Fundamentals of Research:

Aim and process

The first step in deciding any aspect of your research design is to consider the purpose of your enquiry. What are you trying to achieve? This should be expressed in your overall aim and objectives which will reflect the analytical framework you have developed for the consideration of the specific topic.

Once you have determined your aim, you can move on to the next question - what data or information is likely to be required in order that you can meet these aims? Don't think straight away about what you need to do. Put some thought into what the end product needs to be - data or information you can analyse in relation to your dissertation aims. You should also put some preliminary thought into how the data is going to be analysed, since this will influence the way in which the data is collected. The last step is to determine the method of data collection - how and when you are going to gather the information necessary. The process, then, can be summarised as follows: