Criteria of a Good Scientific Research
Whatever
may be the types of research works and studies, one thing that is
important is that they all meet on the common ground of scientific
method employed by them. One expects scientific research to satisfy the
following criteria:
(1) The purpose of the research should be clearly defined and common concepts be used.
(2) The research procedure used should be described in sufficient
detail to permit another researcher to repeat the research for further
advancement, keeping the continuity of what has already been attained.
(3) The procedural design of the research should be carefully planned to yield results that are as objectives as possible.
(4) The researcher should report with complete frankness, flaws
in procedural design and estimate their effects upon the findings.
(5) The analysis of data should be sufficiently adequate to
reveal its significance and the methods of analysis used should be
appropriate. The validity and reliability of the data should be checked
carefully.
(6) Conclusions should be confined to those justified by the data
of the research and limited to those for which the data provide an
adequate basis.
(7) Greater confidence in research is warranted if the researcher
is experienced, has a good reputation in research and is a person of
integrity.
In other words, we can state the qualities of a good research as under:
1. Good Research is Systematic: It means that research is
structured with specified steps to be taken in a specified sequence in
accordance with the well defined set of rules. Systematic
characteristic of the research does not rule out creative thinking but
it certainly does reject the use of guessing and intuition arriving at
conclusions.
2. Good Research is Logical: This implies that research is guided
by the rules of logical reasoning and the logical process of induction
and deduction are of great value in carrying out research. Induction is
the process of reasoning from a part to the whole whereas deduction is
the process of reasoning from the premise. In fact, logical reasoning
makes research more meaningful in the context of decision making.
3. Good Research is Empirical: It implies that research is
related basically to one or more aspects of a real situation and deals
with concrete data that provides a basis for external validity to
research results.
4. Good Research is Replicable: This characteristic allows
research to be verified by replicating the study and thereby building a
sound basis for decisions.