Research is an important process in many types of professions including business, finance, medicine, education, law and social work. Such enquiry is essential to improving methods and information.
However before a research study can even begin, a detailed outline is made in a research protocol in order to make sure the study is properly conducted for the right purposes.
Why it is Important to Write a Research Protocol
Often research begins with a general curiosity about observed patterns, for example “does medication reduce the number of days that flu suffers have symptoms?” The study is then narrowed to a more specific proposed question or observation, an hypothesis to include the demographic area and age and condition of flu suffers, and what kind of medication. In a study the hypothesis will be concluded to be either true or false.
Writing a good research protocol includes describing the details of the intended study and the rationale for the research proposed. A research protocol is a formal document that is submitted to an academic institution such as a teaching hospital or a research facility, which outlines the proposed study and helps the research team get organized:
- Focus: This presents the research question in a straightforward manner and in the context of information or data that is already known.
- Financial: This determines whether it is feasible to collect the needed samples and data for the study. And whether the study is reasonable and valuable enough to be granted funding.
- Assessment: This provides a timetable and plan to monitor the progress of the research.
- Organization: This outlines the intended research design and applications that will be used for the study so that funding and ethical approval can be determined.
Sections of a Research Protocol
A research protocol begins with the research question that is sufficiently defined and not too general. It then briefly discusses what is currently known about the topic and how the proposed research will bring further knowledge. The protocol also describes how the research will be conducted and how the data will be analysed. A properly organized study proposal contains:
- Title
- Abstract or Summary
- Purpose or goal of the study
- Background knowledge on the topic of study
- Research design or method
- Explanation of data and/or sample size required
- Plan of statistical analysis
- Ethical Issues, for example patient permission or customer confidentiality to participate in the study
- Timeline of research, this can vary from weeks to years.
- Costs including the staff needed to conduct and analyze the research
Data Collection is Critical to the Study
Record keeping is very important in research and the way data is collected can determine if it is untainted by other factors. For example if a questionnaire is being used to ask customers about a certain product, the data collected will be more likely to be complete if the questionnaire is not too long or difficult to understand. Too little data or too much data can also change results. What kind of data, how much and how it will be collected must be determined before the research study begins.
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