Review of Research Methods - Article Example

Running Head: REVIEW OF RESEARCH METHODS Review of Research Methods The aim of research is to discover, interpret or develop methods and systems for the advancement of knowledge. This paper reviews two research articles that are supposed to document certain research conducted. One is about the postcard craze of the early 20th century, why there was a craze and what role postcards played in that era. The other is about consumption patterns of energy drink users among college students. The review of the articles follows a part by part dissection of the research documentation – abstract, introduction, methods, results, IRB considerations and references. Each part is weighed against generally accepted methods for preparing research articles. The review concludes with the author’s thoughts about the research methods depicted in the two articles, citing appropriateness of the methods as well as limitations. Article Overview Research is the cornerstone of any science. It refers to the systematic and purpose-driven process of attempting to gain knowledge about something. Research processes are often documented in journals, which describes the reason for the research, how the research was conducted and the results of the research or study made. This paper looks into two researches conducted and reviews the documented research process contained in the journal article published by the researchers. The first research article presents research done with postcards and looks into its usage as a souvenir, collectible or a means of communication from 1985 until 1920. The research was conducted by Bjarne Rogan, professor of ethnology and culture history at the University of Oslo, Norway. His article on his postcard research was published in the Cultural Analysis journal in 2005. The article describes the researcher’s purpose for conducting the research using present day postcard collections from the period mentioned above. The researcher wanted to look into other aspects of postcards aside from their picture side where more scholarly researched had been focused on. Reviews of previously published articles and literature on postcards are also used by the researcher in order to determine the reasons for the postcard’s popularity during its time, as well as to trace the development of postcards and the evolution of its design during the period. The second research article presents research regarding consumption of energy drink among college students. The research was conducted by Brenda Malinauskas, Victor Aeby, Reginald Overton, Tracy Aeby, and Kimberly Heidal, all professors at East Carolina University whose research fields are in sports and child nutrition, school health education, collegiate sports, program evaluation, and omega-3, respectively. Their article was published in the Nutrition Journal in 2007. They wanted to look into the consumption patterns of energy drink among college students, an area not sufficiently looked into by research despite the popularity of energy drinks with young adult consumers. Their article describes the survey they conducted, how the survey questionnaire was designed, how participants were selected, what results came out of the survey and the conclusions they have drawn from the results. Description of Research Methods Generally speaking, there are five research methods. The experimental method is one where the researcher manipulates a variable under controlled conditions to investigate its effects on another variable. The correlation method is a non-experimental method, which uses mathematical techniques to find out the degree and direction of relationship between variables. The naturalistic observation method is one wherein the researcher observes and records behavior over a period of time in its natural setting without intervention of any kind. The survey method uses interviews and questionnaires designed to illicit the required responses from participants, with data summarized to glean insights on characteristics of the sample surveyed that may be applied to entire populations in general. The case study method is one where the researcher keeps an in-depth descriptive record through collection and examination of observations and records of experiences and behaviors. The postcard research used the case study method. The research material worked on were present-day collections of postcards that were gathered for two decades between 1895 to 1920, as well as available published research materials on the subject. The researcher conducted in-depth collection and examination of both sides of the postcard, recorded observations regarding imagery presented in the postcards as well as the messages inscribed by users to gain insights on how postcards were used as souvenirs, collectibles or as a means of ritualistic communication. The researcher also noted observations regarding aesthetics and communication, ritual and symbol, technology and business, play and action, imagination and remembrance, desire and materiality, commodity and subjective experience as related to the postcards studied. The energy drink research, on the other hand, used the survey method. The questionnaire used for the survey was designed by authoritative individuals, a registered dietician and a health educator, who first used a focus group of 32 individuals to broadly determine the reasons for consuming energy drinks and to complete a 19-item questionnaire. Since the survey was intended only for users of energy drinks, a pre-qualifying question was included. Subsequently sampling was done which came up with 496 participants in the study. Their responses were recorded and analyzed using JMP IN statistical data analysis software. Regarding the Abstract The abstract is a summary of completed research. It should include a description of the problem or a problem statement; the approach, method or procedure used to come up with results; the results, findings or what has been learned from the research; and the conclusions that can be drawn based on the results or the implications bared by the results. The abstract for the postcard research was more of a teaser to reading the following article. It obliquely mentioned the problem of study but did not present it as such. It did not describe the approach or method used. It mentioned results and conclusions as an affirmation of the hypothesis in question – that postcards were used as souvenirs, collectibles and a means for ritualistic communication. From the abstract, one would know that the study is about the postcard craze of a century ago and its multiple uses. But from the abstract, one would not know how the study will be conducted and how conclusions will be reached. On the other hand, the abstract for the energy drink study contains all the information generally required of research abstracts. It describes the purpose of the study and why it was being conducted. It briefly describes the method used for the study. It also includes summaries of results and conclusions. The abstract clearly defines what the study is about. Regarding the Introduction The introduction for a research paper should contain the broad context of the study and its significance. It includes the specific hypothesis or objectives of the study and briefly describes the methods that were used and the rationale behind the choice of methods. The postcard research article introduction provides a background or broad context for the research. It sets it at the postcard craze between 1895 to 1920, where an estimated 200-300 billion postcards were produced and sold, making the period the Golden Age of postcards. The introduction also defines the objectives of the research which is to look at both sides of the postcard to determine why it became a craze. It also mentions that what were used as material for the study were the available present-day collections. The energy drink research article introduction also provides a background for the study, citing industry statistics on the number of drinks in the market as well as the volume of revenues generated by the industry since the debut of Red Bull, considered as the premium brand, in 1997. It defines the specific objectives of the study, which is to determine consumption patterns among college students, prevalence and frequency of use in six specific situations, and prevalence of adverse side effects and dose effects among college student users. The introduction did not mention the method of the study. Regarding the Study Methods Used The methods and materials section of the research paper describes the general methods and materials used in the study to allow the reader to possibly use some or all the methods and materials in a future study, as well as to judge the scientific merit of the work. It should describe or identify research and analysis methods used. The postcard research does mention that the study was conducted using available present-day collections, but quantities studied were not mentioned. The research was more qualitative than quantitative and the results presented where observations, rather than summarized numerical information to come up with the conclusions reached. It would not be possible to replicate the study using information provided in the research paper about the methods used. The energy drink study on the other hand, describes in detail the survey method used. It describes how the survey questionnaire was designed and what types of questions were included in the questionnaire. It mentions how the participants were selected to increase diversity in order to make the sampling as representative as possible of the entire population. It also mentions the specific statistical analysis software used to determine means, standard deviations, 95% confidence intervals, and frequency distributions. It mentions that Pearson χ2 was used to evaluate differences in frequency distribution of responses and an alpha level of .05 was used for all statistical tests. From the information provided, it would be possible to replicate the study. Regarding the Results The results section of the research paper summarizes the findings in textual form and if appropriate, illustrates these using figures and tables. Through text, results are described and readers are pointed to important observations. Analyzed data are presented in figure or table form and referred to in the text. For the postcard study, results were all presented using examples from data gathered for the study, either from actual postcards themselves or from previous research. The conclusion that postcards of the Golden Age served as souvenirs, collectibles or a means of communication is supported by the numerous examples present by the author, instead of summarized numbers. For the energy drink study, results were presented in very clear textual form supported by the statistical tables presented. For the 496 college students surveyed, 51% were energy drink users. The popular uses for energy drinks are for insufficient sleep, when one needs more energy in general, to drink with alcohol while partying, and when studying for an exam or completing a major course project. Users who drink energy drinks for 3 or more of the 6 situations, drink three or more for a given situation. Side effects identified include jolt and crash episodes, heart palpitations, and headaches. A dose effect was found only for jolt and crash episodes. All these results are supported by the tables presented. Regarding IRB Considerations The Institutional Review Board protects the rights and welfare of human research subjects who participate in research activities conducted by affiliated institutions. The postcard research article did not mention any considerations undertaken related to the Institutional Review Board guidelines on research with human subjects. Most probably, since the research used only existing public or privately held records, it could have been exempted from IRB review because the observations presented were not attributable to individual persons. In terms of IRB considerations, the energy drink article mentions that students were informed about the study protocol and participants completed the questionnaire anonymously, compliant with the guidelines of the Institutional Review Board for Research with Human Subjects (University and Medical Center Institutional Review Board number 06-0718) and the Helsinki Declaration. Regarding the Reference Lists The Works Cited list for the postcard research uses the Chicago Manual of style format, prescribed by the Cultural Analysis Journal. The References list of the energy drink research uses the prescribed referencing style of the Nutrition Journal contained in their website (http://www.nutritionj.com/info/instructions/). Conclusion The two research articles reviewed both presented fresh insights into otherwise unexplored topics. They differed in research methods used as well as in the analysis undertaken most probably because of the differing nature of the study in question. The energy drink research had chosen a statistical survey method to determine patterns of consumption in energy drink users. The method chosen was appropriate for the problem because it will produce in quantitative terms, answers to the problem. Although generalizations based on the conclusions drawn from the statistical analysis should not be hastily made, the results of the study provide good input for future studies in the same direction. On the other hand, the postcard research chose a case study approach to study past behavior which cannot be repeated anymore. The study appropriately used available material from public and private records. The researcher’s hypothesis was that postcards of the era being studied served multiple purposes aside from merely being souvenirs. And the article shows that the study results indeed support the researcher’s views, with the numerous examples presented. It would of course, have been more credible or less debatable if numbers were also used to support the conclusions. Reference List Jackson, S. L. (2008). Research methods: A modular approach. Belmont, CA: Thompson. Malinauskas, B.M., Aeby, V.G., Overton, R.F., Aeby, T.C., and Heidal, K.B. (October 31, 2007). A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students. Nutrition Journal, 6(35), 1-15. Retrieved August 18, 2008, from http://www.nutritionj.com/content/6/1/35 Rogan, B. (2005). An entangled object: The picture postcard as souvenir and collectible, exchange and ritual communication. Cultural Analysis, 4, 1-27. Retrieved August 18, 2008, from http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~caforum/volume4/vol4_article1.html Read More