Project 2: Analyze Research Methodology

Click here for the transcript of the "Analyze Research Methodology" scenario.

In this project, you will critique research methodology, which is a critical skill in evidence-based management and evidence-based research. You will begin by making methodological observations in discussions with your colleagues. Then, you'll analyze a scholarly target article in a directed way, answering specific directed analysis questions about the article.

For your reference, here is the article citation:

Goodman, J. S., Gary, M. S., & Wood, R. (2014). Bibliographic search training for evidence-based management: A review of relevant literatures. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(3) 322–353.

The timeline for this project is two weeks and the project has eight steps; please review all the steps before starting the project to understand its overall process and goals. Then, begin with Step 1: "Investigate the Nature of Research (Reading)."

When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.

• 1.3 Craft communication to the audience in order to maximize understanding and elicit support.
• 3.1 Evaluate the purpose of a scholarly research article.
• 3.4 Explain how the authors' research method(s) produces data that creates new knowledge.
• 3.6 Evaluate the data analysis presented in scholarly research.
• 3.7 Identify connections between scholarly research articles and your own doctoral goals.

You know that you have to demonstrate to Shandy's CMO that you, as the face of Lindberg on this project, understand complex research methods information in the way that he expects. So you start at the beginning, taking some time to refamiliarize yourself with the foundations of research.

Step 2: Review Quantitative Research Methods (Reading)

Next, you decide to review some specific methodological areas that you think will be helpful in this task:

• What is quantitative data?
• exploratory quantitative data analysis
• comparing means
• association and correlation
• regression

You remember having learned about many of these topics in your master's program, but it's been a few years and you want to be sure that you are on top of this foundational knowledge.

Step 3: Review Qualitative Research Methods (Reading)

Feeling good about your grasp of foundational quantitative methods, you decide that it would also help to review some qualitative methods:

• What is qualitative data?
• exploratory qualitative data analysis
• evaluating qualitative methods

Your review of quantitative and qualitative research methods will assist you in your directed article analysis. But, simply knowing more about these methods isn't enough: You want to practice assessing them to prepare for your analysis of the Shandy article.

Step 4: Find an Article for Practice in Assessing Research Methodology (Searching and Self-Tests)

Having reviewed quantitative and qualitative research methods, you decide that it would be a good idea to return to your colleagues on the Lindberg scholar-practitioner discussion boards, as they were so helpful on your last task.

You find what seems like the right discussion board for your purposes (which you'll visit in Step 6). The board asks you to bring to the discussion a quantitative, scholarly article in an area of your interest with methods you understand and believe you can evaluate, and then to assess the methodology of the article. It asks you to choose an article about whose methodology, or aspects thereof, you have doubts.

The board provides a caveat: it asks you not to choose an article of which you would only critique the sample or sample size. Management is a social science, and true experimental conditions are rare; sample and sample size criticisms can be made of nearly all of published research.

You will have to search the library database (you have access to this database through your doctoral program). Review doctoral-level library research skills, part II to ensure that your search will be appropriate and effective.

Now that you're up to speed on your library research skills, you begin your search for an article to bring to the Lindberg discussion board (in Step 6). You may have to read through several articles, but you finally choose one that interests you AND meets the criterion of having methodological aspects about which you feel uncertain.

You still have some work to do before you can join the discussion. Next, you'll assess the research methodology of the article.

Carefully read the article you chose for the Lindberg discussion board on which you will assess research methodology (in Step 6).

In thinking about how you will assess the methodology of the article, focus on the quantitative methodology. Think about the authors' purpose; how does the research method yield data that helps the authors achieve their purpose? What did they do correctly? What could they have done better?

Remember to avoid critiquing the sample or sample size. Management is a social science and true experimental conditions are rare; sample and sample size criticisms can be made of nearly all of published research.

Next, you'll use your notes to write a polished assessment for the discussion board.

You review your notes and write up an assessment of the methodology for Discussion: Research Methods, taking time to review the guidelines found in the discussion thread before you do so.

You post your assessment of the article's methodology to the discussion board. As always, you welcome the helpful, constructive feedback of your colleagues, and, as per the guidelines, you are sure to comment substantively on at least two of your colleagues' efforts.

In order to keep yourself on pace, you'll want to complete this step no later than Week 5.

After completing your practice and receiving your colleagues' thoughtful feedback, you are ready to carefully read the scholarly target article provided by Shandy's CMO.

Here is the citation information:

Goodman, J. S., Gary, M. S., & Wood, R. (2014). Bibliographic search training for evidence-based management: A review of relevant literatures. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 13(3) 322–353.

Next, you'll answer the questions that Shandy provided and complete your directed analysis.

Step 8: Answer the Questions (Writing)

Finally, armed with your graduate-level knowledge of research methods, and fresh off of discussing methodology with your colleagues, answer the directed analysis questions about the article.

Submit your responses to the directed analysis questions.

In order to keep yourself on pace, you'll want to complete this step no later than Week 6.

You will hear back within a week if you need to make any corrections or adjustments.

Before you submit your assignment, review the competencies below, which your instructor will use to evaluate your work. A good practice would be to use each competency as a self-check to confirm you have incorporated all of them in your work.

• 1.3 Craft communication to the audience in order to maximize understanding and elicit support.
• 3.1 Evaluate the purpose of a scholarly research article.
• 3.4 Explain how the authors' research method(s) produces data that creates new knowledge.
• 3.6 Evaluate the data analysis presented in scholarly research.
• 3.7 Identify connections between scholarly research articles and your own doctoral goals.