Research Design and Proposal Writing in Spatial Science - Essay Example

The scope of research defines the exploration of existing knowledge with the aim of bridging an information gap for knowledge development or for the solution of a social problem. Research can however be informal or formal. I, in this paper, describe the scientific research method and outline its key components.

A scientific method of research is a formal approach to research that applies professionalism and statistical techniques and identifies a series of steps in its implementation. One of the characteristics of the scientific method of research is its publicity scope that offers its developed and published information to a target audience. The research method is also objective and is conducted within strict scopes that can facilitate such objectives. This feature further identifies rules that are associated with applicable research methods and restricts a researcher’s activities and behavior. The method of research is also characterized by an empirical approach in which knowledge is developed from evidence that is analyzed towards conclusions. The communicated findings from scientific research, therefore, assume a high level of validity and reliability. Further, scientific method research is “systematic and cumulative,” demonstrating a level of orderliness and interconnectivity with each other (Wimmer and Dominick 13). Scientific research, for instance, relies on previous studies in its field, for the review of existing knowledge towards the identification of information gaps and statements of the involved problem. It is also important to note that the scientific method of research offers a basis for forecasting a future trend, based on its reliance on past data sets (Wimmer and Dominick 13).

The systematic approach of the scientific method of research identifies key components of the research. The first component of a scientific method of research is the research title that communicates the involved subject matter and is in most cases a summary of the entire research process. ‘Investigating significance of the social media in marketing is an example of a title and it describes the scope of the involved research. The second component is an abstract that offers an overview of the research’s components by summarizing other components of the research. The introduction is another component of the research and includes literature review, problem statement, the purpose of the research, and research hypothesis or questions or both.

Methods that include sampling, data collection, and data analysis approach are another component of the type of research and an example may define a research procedure, simple random sampling, and use of questionnaires in data collection. Results section that communicates findings such as descriptive statistics, a discussion that explores the findings and their implications and conclusion are other components of the scientific method of research. Lastly, the method contains references to sources of information that the subject researchers use (Lunsford and Lunsford n.p.; Lawrence n.p.).