeable about baseball understood a reading passage about baseball better than children who were stronger readers but didn’t know much about the sport. 

Obviously, it’s not realistic for schools to attempt to familiarize students with every topic they might encounter in a book. And there is disagreement among researchers about how general knowledge of the world translates into higher reading performance.

Kim thinks that a knowledge-building curriculum doesn’t need to teach many topics. Random facts, he says, are not important. He argues for depth instead of breadth. He says it’s important to construct a thoughtful sequence of lessons over the years, allowing students to see how the same patterns crop up in different ways. He calls these patterns “schemas.” In this experiment, for example, students learned about animal survival in first grade and dinosaur extinction in second grade. In third grade, that evolved into a more general understanding of how living systems function. By the end of third grade, many students were able to see how the idea of functioning systems can apply to inanimate objects, such as skyscrapers. 

It’s the patterns that can be analogized to new circumstances, Kim explained. Once a student is familiar with the template, a new text on an unfamiliar topic can be easier to grasp.

Kim and his team also paired the science lessons with clusters of vocabulary words that were likely to come up again in the future – almost like wine pairings with a meal. 

The full benefits of this kind of knowledge building didn’t materialize until after several years of coordinated instruction. In the first years, students were only able to transfer their ability to comprehend text on one topic to another if the topics were very similar. This study indicates that as their content knowledge deepened, their ability to generalize increased as well.

There’s a lot going on here: a spiraling curriculum that revisits and builds upon themes year after year; an explicit teaching of underlying patterns; new vocabulary words, and a progression from the simple to the complex. 

There are many versions of knowledge-rich curricula and this one isn’t about exposing students to a classical canon. It remains unclear if all knowledge-building curricula work as well. Other programs sometimes replace the main reading class with knowledge-building lessons. This one didn’t tinker with regular reading class. 

The biggest challenge with the approach used in the North Carolina experiment is that it requires schools to coordinate lessons across grades. That’s hard. Some teachers may want to keep their favorite units on, say, growing a bean plant, and may bristle at the idea of throwing away their old lesson plans.

It’s also worth noting that students’ math scores improved as much as their reading scores did in this North Carolina experiment. It might seem surprising that a literacy intervention would also boost math. But math also requires a lot of reading; the state’s math tests were full of word problems. Any successful effort to boost reading skills is also likely to have positive spillovers into math, researchers explained.

School leaders are under great pressure to boost test scores. To do that, they’ve often doubled time spent on reading and cut science and social studies classes. Studies like this one suggest that those cuts may have been costly, further undermining reading achievement instead of improving it. As researchers discover more about the science of reading, it may well turn out to be that more time on science itself is what kids need to become good readers.

This story about background knowledge was written by Jill Barshay and produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Proof Points newsletter .

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Development of a Research Ethics Knowledge and Analytical Skills Assessment

Holly a. taylor.

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Core Faculty, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, 624 N. Broadway, HH 353, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA

Nancy E. Kass

Phoebe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Deputy Director for Public Health, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, MD USA

Research Scientist, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, MD USA

Stephen Sisson

Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Director, Johns Hopkins Medicine Internet Learning Center, Baltimore, MD USA

Amanda Bertram

Senior Research Program Coordinator, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA

Researcher in Bioethics and Global Health, Pune, India

Introduction

The goal of this of this project was to develop and validate a new tool to evaluate learners’ knowledge and skills related to research ethics.

A core set of 50 questions from existing computer based on-line teaching modules were identified, refined and supplemented to create a set of 74 multiple-choice, true/false and short answer questions. The questions were pilot tested and item discrimination (ID) calculated for each question. Poorly performing items were eliminated or refined. Two comparable assessments were created. These assessments were administered as a pre-test and post-test to a cohort of 58 Indian junior investigators before and after exposure to a new course on research ethics. Half of the investigators were exposed to the course on-line, the other half in person. Item discrimination (ID) was calculated for each question and Cronbach’s Alpha for each assessment. A final version of the assessment that incorporated the best questions from the pre-/post-test phase was used to assess retention of research ethics knowledge and skills three months after course delivery.

The final version of the REKASA includes 41 items. The final version of the REKASA had a Cronbach’s alpha of .837.

The results illustrate, in one sample of learners, the successful, systematic development and use of a knowledge and skills assessment in research ethics capable of reliably assessing the application of important analytic and reasoning skills, without reliance on essay or discussion-based examination.

INTRODUCTION

In 2000, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) instituted a policy “requiring education on the protection of human research participants” for all key personnel on federal grants and contracts that involved human participants [ 1 ]. Human subject training requirements are often satisfied through the use of self-directed computer based training (CBT) modules. Successful completion of the CBT, usually determined by a passing grade on a short multiple-choice quiz, certifies the trainee as eligible to compete for NIH funds. The advantage of multiple-choice quizzes is the ease of administration and scoring. The disadvantage is that it is hard to create multiple-choice items that test the application of ethical analysis skills. There is concern that such assessments measure only the learners’ ability to memorize factual information or basic ethics knowledge. Thus instructors in the academic setting often have learners produce responses to open-ended questions or write essays that demonstrate their ethical analysis skills. The primary disadvantage of this approach is the burden and potential inconsistency of scoring open ended responses. While considerable attention has focused on the topics that must be covered in research ethics training, almost no comparable attention has been devoted to the assessment of the educational outcomes of such training. In our review of the literature, we found some published instruments and evaluative questions related to assessing knowledge and skills in medical ethics, but no validated assessment tools to test knowledge and skills in research ethics and integrity [ 2 – 7 ].

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored effort to build capacity in research ethics among junior health research investigators in India in 2009 provided the opportunity to rigorously develop an original research ethics knowledge and analytic skills assessment (REKASA) tool. Figure 1 provides a summary of the steps taken to create this novel assessment tool. The REKASA was designed to measure baseline and post-test knowledge and analytic skills in research ethics among the targeted learners and to distinguish any differences in learning between those taught through different teaching strategies. This paper describes the development and reliability testing of the REKASA.

Overview of REKASA Development

Our ultimate goal was to create a single tool with a set of highly reliable and valid items to assess learner knowledge and skills. We describe below the process completed to reach this goal. We conducted a review of the websites of 22 high volume academic medical centers in the US to identify the type of human subject training they require of investigators and how investigator knowledge is assessed [ 8 ]. Of the 22 institutions identified, 13 institutions were using either Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) modules as their primary required training method or included them among options investigators could choose to complete [ 9 ]. Two institutions among those we reviewed used NIH-produced modules as their primary training method [ 10 ]. The remaining seven used tools unique to their institution. All of these tools were internet based and self-administered, and all used a multiple choice, true/false and/or short answer format. These tools ranged in length from 10 to 114 of questions (mean = 30.8; median = 20).

We abstracted the publicly available quiz items from all of the modules and compiled a list of 271 total items. Each item then was coded according to its source, type of question (e.g. MC, T/F, short answer), and level of difficulty (easy, medium, difficult). The level of difficulty was assessed by at least two members of the study team based on experience and expertise. Questions were also coded based on a set of seven criteria we developed to organize the subject matter of the available questions: IRB procedures, regulatory requirements, facts related to the oversight system in general, notable events in the history of research ethics, ethical reasoning, application of ethical analysis skills, and ethical sensitivity. See Table 1 for definitions of each criterion and sample questions. The 271 questions were first coded for these seven categories independently by two Research Assistants. Based on their results, codes were discussed, modified, and refined by two investigators, one of whom re-coded the quiz questions. Forty percent of the items from all of the quizzes reviewed were coded as “Facts concerning the substance of regulations or other advisory documents” and approximately one-fifth were coded as “IRB procedures for which the Principal Investigator is responsible” (22%) and “application of ethics analysis skills” (19%). None of the questions were coded as assessing “ethical sensitivity” (See Table 1 ).

Domains Covered in Existing “Quizzes” from Computer Based Research Ethics Training Modules

Assessment Tool Development

Using established principles of curriculum development and our previous experience teaching many courses and workshops on research ethics, we drafted a comprehensive list of learning objectives for what might be a standard workshop or short training in research ethics [ 11 ]. This included both content areas (e.g., ethical principles, informed consent, study design) relevant to training as well as whether the learning goal was acquisition of knowledge vs. skills. These learning objectives formed the basis for developing a blueprint for the REKASA. Based on critical guidance from experts in test development, the tool blueprint was structured around each learning objective and then whether that learning objective required assessment of knowledge, skills, or both, how many questions should be asked for each objective based on the relative importance of that objective, and how many questions of each level of difficulty (easy, medium, hard) should be asked for each objective. The blueprint included five broad learning objectives and eighteen sub-objectives regarding learners’ knowledge of research ethics and their skills applying ethics principles and reasoning to ethical issues in human subject research.

Our next step was to transform our blueprint into a list of course topics and related objectives. Overall, there were 11 topics identified as relevant to research ethics instruction, covering 35 learning objectives. Each of these learning objectives was coded by investigators, through prior independent coding and then discussion, as being of high (n=23), medium (n=9), or low (n=3) importance to research ethics teaching. For example, the ability to apply ethical principles was rated high priority, while ability to accurately define principles was medium priority. Importance of the objective served to determine the number of questions that should be asked in relation to each objective. As a result of this process, the group decided to remove three objectives consistently rated as a low priority for a final total of 11 topics and 32 objectives to be measured by our new tool – Research Ethics Knowledge and Analytical Skills Assessment (REKASA) (See Table 2 ). Our goal was to generate enough questions to develop two parallel REKASA instruments, each with unique but comparable sets of questions with comparable levels of difficulty covering all 32 of our learning objectives to be used for pre and post testing with the intent of combining the best questions from each to create our final instrument.

Course Topics and Objectives

At this point in time, the study team returned to the 271 items abstracted from the publicly available quizzes. First, items were matched to our objectives. Items unrelated to our own 32 learning objectives were eliminated. Second, poorly worded questions were eliminated. Poorly worded questions included those that had poor sentence structure or grammar and those that violated basic survey methodology such as questions that were vague or double barreled (a question that includes two different concepts but requires one answer) [ 12 ]. Third, any questions with poor responses choices (e.g. response patterns that were not mutually exclusive) were eliminated, or response options were revised or rewritten [ 13 ]. Fifty questions remained. Each of these 50 questions was matched to a particular REKASA objective We wanted to develop up to 74 multiple choice, true false and short answer questions to pilot test with the goal of having at least 30 questions for two comparable instruments (pre and post test) - each with a similar number of questions for each domain and level of difficulty. To 74 questions to pilot, we drafted an additional 24 items, including many in the “difficult” category. Finally, certain questions were modified to be easier or more difficult based on the requirements outlined in the REKASA blueprint.

Our next step was to ask colleagues with expertise in research ethics to assess the face and content validity of our questions. Three experienced bioethics faculty, two international research ethics scholars, and one bioethics PhD student reviewed the 74 draft items and provided feedback. Items were revised and refined based on their feedback.

We then arranged for the pilot testing of the 74 items with a group of students similar to the Indian target learners. Fifty international students attending summer courses at [specifics removed for review] were recruited to complete the assessment on-line [ 14 ]. Our goal in pilot testing the questions was to determine the length of time it would take the students to complete the assessment, to learn the spread of scores among students and to make final determinations as to which items were equivalent in each content area to create two comparable versions of the REKASA with the ultimate goal of creating one reliable and valid tool. The draft assessment was uploaded into a web-based survey program for easy administration. Questions were organized so as to avoid “cueing” effect, as would be done in the actual tests.

The MC and T/F questions were scored electronically (automatically). We then reviewed the scores for each pair of questions linked to a single objective in order to determine whether the paired questions elicited similar rates of correct responses. Any pairs of questions under the same objective that had less than a 10% difference in correct/incorrect score were deemed comparable. If we found greater than 10% difference in score between two “parallel” questions, we revised one question to be what we thought would be harder or easier with the intent of making the pair more comparable. As a result of this process three questions were revised to make the question pairs perform more similarly. The final items were subsequently allocated to create two comparable instruments. Each instrument was designed to have the same number of MC, T/F, and short answer (SA) questions within each content area and of comparable difficulty. We achieved two unique versions, each with 37 unique MC, T/F, and SA items with both versions comparable in style, length, concepts covered, and nature of items asked.

A final measurement goal was to assess learners’ analytic skills in research ethics. As such, we created a Framework for Analyzing a Research Ethics Case. The framework draws from foundational ethics principles and their applications as outlined in the Belmont Report and CIOMS Guidelines and by other scholars [ 15 – 18 ]. The framework consists of 7 questions to guide the user through the ethical analysis of a case, including identifying key facts, key moral concerns, associated ethics principles and requirements, balancing of competing concerns, identifying options for resolution, and recommendation. The framework was incorporated into the teaching of research ethics and then assessed in each pre and posttest version. Specifically, to test the learners’ ability to apply the framework, two easy and two harder cases were developed. In the pre and posttests, four short answer questions were asked of learners corresponding to the different stages of the framework. As such, the final version of each test had 41 items.

The final pre and post tests were administered on-line to both the cohort of trainees who had taken research ethics in person and the cohort who had taken research ethics online [ 19 ]. There were twenty-nine trainees exposed to each version of research ethics training. The first cohort of 29 trainees completed a 3.5 week research ethics course online in July 2009 and the second cohort of 29 trainees completed a short 3.5 day research ethics course on-site ([specifics removed for review]) in September 2009. Each trainee was allotted 90 minutes (electronically timed) to complete the pre-test within a four day window immediately before initiating the course, then had 90 minutes to complete the parallel, unique post-test within a four day window immediately after completing the course. The average trainee spent 56 minutes completing each assessment.

The MC and T/F items were scored electronically (automatically). All short answer responses, including responses to the framework questions, were coded separately by two faculty-investigators. Both coders were blinded to the names of the trainees and whether the responses were provided during the pre- or post- test period (this was done to avoid any potential bias to score the post test more liberally indicating an artificial increase in knowledge and skills). Short answers were graded as “0” for incorrect and “1” for correct. Inconsistencies in the application of codes were determined by a third reviewer and were reconciled through a deliberative process among all three reviewers.

Once the tests were scored and data entered, we calculated the Item Discrimination (ID) for each item. The Cronbach’s Alpha for each version of the REKASA was calculated using the method of Ferguson and Takane [ 20 ]. Using pre-determined cutoffs, items from either version of the REKASA were retained that had an item discrimination of 0.20 or higher, and items from either version that did not achieve a Crohbach’s Alpha of 0.70 or higher were discarded [ 21 , 22 ]. (See Table 3 ).

Comparison of Pre and Post Test Research Ethics Assessment Instruments

Based on these results we selected items from the pre-and post-tests with ID values above 0.20 to include in a third and final REKASA to be implemented 3 months after the post-test assessment. Our goal was to create a final version of the REKASA with the most predictive items to test trainee retention across all or our course objectives. At this point two new items were created to assess content areas that did not attain an ID of 0.20 or above on previous instruments.

The final version of REKASA included 33 of the most statistically robust MC, T/F and SA items and two “ethical framework cases”, each of which was followed by four short answer questions. Thus, each instrument had a total of 41 questions. The final version of the REKASA had a Cronbach’s alpha of .837 (instrument available on request).

Finally, we engaged in a three additional revisions to the final instrument to maximize performance and to simplify scoring. With the goal of maximizing the performance of the REKASA we removed questions with an item discrimination of less than .2220. This led to the removal of five poorly-performing questions (three MCs and two SAs) which increased the Cronbach’s alpha to .843. With the removal of these five items the REKASA covers all eleven topics listed in Table 1 but not all of the objectives. The 5 poorly-performing questions are noted on the final version of the REKASA available on request.

Knowing that an instrument will be less attractive that includes items requiring extensive faculty time to score and negotiate acceptable answers to certain questions, we conducted two sensitivity analyses of the REKASA. First we removed the open ended framework questions that were the more time consuming to score (n=8). The Cronbach’s alpha for this shortened REKASA was .720, just above our goal of ≥ .70. Our second sensitivity analysis was conducted on a version of the REKASA with all seventeen open ended short answer questions removed. The Cronbach’s alpha for this second shorter version (24 items; 22 MC and 2 T/F questions) was .665 (less than our goal of ≥ .70). As with the version noted above, each of these shortened versions of the REKASA included at least one question related to each of the 11 topics but did not cover all 32 objectives.

Using established principles of curriculum development, questionnaire construction, and reliability and validity testing, we developed a tool to evaluate learners on the topic of research ethics. In an effort to develop a reliable REKASA instrument, we discovered that most computer-based training modules include quizzes. No systematic assessment of the reliability and validity of these quizzes is available to assure institutions that scoring well on such quizzes indicates competence in research ethics or covers broad domains of interest. As research ethics education is required of investigators at institutions that receive U.S. Federal funds there is a need for a reliable and valid tool to assess knowledge of research ethics. It also is important for there to be a reliable and valid measure of learners’ analytic skills, not only their knowledge of research ethics history and principles (1). Indeed, if the goal of research ethics training is to encourage the adoption of ethical practice in the conduct of human subject research, courses must introduce trainees to the skills of ethical analysis and problem solving, and assessments must measure their proficiency in such skills.

This study is an early step in developing such a tool. The results illustrate the successful, systematic development and use of a knowledge and skills assessment capable of reliably assessing the application of analytic skills, without reliance on essay or discussion-based examination.

There were several limitations to our study. First, only one group of trainees completed the multiple versions of the REKASA. Future studies will use the REKASA to assess knowledge and skills among diverse populations of learners to further refine the tool. Second, this tool was tested among one population in India. Given that a significant push for research ethics education and quiz development has occurred within the United States, testing this tool in U.S. research populations also is critical. Third, the performance of the REKASA was validated with face validity and content validity. However, the lack of an existing validated instrument prevented us from assessing criterion validity. Further study is also needed to assess predictive validity. Finally, it would be important to test this tool among groups with greater and lesser preexisting knowledge of research ethics in order to determine if its ability to distinguish changes in knowledge is similarly achieved in these different groups.

To our knowledge, we are the first to systematically develop a novel instrument to assess knowledge and skills in research ethics based on a set of learning objectives It is our goal that other researchers, ethicists, and investigators would also use and test this model in order to continue to achieve a robust, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring baseline and changed knowledge and skills. Our ultimate goal is to contribute a reliable and valid tool for use by a variety of stake-holders interested in promoting proficiency in the ethics of human subjects research. In addition, the methods described can be used in similar research-related activities that require development of knowledge assessments, and can also inform processes for academic (non-research) course and test development.

Contributor Information

Holly A. Taylor, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Core Faculty, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, 624 N. Broadway, HH 353, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA.

Nancy E. Kass, Phoebe R. Berman Professor of Bioethics and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Deputy Director for Public Health, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, MD USA.

Joseph Ali, Research Scientist, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, MD USA.

Stephen Sisson, Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Director, Johns Hopkins Medicine Internet Learning Center, Baltimore, MD USA.

Amanda Bertram, Senior Research Program Coordinator, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA.

Anant Bhan, Researcher in Bioethics and Global Health, Pune, India.

Office of the Vice President for Research

Ovpr announces recipients of 2024 discovery and innovation awards.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is honoring 11 faculty and staff for their exceptional contributions to research, scholarship, and creative activity as part of the 2024 Discovery and Innovation Awards .

“ The winners represent the best and the brightest of our University of Iowa faculty and staff, who are making an impact across a range of disciplines,”  said Marty Scholtz, vice president for research. “Their research and scholarship enhance undergraduate and graduate education on campus, and their efforts to expand the frontiers of discovery betters our community, state, and world.”

The OVPR solicited nominations from across campus for the awards, which include: Scholar of the Year, Early Career Scholar of the Year, Leadership in Research, and awards that recognize achievement in communicating scholarship with public audiences, community engagement, arts and humanities, mentorship, research administration and safety. A campuswide event on April 30 will celebrate the winners.

Faculty Awards

Jun Wang , James E. Ashton Professor and interim departmental executive officer in the College of Engineering’s

 Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, is the 2024 Scholar of the Year . The award celebrates nationally recognized recent achievement in outstanding research, scholarship, and/or creative activities. 

Wang’s research centers on the development of novel remote sensing techniques to characterize aerosols and fires from space. He serves as the University of Iowa’s lead investigator on NASA’s TEMPO, Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring Pollution, which Time magazine named one of its best inventions of 2023. 

“Professor Wang's scholarly endeavors over the past two years stand out as a paradigm of excellence, serving as an exemplary model for both emerging and seasoned faculty members to aspire toward,” said Karim Abdel-Malek, professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Iowa Technology Institute.

James Byrne , assistant professor of radiation oncology in the Carver College of Medicine ( CCOM ), is the 2024 Early Career Scholar of the Year . The award honors assistant professors who are currently involved in research, scholarship, and/or creative activity and show promise of making a significant contribution to their field. 

As a physician scientist, Byrne continues to care for patients while developing novel biomedical therapies for cancer, finding inspiration in everything from latte foam to tardigrades. In his first two years as faculty at the UI, he has earned more that $2.5M in external research funding, including a K08 award from the NIH.

“Dr. Byrne’s scientific creativity stems from both an active and curious mind as well as his ability to bridge diverse fields from engineering to biology to medicine,” said Michael Henry, professor and interim director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. “These interdisciplinary boundaries are where some of the most interesting and important work is happening today.”

Donna Santillan , research professor and director of the Division of Reproductive Science Research in the CCOM Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, received the Leadership in Research Award , which recognizes research and scholarly accomplishments throughout a career. 

While Santillan’s research has spanned across the field of reproductive science, she has a particular interest in the deadly diseases of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and its intergenerational effects. She designed and directs the Women’s Health Tissue Repository. Santillan’s work has been cited more than 2,700 times, and she has mentored 114 early career scientists and students, a testament to her expansive impact.

“Dr. Santillan has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fostering the professional and personal development of trainees in research, including myself,” said Banu Gumusoglu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology. “Her mentorship extends beyond the confines of traditional academic settings, touching the lives of many aspiring trainees from high school through residency, clinical fellowship, and faculty levels.”

Stephen Warren , professor of history and American studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), received the Distinguished Achievement in Publicly Engaged Research Award . The award recognizes an individual faculty member who has put addressing public needs and direct engagement with the public, in the service of improving quality of life through research, at the forefront of his or her academic activities.

A prolific scholar of Native American culture, Warren’s research has centered on the Shawnee people of Oklahoma for the past two decades. He has published four books and co-authored the most recent one , Replanting Cultures: Community-Engaged Scholarship in Indian Country, with Chief Benjamin Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe. 

“Over the last two decades, Professor Warren has established himself as a leading community-engaged scholar, and his achievements in research and publishing demonstrate that community engagement and strong scholarship are not mutually exclusive,” said Nick Benson, director of the Office of Community Engagement. “Professor Warren’s work serves as an inspiration for researchers at Iowa and nationally who seek not only to make a difference in academia, but also in our communities.”

Kaveh Akbar , associate professor of English in CLAS, received the Distinguished Achievement in Arts and Humanities Research Award . This award honors distinguished achievement in humanities scholarship and work in the creative, visual and performing arts. 

Akbar joined Iowa in 2022 to serve as the director of the English and creative writing major. In January, his new novel, Martyr!, was published to critical acclaim. Akbar previously published two prize-winning poetry collections and has served as poetry editor for The Nation  since 2021. 

“Akbar’s leadership in the profession and on campus continues: his transformative work in our department not only enriches the academic experiences of 700+ English and creative writing majors, but also enhances the profile of UI as ‘The Writing University,’” said Blaine Greteman, professor and departmental executive officer of the Department of English.

Cara Hamann , associate professor of epidemiology, received the Faculty Communicating ideas Award . This award recognizes excellence in communication about research and scholarship in the sciences and humanities and the study of creative, visual, and performing arts to a general audience directly or via print and electronic media.

Hamann has frequently shared her work on transportation issues, including teen driving, bike and scooter safety, and pedestrian safety, through peer-reviewed journals and extensive media outreach. Her recent op-ed, “The most deadly traffic policy you’ve never heard of leaves you vulnerable, too,” drew widespread attention to a legal loophole in crosswalk laws and appeared in more than 50 news outlets nationwide, including USA Today .

“Dr. Hamann’s work is not only academically rigorous but also accessible and impactful to a

wide audience,” said Diane Rohlman, associate dean for research in the College of Public Health. “Her ability to communicate with clarity, creativity, and passion coupled with her extensive media outreach, exemplifies how she utilizes multiple approaches to address transportation challenges impacting society.”

Bob McMurray , F. Wendell Miller Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Caroline Clay , assistant professor of acting in the Department of Theatre Arts, were recipients of the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Distinguished Mentor Awards . The awards honors mentors’ dedication to making their students research experiences successful.

“I can’t imagine my research journey without Bob’s welcoming kindness, thriving lab community, and confident mentorship, and I am so deeply grateful for his impact on me,” said Hannah Franke, a psychology and linguistics major mentored by McMurray.

“I know I am far from the only student whose life has been impacted by Caroline Clay,” said Isabella Hohenadel, a second-year theatre arts major. “She deserves to be recognized of all of the wonderful work she does and how much she cares about us as students. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of recognition than her.”

Staff Awards

Angie Robertson , department administrator for CCOM’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, received the Distinguished Research Administrator Award . The award recognizes staff members who performed exceptional service in support of research at the UI by exploring funding opportunities, assisting in grant proposal preparation, submission, post-award administration, and operational support. 

In addition to overseeing every aspect of daily operations for the department, Robertson manages nearly 100 research grants for the department and three longstanding NIH T32 training grants. 

“Angie plays a leading role in our department office, inspiring us to achieve all aspects of our missions ,” said Li Wu, professor and department chair. “She is innovative, collaborative, accountable, and respectful  in her daily work. She exceeds any expectations and sets a great example for staff members in the department.”

Min Zhu , research specialist in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research (IIOHR) within the College of Dentistry, received the Distinguished Research Professional Award . The award recognizes staff members who performed exceptional service in support of research at the UI by conducting experiments, collecting, and analyzing results and performing operational duties associated with a laboratory or research program. 

Zhu has worked as a lab bench scientist in the College of Dentistry since 2006, executing experimental work for grants and other research, working closely with IIOHR faculty members, overseeing lab maintenance and environmental health and safety efforts. 

“Beyond her research skills, Dr. Zhu has been an exceptional mentor and educator for my students and other junior researchers,” said Liu Hong, professor of prosthodontics. “Her kindness and willingness to share her knowledge have made her a beloved figure among them.”

Curtis Iberg , manager of sterilization services in the College of Dentistry, received the Innovation in Safety Award, which celebrates exceptional and ground-breaking innovations that advance safety at the UI. Iberg led a major renovation of the College of Dentistry’s instrument processing and sterilization area, with the aim of encouraging better workflow and support for future growth. 

“His innovations in workspace are a valuable asset to the greater University and demonstrates that the most important people to be involved in a space renovation are those that use the area because they can see how the facility can better function and how it can be designed for future needs,” said Kecia Leary, associate dean of clinics.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

This article is part of the research topic.

The important role of the early school years for reading, writing and math development: Assessment and Intervention at school entry

Early Cognitive Predictors of Spelling and Reading in Germanspeaking Children Provisionally Accepted

• 1 Clinic and Polyclinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU Munich University Hospital, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

While reading and spelling skills often are interconnected in models of literacy development, recent research suggests that the two skills can dissociate and that reading and spelling are associated with at least partly different cognitive predictors. However, previous research on dissociations between reading and spelling skills focused on children who have already mastered the first phases of literacy development. These findings suggest that dissociations are due to distinct deficits in orthographic processing (i.e., unprecise orthographic representations vs. inefficient serial processing). It is therefore unclear whether dissociations already become apparent during the initial stages, or rather emerge later in development. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the predictors of early spelling and reading skills, investigating potential variations, by considering various cognitive factors beyond well-established ones.Data were collected at two time points: cognitive predictors and early reading and spelling skills were assessed at the end of kindergarten (T1) before formal literacy instruction started, and reading and spelling skills were again assessed in Grade 1 (T2). The data analysis included 353 first-grade participants. Linear regression analyses assessed predictive patterns, while logistic regression analyses explained children's likelihood of belonging to different proficiency groups (at-risk or typical skills).Results revealed phonological processing, letter knowledge, and intelligence, as significant predictors for Spelling in grade 1 (T2), even after adding the autoregressor (Spelling in kindergarten at T1) and the respective other literacy skill (Reading T2). For Reading in grade 1 (T2), phonological processing, and rapid automatized naming (RAN) surfaced as significant predictors after adding the autoregressor (Reading T1). However, only RAN surfaced as a significant predictor for Reading T2 after adding the respective other literacy skill (Spelling T2). In line with these findings, logistic regression analyses revealed that phonological processing predicted group allocation for Spelling T2 and RAN predicted group allocation for Reading T2.Overall, the study underscores the importance of phonological processing and letter knowledge as early predictors of spelling and reading skills in Grade 1. Moreover, intelligence is identified as a predictor for early spelling, while rapid automatized naming (RAN) emerges as a predictor for early reading.

Keywords: spelling development, Reading development, predictors, Longitudinal, Kindergarten, German orthography

Received: 29 Jan 2024; Accepted: 01 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Sigmund, Mehlhase, Schulte-Körne and Moll. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Mr. Jan Luis Sigmund, Clinic and Polyclinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU Munich University Hospital, Munich, 80337, Bavaria, Germany

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RPA as a Challenge Beyond Technology: Self-Learning and Attitude Needed for Successful RPA Implementation in the Workplace

• Open access
• Published: 01 April 2024

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• José Andrés Gómez Gandía 1 ,
• Sorin Gavrila Gavrila   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7574-5504 1 ,
• Antonio de Lucas Ancillo 1 &
• Maria Teresa del Val Núñez 1  

Companies are immersed in a process of digitalization that transforms business models and creates value due to the increase in technology. The adoption of new technologies has a great impact on organizations, not only at an economic level but also on their products, processes, and human resources. This process will result in a series of necessary changes to align with their internal competencies and optimize the investment made. This digitalization generates a digital transformation that affects both large companies and SMEs, with the result that new technologies are subject to continuous change, requiring the development and training of workers with the necessary skills to cope with it. Within this transformation, the automation of processes is a constantly growing topic in the business world, as it generates a series of benefits for organizations that they would not otherwise be able to acquire. Process automation reduces the workload in repetitive processes and provides more time for employees to attend to end-customer requests. The adoption of this technology will provide the company to be adapted to a changing world experiencing an increase in productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency. This research focuses on how the process automation provides the organization with a wide range of benefits such as workload reduction and increased productivity for most of the company. Although process automation can bring many benefits to the workplace, it is important to recognize that its use does not always automatically lead to a systematic improvement of workers’ skills. In this context, it is also important to note how employee training is necessary to face this new reality. Employee training and adaptation is critical to the organization’s sustainability. Training will need to be aimed at equipping the employee with technical skills to enable them to effectively use and implement technology and to assimilate it as a complement and not as a threat. To analyse the individual’s awareness of the digitization of the workplace, the automation of tasks and the advantages or disadvantages that may result from the introduction of technology, a questionnaire was developed, and 103 valid responses were obtained and analysed. This has resulted in a series of hypotheses that have been tried to be validate throughout the research work. These results have important implications for organizations seeking to implement automation and provide a basis for future research in this constantly evolving field.

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Introduction

Digital transformation has emerged as a critical element for the survival and advancement of contemporary businesses, presenting challenges in the integration and exploration of new technologies (Rêgo et al., 2021 ). Industry 4.0 technologies have revolutionized global manufacturing trends, with businesses adopting Industry 4.0 models to meet customized demands and compete globally (Jamwal et al., 2021 ).

This digital transformation has created more intricate working conditions, necessitating upskilling of employees to meet the demands of increasingly specialized and complex jobs (Moore et al., 2020 ). Companies must cultivate a culture of learning in their work environment (Hochhauser, 2018 ) to develop innovative products, services, and processes, restructuring knowledge for technological innovations. It is relevant to consider the impact and employee perception of daily technology use (Bag et al., 2021 ; Hameed et al., 2021 ; Yuan & Cao, 2022 ).

The significance of digital technology policies in economic growth is particularly crucial in the era of the 4th industrial revolution (Zhao & Yang, 2023 ). The impact of digital technology and its adoption for organizational innovation is a central area of study (Li et al., 2023 ), as markets evolve with changing customer needs accelerated by technology dynamics, compelling companies to adapt (Nyagadza, 2022 ).

Given the exponential growth of technologies, diverse approaches must be considered. The digital transformation process involves individuals related to organizational culture and leadership in companies (Velyako & Musa, 2023 ). The development of technological capabilities relies on individual actions at all management levels, emphasizing technical competencies and interactions between managers and employees (Feeny & Willcocks, 1998 ; McLaughlin, 2017 ).

The use of AI provides new opportunities for organizations to innovate their value proposition. AI, particularly in combination with increasing production linkages, assists companies in responding specifically to customer needs and personalizing their range of services (von Garrel & Jahn, 2022 ). This research underscores the value of robotic process automation (RPA) in the globalized digital world, considering new applications and perspectives for business strategy. RPA, an innovative technology, automates repetitive, rule-based tasks previously performed by humans, providing savings to implementing organizations (Ivančić et al., 2019 ; Syed & Wynn, 2020 ).

As AI, including other AI-based applications, integrates into human resource management (HRM) approaches, it opens possibilities for innovation. However, it has the potential to impact the labour market by replacing certain jobs, including those involving cognitive elements (Dwivedi et al., 2019 ). The ongoing advancement of digital technologies, coupled with changes in production structures, affects global worker well-being (Aryal et al., 2019 ; Parteka et al., 2024 ).

Current technology, utilizing big data and machine learning, enhances machines’ ability to perform cognitive, physical, and linguistic tasks, creating new jobs (Gibbs, 2022 ). In this technological context, while the internal workings of these systems remain generally unexplained (Gligor et al., 2021 ), workers must upgrade and retrain themselves to coexist with AI systems (Jaiswal et al., 2022 ). Among technologies, AI stands out, radically changing how work is done and who does it. The biggest impact will be to complement and augment human capabilities, not replace them (Wilson & Daugherty, 2018 ). AI is faster, accurate, and rational, but lacks intuition, emotion, and cultural sensitivity—qualities that make humans more effective (De Cremer & Kasparov, 2021 ).

One prominent challenge in adopting AI within organizations is the lack of information about the purpose of its incorporation (Babic et al., 2020 ). Therefore, bridging the existing gap in the current literature through practical research linking employee digital training on digitization and robotic process automation (RPA) and its impact on daily job performance becomes essential. Additionally, exploring the influence of digital skills in society and their implications in the business area will be investigated.

This research begins with the “ Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ” section that raises the theoretical framework where digitalization and its relevance in the organization are raised. At this point, different approaches linked to the influence of training in the development and implementation of new technologies are considered. In the “ Methodology " section, the methodology is developed. In the “ Analysis and Results ” section, the results are presented and developed. The “ Discussion and Conclusions ” section develops the discussion and conclusions of the research considers limitations and future lines of research.

Literature Review and Theoretical Framework

With digital technologies shaping competition in many industries, predicting the future of potentially disruptive technologies becomes an essential task for business leaders concerned about the survival and success of their organizations (Krotov, 2019 ). Digitization is used to describe some social and technical phenomena, as well as the process of adoption and use of digital technologies across a broad spectrum whether individual, organizational, or societal (Legner et al., 2017 ).

Theoretical Framework

The study has been developed from different sources with a research work, examining the areas to be addressed by the research in terms of process automation and the impact produced not only in the organization but also in the workers.

As indicated in the literature consulted, the methodology used in empirical research can be qualitative, quantitative, or a mixture of both to obtain data that will provide us with the necessary information to carry out the desired analysis.

The paper proposes a qualitative methodology, defining it as “a systematic method for collecting information from a sample of entities in order to construct quantitative descriptors of attributes of the general population of which the entities are members” (Groves et al., 2011 ). Non-numerical data are collected, which can provide us with more varied information that can provide us with a complete explanation (Jansen, 2013 ). Both Glaser and Strauss ( 1967 ) and Becker ( 2008 ) as well as Robinson ( 1951 ) will be mentioned as precursors in the use of this methodology. In this type of qualitative research, both the data collection and the research question are developed in interaction with the data analysis (Maxwell, 2012 ).

The digitalization of organizations, as outlined in various studies (Horlacher et al., 2016 ; Shet & Pereira, 2021 ), has the potential to bring about substantial changes by transforming business models and creating value. Managers are required to possess specific skill sets to navigate the constant organizational changes driven by automation (Shet & Pereira, 2021 ). Digital transformation, defined as the changes brought about by digital technologies affecting a company’s business, involves shifts in products/services and organizational structure (Horlacher et al., 2016 ). However, preparing for digital transformation is a complex task, necessitating the development of aligned digital capabilities within the organization, including its people and culture, towards a set of organizational objectives (Kiron et al., 2016 ).

Continuous learning is highlighted as a crucial requirement, with managers responsible for upgrading their employees’ skills for technology-driven jobs (Popkova & Zmiyak, 2019 ; Shet & Pereira, 2021 ). Successful digital transformations demand the cultivation of new organizational capabilities for survival and success (Li et al., 2018 ). Notably, an incremental approach is recommended, focusing on augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them (Davenport & Ronanki, 2018 ).

Furthermore, digital transformation should be perceived as a change in organizational mentality, emphasizing innovation and the creative capacity of its people (Vilaplana & Stein, 2020 ). Managers play a crucial role in maintaining collaboration within teams and motivating them effectively (Shet & Pereira, 2021 ).

In terms of new insights, the impact of process automation on human resources and organizational processes is emphasized. The shift towards more specialized IT profiles may displace low-skilled positions, and AI applications are expected to fill permanent jobs, with short-term tasks being outsourced (Braganza et al., 2021 ). This evolution may lead to resistance from workers in easily replaceable roles, necessitating effective communication from managers to mitigate rejection (Arslan et al., 2022 ; Li et al., 2019 ). The economic impact of these changes on organizations is highlighted, reinforcing the importance of strategic planning for digital transformation. All references are based on reputable sources and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with digitalization in the organizational context.

Figure  1 shows how the three areas studied in this research work are around the threat of losing the job by automating the processes involved. It can also be seen the different questions that have been used to pose the hypotheses of the research.

Evaluation methodology. Own elaboration

Digital Transformation

Companies that have invested in digital innovation in recent years now find themselves in need of an alignment of their internal competencies to optimize return on investment, recognising that they need to adapt rapidly to new market conditions (Abele et al., 2015 ) and adapt to a data-driven approach to decision-making (Tiwari & Raju, 2022 ) using data and data analytics to inform business decisions (Pisoni et al., 2023 ).

The adoption of new technologies has always been a great challenge for organizations, and the greater the impact, the greater the challenge. The scale and pace of digital transformation makes investments in digitization inevitable for companies of all sizes and sectors (Hossnofsky & Junge, 2019 ). In highly competitive environments, organizations cannot maintain their advantage without innovation (Ranjbar et al., 2020 ). The process of digital transformation affects people who are connected to organizational culture and leadership in companies. One of the purposes of this research is to examine the role of digital organizational culture with respect to digital transformation and the development of the firm’s competitive advantage (Velyako & Musa, 2023 ). Digital transformation is being influenced by various technologies (Nosalska & Mazurek, 2019 ; Siderska & Jadaan, 2018 ). Therefore, the continuous advancement of both AI and robotic process automation provides companies with competitive advantages and market dominance (Kot & Leszczyński, 2019 ). The goals and objectives of the organization are influenced by digital transformations in operations, which affect the organization’s products, processes, structure, and business concept (Matt et al., 2015 ). This advancement influences daily work routines and consequently working conditions (Metall, 2015 ). Trends ( 2016 ) indicate that digital technologies are currently everywhere, modifying business models and radically transforming the workplace and how work is performed.

Currently, there has been an increase in technologies that have impacted and driven digital transformation (Hofbauer & Sangl, 2019 ). In turn, within the organization, AI is understood as a multidisciplinary science capable of being applied to the development of new business strategies, relevant for the survival and continuity of the business (Blanco-González-Tejero et al., 2023 ). The advancement of digitization has equally affected individuals as well as SMEs (Gavrila Gavrila & de Lucas Ancillo, 2021 ) or large companies. Even though companies have been pushed towards digital change, they are also the enablers of business transformation, creating new sources of opportunities as well as a threat to those who do not adapt (Kane et al., 2015 ). The use of new technologies gains relevance in the day-to-day operations of the company, as well as Big Data and communications due to their great potential in the business world (Prinz et al., 2016 ). Consequently, tools are constantly changing, as well as the knowledge and skills required to use them. There are arguments that the introduction of AI in the workplace can also lead to the creation of new jobs, especially in sectors focused on the development and application of AI technology (Puzzo et al., 2020 ). With a digital mindset, employees throughout the organization will be equipped to seize all the opportunities that come their way (Neeley & Leonardi, 2022 ). Technology is an ever-changing environment in which companies are subject to continuous change (Corso et al., 2018 ). In this environment, it is necessary to have a change management where one of the most important points is the development and training of the people in the organization with the necessary skills (Kohnke, 2017 ); consequently, the following hypothesis has been proposed:

H1: Employee training is a driving force that impacts on work automation

RPA in the Work Environment

The concept of robotic process automation (RPA) is a concept that has been implemented in organizations for some time now, focusing on efficiently and automatically resolving large administrative and back-office processes (Madakam et al., 2019 ; Wang et al., 2022 ). Its main application lies in tasks, mainly administrative and systematic, on established information systems, where the cognitive activity required is limited (Penttinen et al., 2018 ). RPA does not require the teardown of existing systems, making it easy to integrate into existing business processes (Shet & Pereira, 2021 ).

Automation has increased due to the growing use of information technologies, disrupting the labour market. Even though jobs consist of multiple tasks, some of them can be replaced by robots, but it is necessary to think about how humans can complement this automation (Autor, 2015 ). Automation is replacing those individuals who perform routine and repetitive tasks of low complexity with robots programmed to carry them out (Doménech et al., 2018 ). Therefore, it is important to establish a systematic approach to RPA implementation, which includes process identification and prioritization; cost and benefit evaluation, role, and responsibility definition; change management; and performance measurement and analysis. According to Siderska ( 2020 ) and Eloundou et al ( 2023 ), RPA is a driver of digital transformation and can provide several benefits to an organization, including (a) efficiency and productivity (Hou et al., 2023 ; Wang et al., 2022 ), (b) accuracy, (c) cost reduction, (d) improved customer experience (Hou et al., 2022 ), and (e) increased scalability enabling managers to use RPA as a driver for manufacturers to improve productivity, meet consumer expectations, and continuously drive low-cost product innovation (Shet & Pereira, 2021 ). In this line, Porter and Kramer ( 2011 ) suggest that the adoption of this technology can improve efficiency and productivity, which, in turn, can allow companies to invest in higher value-added areas and ultimately create higher-quality and better-paid jobs.

Therefore, it is crucial to provide an overview of the critical factors that contribute to the success of implementing RPA as part of an organization’s digital transformation. In this regard, authors such as Leopold et al., ( 2018 ) have pointed out key characteristics such as repetitive, manual, rule-based, and high-volume tasks as good indicators for the implementation of RPA technologies. This is because the use of RPA allows employees to focus on more complex tasks that require creativity and can bring more value to an organization (Siderska, 2020 ). The impact of new technologies such as AI on workers’ skills is likely to depend on the specific tasks and skills to be automated (Chuang, 2022 ). However, each organization should evaluate its own processes with the aim of using technology to improve human work, enabling workers to focus on higher-value tasks. Therefore, it is essential to analyse the advantages that RPA implementation brings to the company therefore the following hypothesis has been proposed:

In terms of automation:

H2a: Process automation can be perceived as a threat by being more efficient than the worker.

H2b: Workers’ creativity increases in digitized workplaces when they are properly trained and coexist with automation systems.

Digital Education

Organizations seem to realize every day the advantages of a symbiotic relationship between workers and AI in the workplace. The organization should foster a culture of continuous learning and development by upskilling employees. This relationship requires workers to develop the technical, human, and conceptual skills necessary for the adoption of AI in the workplace, and organizations must invest in continuous training for their workers, taking time to update and retrain their skills in today’s workplace (Zirar et al., 2023 ). This will result in and provide motivation for employees and help the organization to attract and retain talent within the organization. Furthermore, a culture of continuous learning and development will help organizations meet changing business needs and remain competitive in a highly changing environment (Cukier, 2020 ) (Fig. 2 ).

Phases of adopting AI in the workplace

Digital transformation affects the sustainable growth of companies from a perspective of dynamic capabilities (Yao et al., 2022 ). The future trend will lead to the disappearance of numerous job positions, of which those that do not disappear will undergo significant changes as automation takes place (Review, 2020 ). This may suggest that there is a “trust” problem among workers and it can be argued that this problem may progressively improve as workers improve their skills (Gillath et al., 2021 ). Employees must feel comfortable and find it useful, relevant, satisfying, and easy to use. The employees’ perception of the technology and its features is one of the factors to be considered in the learning process of this technology. Therefore, training is a fundamental aspect to achieve effective implementation of digitalization in both public and private companies. In this sense, several authors have considered the influence of skills training on performance and organizational culture (González-Tejero & Molina, 2022 ). Organizations need to develop clear and compelling value propositions so that employees appreciate the benefits of acquiring new skills and learning to use AI systems (Sofia et al., 2023 ).

The Human Resources department has become a vital service in the paradigm shift of employee training. According to Bersin, ( 2016 ), digital disruption and social networks have transformed how organizations handle the hiring, management, and support processes for their personnel. Thus, this department acts as an intermediary between employees and digitalization, as it is important to incorporate digital elements into the way work is done to perform tasks effectively, considering that many employees live in a digital world (Bersin, 2016 ).

In this context, automation is expected to soon transform jobs, workplaces, and workforces (Mashelkar, 2018 ), where digitization and automation will lead to the replacement of some existing jobs with new ones requiring entirely new skills. The importance of analytical skills will decrease as AI assumes more analytical tasks, tasks that require rule-based and logical thinking. There are arguments that suggest that the introduction of AI in the workplace may also generate new jobs, especially in sectors centred on the development and application of AI technology (Puzzo et al., 2020 ). Workers are faced with a greater complexity of their daily work tasks and are required to be resilient and adaptable to new (and challenging) work environments (Longo et al., 2017 ). The adoption of AI will affect both knowledge workers and blue-collar workers, as AI has the potential to improve worker productivity (Leinen et al., 2020 ).

In this case, a distinction is made between white-collar and blue-collar workers (Gibson & Papa, 2000 ; Waschull et al., 2022 ). Blue-collar workers are not as exposed to automation of their jobs because of the physical and manual nature of their work, which is complex to replicate through automation. However, white-collar workers are more susceptible to job loss due to the integration of RPA into work environments. These workers perform cognitive and analytical tasks that RPA has begun to address effectively.

In the next years, both company executives and employees will face a series of challenges as they encounter disruptive digital technologies. People will need to upskill appropriate capabilities for newly defined jobs and work closely with AI technologies to do well in their employment (Jaiswal et al., 2022 ). In recent years, numerous systems, including web applications and apps, have been designed to facilitate human resource management activities and identify skills gaps in the workforce in order to introduce AI solutions effectively (Sofia et al., 2023 ). The importance of analytical skills will decrease as AI assumes more analytical tasks, tasks that require rule-based and logical thinking. They will need to learn different important skills, with digitalization and dealing with increasingly omnipresent digital technologies standing out, as well as developing empathy towards their colleagues’ technological preferences (Agrawal, 2018 ). Thus, the learning of new technological competencies is crucial for digital transformation, but it also needs to consider that employees are motivated to use them (Neeley & Leonardi, 2022 ). Building on contributions like those made by Seibt and Vestergaard ( 2018 ), it should be acknowledged that there will be close collaboration between robots and workers in many areas of the organization. In this sense, it is essential for companies to consider how humans can enhance machine efficiency and how machines can improve human actions, as well as redesigning business processes to facilitate collaboration between them (Wilson & Daugherty, 2018 ). However, from the worker’s perspective, one of the main fears is the perceived threat of being replaced by a computer (Stettes et al., 2017 ). As a result of technical advances, unskilled workers will have to adapt and engage in tasks involving social and creative cognitive skills (Rainnie & Dean, 2020 ). Therefore, training and knowledge associated with the advantages and disadvantages that technologies bring to the organization should be considered. Consequently, understanding the role of training in new technologies and its influence on employee awareness is key. It is necessary for organizations to be able to adapt to the changing environment in an agile manner. This agility will become a competence (Stein & López, 2014 ). Every agile organization must share the same idea, being purpose and vision, which gives meaning to change and promotes it, as this will be the nexus on which the innovation necessary to cope with market demand will be based; therefore, the following hypothesis has been proposed:

H3: The symbiosis between employee and process automation provides better customer service.

Methodology

Methodology and structure.

As indicated in the literature consulted, the methodology used in empirical research can be qualitative, quantitative, or a mixture of both to obtain data that will provide us with the necessary information to carry out the desired analysis. The paper proposes a qualitative methodology since it collects non-numerical data, which can provide us with more varied information. The survey, in studies with a quantitative or qualitative scope, is the most frequently used of all other techniques, including in the virtual online and offline environment, always supported by a properly structured and automated questionnaire to ensure the efficient and transparent handling of a large volume of data in almost real time. Among the traditional and virtual environments, there are obvious advantages, disadvantages, and limitations in the application of techniques and tools in data collection, but due to advances in artificial intelligence and technological advances, old stereotypes have been broken in the virtual environment, ensuring the quantity and quality of data and significantly decreasing the errors that could occur (Cisneros et al., 2022 ).

The survey has been based on a single attempt and has a single empirical cycle (research question, data collection, analysis, and report) and seeks to study the diversity of a topic within a given population by means of qualitative survey Fig. 3 .

Research model. Own elaboration

Elaboration and Collection of Survey Data : The survey is elaborated and designed to collect the information necessary to carry out the study.

Construct Allocation : Verification that the variables studied reflect or measure the theoretical construct for which they were designed.

Initial Analysis : Understanding of the different categories in the audience and their responses using a cross-tabulation format.

Threat Perception Analysis : The analysis will be carried out considering the perception of threat with respect to a series of variables.

Data Collection and Sample Characteristics

The questionnaire used was designed based on an electronic form that was distributed among a target group of more than 300 people, which, from the perspective of the objectives of this research, was considered very representative, since in the environment of the University of Alcalá, it includes not only education but also aspects related to administration. At the end of the questionnaire period, 103 samples were collected after eliminating incomplete and invalid samples.

The data collected have been processed and analysed using SPSS statistical software, highly regarded for quantitative research (Yockey, 2018 ) in the field of social sciences, mainly due to the large amount of information available. SPSS can be highlighted for its usefulness, adequate handling, and easy comprehension, having inside it a great variety of statistical topics oriented mostly to social sciences, covering all the needs of statistical calculation of researchers and professionals in the field to which it is applied (Pacheco et al., 2020 ). Therefore, the study has been of the descriptive type, using a quantitative approach and cross-sectional design. A questionnaire was sent to working people from different industries and sectors.

Following the proposed theoretical framework and the literature review, the research model was developed to reflect the relationship between training and the impact on automation, the perception of automation on work efficiency, how automation allows workers to act more creatively, and finally how task automation can improve the organization's service.

Analysis and Results

Data and construct allocation.

The model has been carried out considering the structure of a part of the evaluation questionnaire (Table  1 ) taking into account the variables EDU, EXP, and AGE, which focus on training, on the attitude towards automation and finally on the implementation and use of automation. From this point on, the three constructs were considered.

The first one “Self-learning” seeks to know the training that the interviewees have with respect to new technologies and the consideration that the interviewees have of the automation of processes. The second one “attitude” seeks to know the opinion of the interviewees with respect to their attitude towards process automation. Finally, the third one “Implementation and use” seek to know the perception of the interviewees about the actual implementation and use of these new technologies.

Initial Analysis

The initial analysis included the variables of form, experience, and age. The variable EDU is taken to check how the interviewee feels about whether he/she can consider him/herself threatened depending on his/her training. The EXPERIENCE variable is taken to check the relationship between the respondent’s years of experience and the sense of threat he/she may feel. The AGE variable will allow us to check the relationship between how threatened the respondent feels depending on the age of the interviewee.

The tables show how respondents answered the questions, considering themselves threatened or not by automation.

In this table (Table  2 ), the variables Q1_EDU (educational level of the participants) and the variable Q_THREAT (respondents who feel that their job may or may not be threatened by automation). The table indicates that out of 103 people participating in the survey, 60 do not consider their job to be threatened by RPA, while 43 feel that it is threatened.

The table shows a varied distribution of educational levels among the respondents, and most of them do not have the perception that their job is threatened by automation. However, it can be observed that respondents with lower educational levels have a higher sense of threat from the automation of their work.

In Table  3 , the variables Q2_EXP (years of work experience of the respondents) compared to the variable Q_THREAT (respondents who feel that their job may or may not be threatened by automation).

The Table  3 shows a varied distribution in the work experience of the respondents, and as mentioned earlier, most of them do not consider their job to be in danger. However, it can be observed that respondents with higher levels of experience have a greater sense that their jobs may be threatened by automation.

Finally, Table  4 shows the variable Q3_AGE (describing the age of the participants) and the variable Q_THREAT (respondents who feel that their job may or may not be threatened by automation). The table shows that respondents aged between 45 and 59 are the most represented in the sample, and there is a significant number of respondents who do not consider their job threatened by automation. These results suggest that the perception of automation threat may be influenced by the age of the respondents.

Perceived Threat Analysis

An ANOVA analysis is performed because two groups of different sizes are to be compare. In this case, ANOVA will allow us to determine the validity of our hypothesis by comparing the means of the different groups and assessing whether the observed differences are statistically significant.

The ANOVA analysis (Table  5 ) reveals significant differences in the perception of the respondents regarding the attitude towards RPA-assisted work and the implementation and use of RPA in the workplace. There are responses in which there is a high probability that the differences observed between groups are statistically significant, which implies that they differ significantly in relation to the variable analysed ( p  < 0.05).

In summary, the results indicate that there is a certain polarization in the perception of the respondents regarding the adoption and use of RPA in the workplace, suggesting that it is important for organizations to understand and address the concerns and opinions of their employees in this regard.

Welch’s t -test is an adaptation of Student’s t -test and is more reliable when the two samples have unequal variances and different sample sizes as in our case. By means of this test, it will check the consistency Table 6 .

Finally, in order to determine the magnitude and the trend of the groups, the descriptive statistics provided the results from the table (Table  7 ) which indicate that the surveyed individuals have a positive perception regarding the implementation and use of robotics in the workplace. Most of the surveyed individuals perceive that the implementation of such tools can aid in daily work as robots can work more effectively and efficiently. However, there is a neutral perception regarding the efficiency of robotics in customer service and the threat of task automation within an organization.

Statistical tests (Table 6 ) indicate that there are significant differences in respondents’ answers to some questions related to robotic process automation. In particular, the results indicate that there is no perceived direct impact on automation due to the respondents’ education.

The study that has been conducted provides a series of conclusions that come to demonstrate that the hypotheses that have been considered are valid. The fear of losing their job to a robot and being replaced by a robot is perceived more by people with an intermediate level of education than by people with higher education. In this case, hypothesis H1 is affirmed ( H1: Employee training is a driving force that impacts on work automation).

In this case, there is no correlation, so it is true that regardless of education, automation occurs in people with both higher education and primary education.

The adoption of this technology can improve efficiency and productivity, and it will allow us to validate our hypothesis H2a which indicates that the use of robots makes the worker more efficient and leads to fewer errors. The hypothesis “H2a: Automation is perceived to be more effective than the worker” can be considered valid.

Question Q8 (“Robot-assisted workers will be more productive”) and question Q9 (“Robot-assisted workers will make fewer mistakes”) have a significant difference in respondents’ answers, suggesting that most respondents who do not perceive automation as a threat agree that robots increase productivity and reduce errors at work.

The automation will allow the employee’s performance of more complex tasks and requiring more creativity, being able to validate our hypothesis ( H2b: Workers’ creativity increases in digitized workplaces when they are properly trained and coexist with automation systems ) which states that people who do not consider it a threat free them for other, more creative tasks.

Question Q13 (“Robots replace employees in routine activities, leaving creative and competent activities and exception management to them”) also shows a significant difference in respondents’ answers, suggesting that most respondents who do not consider automation a threat agree that robots can help employees focus on more creative and less routine tasks.

Automation can procure a number of benefits to the organization including enhanced customer experience, and it is considered how humans can improve the efficiency of machines and how machines can improve human actions so our hypothesis ( H3: The symbiosis between employee and process automation provides better customer service ).

Questions Q16 (“I want to know more about how robots could help me”) and Q19 (“Do you think that by using RPA you can be more efficient in serving customers with the same (human) resources”) have a significant difference compared to questions Q18 (“Investing in automation tools can make everyday life easier”) and Q20 (“Robots can work faster than employees”), suggesting that there is an interest in learning more about automation and consider that it could be beneficial for their work.

The result of this research highlights several factors crucial to the successful implementation of robotic process automation (RPA) in the organization, supported by the survey data. These factors focus on addressing employee perceptions and concerns, as well as recognizing the potential benefits of automation. The following can be highlighted:

Customized Educational Approach: Training programmes will be designed to suit employees with intermediate educational levels, as the survey indicates that this group perceives more fear of losing their jobs due to automation.

Efficiency and Error Reduction: Focuses on improving efficiency and reducing errors when implementing RPA.

Encouraging Creativity and Complex Tasks: Explain that automation will enable employees to perform more complex and creative tasks. It is essential to convey that RPA not only does not replace but also enhances work capabilities by complementing each other.

Improved Customer Experience: Automation will be integrated with a focus on improving the customer experience.

Discussion and Conclusions

The result of the research provides some statements that are carried out with process automation. In this case, it can be affirmed that workers are in favour of automation because they are aware that it helps their daily work and that it allows them to be much more efficient than without automation. It can also be seen that the threat they perceive is the same for people with higher education and those with basic education.

The authors conceive automation as something positive for the organization, even though there are several variables that depend not only on technology but also on people: (1) Automation will be limited to a prior study of the process in which a large process must be divided into sub-processes to be carried out. (2) Even though the result may seem positive, it is necessary to consider the limitations on the economic side to not only face automation but also the necessary training for its employees. (3) Automation must be well communicated to employees to avoid rejection by them.

Automation has transformed the way it works by providing new opportunities within the organization and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of certain processes. The use of process automation in companies generates a differentiated perception among employees, with some being in favour of its use in the workplace and others not. The results indicate that the interviewees have moderate levels of training and technological knowledge, suggesting a need for further education in this field and more information about the technology used by the organization they work for, to improve acceptance and implementation of automation.

Conclusions

The research model formulated outlines a framework for clarifying the complex interaction between training initiatives and their consequent impact on automation within organizational contexts. It highlights the importance of identity in understanding how employees respond to the introduction of AI and what outcome it produces. The model explores in detail the dynamics that encompass the perceived influence of automation on work efficiency, focusing on the ways in which automation facilitates creativity among employees. In addition, it considers how task automation, as a key component, contributes to improved organizational service delivery. AI in the workplace will continue to transform the nature of work and the skills required to perform it are increasingly important for both, staff and organizations to address the gap between their current skills and those that will be needed to successfully address these changes. Identifying and understanding this skills gap is the first step in developing effective strategies to improve and reskill the workforce. Once this skills gap is identified, organizations can develop strategies to upgrade and retrain their workforce to fill this gap and ensure that they have the necessary skills to use AI effectively.

By adopting this approach, the research model provides us with an analytical basis for understanding the relationships between training, automation, worker perceptions, creativity, and organizational service improvement.

Specifically, it should be considered that while the results suggest a positive attitude towards automation, concerns still exist. While employees’ fear of job loss due to AI is often due to exaggeration of AI capabilities (Willcocks, 2020 ), this perceived fear alters workplaces and changes employees’ behaviour, such as knowledge sharing versus hiding (Pereira & Mohiya, 2021 ).The implementation of automation requires an investment in training and knowledge of new technologies, as well as clear and effective communication about its implementation, to avoid issues with employees (Zirar et al., 2023 ). The study performed by Manis and Madhavaram ( 2023 ) identified in this research three key factors that contribute to the threat of AI identity in the workplace: job changes, loss of status position, and the perception of artificial intelligence as a potential threat. This should be considered by decision-makers within the organization. It is therefore crucial for organizations to understand and address the concerns and opinions of employees in this regard.

Attention should also be given to the associated costs and the concerns that this will generate among employees who view automation as a threat. Finally, it is expected that the implementation of automation can improve productivity and efficiency within the organization, provided that a smooth transition is carried out and accepted by the employees involved in this change.

Theoretical Implications

This research focuses on the positive side of process automation, as well as on the adverse effects on the participants. The research attempts to find the link between the hypotheses raised by answering each one of them. Only a small part has been covered, and much remains to be explored about how process automation affects many other areas of the company.

The study that has been conducted provides a series of conclusions that come to demonstrate that the hypotheses that have been considered are valid. Automation has increased due to the growing use of information technologies, bursting into the labour market. Even when jobs are composed of several tasks, some of these can be replaced by robots, but it is required to think about how the person can complement this automation (Autor, 2015 ), in line to what Stettes et al. ( 2017 ) indicates regarding the fear of losing their job to a robot. The fear of being replaced by a robot is perceived more by people with an intermediate level of education than by people with higher education. Porter and Kramer ( 2011 ) indicate that the adoption of this technology can improve efficiency and productivity, which indicates that the use of robots makes the worker more efficient and leads to fewer errors. In turn, Siderska ( 2020 ) indicates that automation will allow the employee’s performance of more complex tasks and requiring more creativity which states that people who do not consider it a threat free them for other, more creative tasks. According to a study by Schlegel and Kraus ( 2023 ), companies are looking for RPA professionals and expect them to not only have the ability to use certain tools but also specific skills such as business process management or human resources (Madakam et al., 2019 ). According to Madakam et al. ( 2019 ), the cognitive skills of workers as well as their specific skills are equally important.

Eloundou et al. ( 2023 ) and Siderska ( 2021 ) consider that automation can provide several benefits to the organization among others improved customer experience and Wilson and Daugherty ( 2018 ) consider how humans can improve the efficiency of machines and how machines can improve human actions so a large majority of respondents believe it improves customer service.

Digitalization has ensured that automation has taken hold in companies seeking to differentiate themselves from the rest of the competitors. So much so that employee training and adaptation to change is necessary to bring this change to fruition. The result of this change will result in organizations having trained employees capable of meeting new technological challenges, as well as the ability for faster implementation of any new automation-based technology. This will result in greater efficiency and effectiveness of the organization’s employees.

On a theoretical level, it is necessary to continue studying RPA and discover the possible challenges that it will provide to the organization both externally and internally, considering the impact that it can have not only on the technical side but also on human resources.

Practical Implications

The practical result of this study is to see how automation affects the work environment from three areas such as training, attitude towards process automation, and finally on the implementation of this in the workplace.

This automation process takes the organization to a new stage in which (1) it knows the fears that its employees may have regarding automation; (2) it seeks to know the degree of training/aptitude of the employees in automation issues and from here it can make decisions about whether further training is necessary; and (3) it seeks the implementation taking into account the employees to carry out this process.

Although the proposed hypotheses have been validated, in this study, process automation involves very extensive processes. The samples have been taken from persons in active employment, so the results could be biased given the low level of automation that currently exists in many organizations.

It is important to consider the following: (1) The environmental impact of automation as it is known that robots can improve energy efficiency and reduce waste in production processes, but the production and maintenance of robots can have a negative environmental impact. (2) As technology continues to advance it is important that researchers continue to investigate the impact that automation has on all areas of society and a call is made for research in this area with the aim of fostering the area of thoughtful research and facilitating a culture of innovation and digital business collaboration. (3) This will enable companies and organizations to implement effective strategies and policies for the adoption of robotic technologies and ensure a transition for the workers affected by it.

Finally, the study indicates that (1) the authors also warn that even though it can provide many benefits, it is also necessary to see the other side, which are the problems when carrying out automation. A previous study of the process to be automated must be carried out, not every process can be automated. (2) Even when the study seems positive, in real conditions, it might not be so positive due to the different economic and social factors that this entails. The lack of confidence of the management in the project can lead to failure. (3) The help of two people will be necessary, one who knows the process and the programmer who will carry out the automation of this one to avoid possible failures, either of concept or of automation.

In resume, the successful implementation of RPA relies on a combination of customized educational strategies, focus on efficiency and creativity, and the integration of automation to improve the customer experience. These factors not only address employee concerns, but also maximize the potential benefits of RPA in terms of productivity and service quality.

Research Limitations

Although the proposed hypotheses have been shown to be valid, this is only a small part of the research that can be conducted. Process automation addresses many areas of the organization, and this study discusses training, attitude, and workplace implementation and use. The study has only used a small portion of variables that may not reflect the entire reality of the process automation universe or perhaps in terms of the adequacy of the number of variables could have been increased at the cost of making a more accurate questionnaire, but also more complex for the participant.

This research focuses on the positive aspects of process automation and how it can influence the attitude of the people involved in the implementation and use within the workplace, as well as their knowledge of it. It is possible that many companies, even though they are aware of the concept of automation, do not consider its implementation due to lack of resources, either economic or because they do not have employees trained in this area, but even so, organizations will need to invest in upskilling workers to create a more adaptable and skilled workforce that can cope with the new challenges and opportunities of the future.

Lines to Follow

Considering the analyses carried out and the results obtained, it should be considered that research on the processes and tasks susceptible to automation are key in the strategies. The RPA is a growing trend in the business environment and that day by day is transforming the company and its vision of Human Resources. The use of new technologies is part of our daily lives, either as part of an organization or as a society. Although there are many studies, it is believed that there is still much to be explored, so several lines of research are necessary to continue advancing in this field. Thus, it becomes relevant to consider how technologies can impact the health and well-being of robot-assisted workers and how to mitigate potential negative effects.

Other future research line is to analyse the impact that process automation will have on society and the economy within the company. In turn, this will make it possible to consider the gender gap and the inclusion of technologies as facilitating and integrating tools in the face of labour inequalities. It is well known that automation can improve efficiency and productivity, but on the other hand, it will lead to job losses. Research will need to be conducted on how companies will be able to balance automation with the need to retain workers and ensure a just transition for affected workers. Another possible study will be how workers can be upgraded and trained to adapt to these technological changes.

In addition, analysis and evaluation of the benefits and costs of implementing and using RPA in different industries and organizations and its relationship to productivity, efficiency, and profitability should be considered.

Data Availability

Data is available upon request.

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Gómez Gandía, J.A., Gavrila Gavrila, S., de Lucas Ancillo, A. et al. RPA as a Challenge Beyond Technology: Self-Learning and Attitude Needed for Successful RPA Implementation in the Workplace. J Knowl Econ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-024-01865-5

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