Training Report: Introduction to Research Methods
Shona McQuistan
Introduction to research methods: 22nd April 2004
NHS Education for Scotland, The Lister Postgraduate Institute
Introduction
I attended this NES organised course in Edinburgh with the aim of getting to grips with the research process, both to assist the library users and also for my own professional interest. I had very little research experience prior to the course, only what I had picked up while at university and I felt that this introductory day course would give me a good overview of the subject without being too technical.
Research Topics
The morning started with an introduction to research by Dr Linda Prescott-Clements, who split us into pairs and asked us to come up with some ideas for research topics that we might be interested in investigating. Discussing ideas and presenting them to the group, along with what we hoped to get out of the day was a good way of reminding ourselves why we were interested in finding out about the research process. She then went on to give an overview of the different types of research, such as historical research, survey research and group comparison research.
Preparation, Planning, and Funding
Dr Yvonne Hurst then took over to present information on preparation, planning and funding. She took us through the process of developing a research question, including using the idea of broader then narrower topics to develop a question that will pose and solve problems and be of real use to others. We were then split into groups to brainstorm research questions and these were then shared with the larger group. This exercise really showed us how many good areas of health librarianship there are to research and some great ideas were generated by the group that will hopefully be translated into research projects in the future. Yvonne then went on to describe the next steps in the research process, for example, conducting a literature search and discussing your ideas with colleagues.
Next, she moved on to how we should attempt to answer the research question, including planning a clear, realistic strategy with timescales, objectives and ideas about your study subjects. Other things to consider are the budget, the support you will need, your research methods and how you will evaluate the data. She then described how we should approach writing a research proposal, an essential tool for gaining funding or support. She said that there are funding opportunities available, you just have to look for them by, for example, finding out who has funded similar research recently. We must also consider the eligibility criteria for the funding and think about the remit of the funding body before applying. The proposal should be tailored to the requirements of the organisation or person you are submitting it to and should contain a clear, unambiguous title (one sentence), an abstract, introduction, design section, evaluation plan, a summative plan with goals and objectives and appendicies with a bibliography and details of timescales.
Quantitative Methods
Iain Colthart then gave a lecture on perhaps the most technical part of the day – quantitative methods: surveys. His lecture included how to differentiate between quantitative and qualitative methods, different types of surveys (e.g. descriptive/analytical or longitudinal/cross-section), survey issues such as pilots, choosing questions (open vs closed), writing questions, postal surveys and response rates. He then talked about sampling and confidence errors, reliability and validity; and statistical analysis and tests. It was the most challenging lecture of the day, in my opinion, but he explained it very well and passed round some great examples of good and bad questionnaires, useful articles and a list of websites and books where we could find out more. We were then split into groups and asked to come up with a short questionnaire to measure user satisfaction with library facilities. My group spent most of the time trying to decide what facilities should be included in the survey but we did manage to come up with a basic questionnaire in the end that we presented to the class after the lunch break and it was useful to discuss the issues raised from this practical exercise.
Qualitative Methods
The next speaker was Dr Jo Vallis who gave my favourite lecture of the day. She spoke about qualitative methods: focus groups and interviews and was very willing to share her experiences in the field with the group. She started off by defining qualitative research and comparing it with quantative methods, pointing out that qualitative research is about discovering the meaning of the facts provided by quantitative research. In qualitative research there must be articulation between all aspects of the study, rigour applied to the process with detailed planning, a well thought out reseach process with administration, data collection, analysis and dissemination phases and a good research proposal. A literature review should be undertaken and sampling strategies worked out in advance. All material used for the research must be prepared, such as forms to record responses, letters, fieldwork records and topic guides. Equipment (such as tape recorders) must be purchased and the practical details of the interviews worked out in advance. Different computer software can be used to help anaylse results and thought should be given to how your research will be disseminated at the end of the project.
Jo kindly gave us copies of her own checklists, information sheets, fieldwork record sheets and some practical details and tips with further reading resources. We then split into small groups to discuss how we would use semi-structured interviews to research the search skills of clinicians. This proved to be a very interesting exercise that enabled us (some from very different backgrounds within health librarianship) to share knowledge and experiences about how our medical staff searched. The exercise also gave us some great practical experience in coming up with research topics and how best to ask the questions we were interested in getting answers to. Each group then shared their topics and questions with the other groups and discussed the issues that had arisen during the exercise.
Research Synthesis
After a tea break, Alex Haig, the course organiser gave us a very quick overview of evidence synthesis. This involves bringing the evidence together to better inform your research. He discussed some projects such as the BEME collaboration and the EPPI Centre who are involved in producing systematic reviews and mentioned some of the issues involved with producing systematic reviews such as differing study designs, the traditional hierarchy of evidence (RCTs are not always the best source of evidence) and qualitative vs quantitative research. He described the different approaches to evidence synthesis in brief, such as using checklists, qualitative synthesis, triangulation, narrative summary, grounded theory and thematic analysis and mentioned some of the key future issues within the field.
Research in Practice
The final speaker was Karen Beggs who gave a lecture on applying research in practice. This talk really brought the different aspects of the day together and she started by getting us brainstorming some of the obstacles that might put us off research. Perceived barriers raised by the group included lack of time and resources, lack of support from employers and concerns about the level of technical expertise required. Karen made us see solutions to these obstacles and stressed the importance of selling ourselves as researchers and believing in our research project. She then gave us a sample research outline form and encouraged us to fill it in with the idea we generated at the very start of the day. Headings to consider included title, aims, stakeholders, funding (always a problem!), methods, timescale and dissemination strategy. This was a very useful exercise that got us all actually thinking like researchers and she explained that this outline makes the best possible starting point when thinking about starting research.
Other tips she gave us were to try and build up networks for support and to expand the expertise available to us and to identify hot or ‘sexy’ topics within our field as these are the projects that are more likely to attract funding. She finished by getting us all to come up with a strength that we could bring to the field of research, either professionally or personally and I think we all surprised ourselves by actually coming up with a long list of strengths, such as information skills, thoroughness, perseverence, networks, ideas and planning skills. This was a really good way to end the course and left us feeling very motivated.
Summary
In summary, I thought this course was excellent. The speakers were very experienced, informative and inspiring and the lectures were well-prepared and of high quality. Alex Haig organised the course very well and the structure of the day, content and complexity of the material presented was just right. He also made it clear that NES Knowledge Services are always willing to hear our ideas for future courses, for example a follow-on research day has been suggested. He asked that we get in touch with Dr Ann Wales, Alex Haig or Laura McCaig to discuss any ideas we have for future sessions. Additionally, all slides and handouts from the day will be available on the eLibrary in the future: http://www.elib.scot.nhs.uk/news/pages/librariannews.asp but in the meantime, Laura McCaig [Laura.McCaig@nes.scot.nhs.uk] will email the resources to anyone who wants them.
Shona McQuistan BSc(Hons) MSc MCLIP
Library Manager (Cardio-respiratory)
Library and eLearning Centre
Western Infirmary
North Glasgow University Hospitals Division Library Service
email: shona.mcquistan@northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk