Whether you are new to academics or have been around for a while, you must understand that research is a critical segment of the academic field. Therefore, it is essential to know the WHATs, WHYs, and HOWs of it. Pertaining to that, this article discusses different types of research methods that you will come across. Namely, they are — quantitative research and qualitative research. Here, we will learn what these types of research are, how they are different, and when they are used. This will be especially helpful for researchers and students who are just starting with their research.
This article explains the difference between quantitative and qualitative research. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.
Whether you are new to academics or have been around for a while, you must understand that research is a critical segment of the academic field. Therefore, it is essential to know the WHATs, WHYs, and HOWs of it. Pertaining to that, this article discusses different types of research methods that you will come across. Namely, they are — quantitative research and qualitative research. Here, we will learn what these types of research are, how they are different, and when they are used. This will be especially helpful for researchers and students who are just starting with their research.
Quantitative research is a type of research method that relies on graphs, numbers, and statistics. The quantitative research method relies more on statistics and logical explanations. You generally use this type of research method to find out results and test and confirm theories and hypotheses. Methods such as observations, experiments, recording numbers, and such are common for this type of research.
Qualitative research relies more on words, concepts, meanings, and insightful explanations. This type of research helps you understand beliefs, thoughts, and opinions. It explores them in-depth from a literary sense rather than with numbers or statistics. The most common methods qualitative research involves are descriptive observations, open-ended questions, literary reviews exploring meaning, and theories.
What is it that sets quantitative and qualitative research apart? From the definition itself, you must have figured out a basic difference between these methods. Quantitative research is more numerically dependent, while qualitative research relies on words, concepts, and descriptions.
|
Quantitative Research |
Qualitative Research |
|
The main purpose is to test hypotheses and theories |
The main purpose is to explore opinions, beliefs, and ideas |
|
Expressed in the form of numbers, statistics, and graphs |
Expressed in descriptive words and essays |
|
Analyzation through numerical means |
Analyzation through interpretation and summarization |
|
Needs multiple subjects |
Needs a few subjects |
|
Requires several respondents |
Requires limited respondents |
|
Multiple choice (closed) questions |
Open-ended questions |
|
Uses methods such as observations, experiments, surveys, and recording numbers |
Uses methods such as open-ended questions, literary reviews, interviews, and exploring meaning and theories |
|
Methods: surveys, experiments, observations |
Methods: interviews, literature review, focus groups |
|
Analyzing: statistical scores, Excel, SPSS, AMOS |
Analyzing: content analysis, discourse analysis, thematic analysis |
For people who are just starting with their academic journeys, or are new to the whole research scene, understanding which method to use can be challenging. You’ll see that while you are working on your study, there will be instances that will throw you into confusion as to quantitative and qualitative research to choose.
Therefore, we need to know which type of research, quantitative and qualitative research, is best for your study. Here is a common rule of thumb that will help you out:
When your study revolves around confirming or testing something, use the quantitative research method
When your study involves understanding an idea or concept, use the qualitative research method
If you follow this rule, you will be able to understand which research method would be best for your study. However, at times, you will find yourself at a crossroads where both the conditions are applicable to your research. In that case, instead of panicking, feel free to use both methods. Such type of research is known as mixed-method research. Here, you mix the approaches of both methods to get your data and information.
There are various ways of collecting data for either of the methods. Let us look at them!
For quantitative research: observations, experiments, and surveys
For qualitative method: focus group, interviews, literature reviews, ethnography
Also, do keep in mind that not all the methods are only for one of the research methods. Some methodologies apply to both types of research. For example, in case studies, surveys, and observations, data can be presented in both numbers and words, depending on your needs.
Best Edit & Proof expert editors and proofreaders focus on offering manuscripts with proper tone, content, and style of academic writing, and also provide an upscale editing and proofreading service for you. If you consider our pieces of advice, you will witness a notable increase in the chance for your research manuscript to be accepted by the publishers. We work together as an academic writing style guide by bestowing subject-area editing and proofreading around several categorized writing styles. With the group of our expert editors, you will always find us all set to help you identify the tone and style that your manuscript needs to get a nod from the publishers.
You can also avail of our assistance if you are looking for editors who can format your manuscript, or just check on the particular styles for the formatting task as per the guidelines provided to you, e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian styles. Best Edit & Proof editors and proofreaders provide all sorts of academic writing help, including editing and proofreading services, using our user-friendly website, and a streamlined ordering process.
Visit our order page if you want our subject-area editors or language experts to work on your manuscript to improve its tone and style and give it a perfect academic tone and style through proper editing and proofreading. The process of submitting a paper is very easy and quick. Click here to find out how it works.
Our pricing is based on the type of service you avail of here, be it editing or proofreading. We charge on the basis of the word count of your manuscript that you submit for editing and proofreading and the turnaround time it takes to get it done. If you want to get an instant price quote for your project, copy and paste your document or enter your word count into our pricing calculator.
If you need support for editing and proofreading services, contact us. You can also e-mail us or use the 24/7 live chat module to get direct support. We have a 24/7 active live chat mode to offer you direct support along with qualified editors to refine and furbish your manuscript. Alternatively, you can text us through our WhatsApp business support line.
Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Medium.
For more posts, click here.
How to Determine Variability in a Dataset
14.10.2023
How to Determine Central Tendency
19.02.2023
How to Specify Study Variables in Research Papers?
14.01.2023
Population vs Sample | Sampling Methods for a Dissertation
14.01.2023
How to Ensure the Quality of Academic Writing in a Thesis and Dissertation?
04.12.2022
How to Avoid Anthropomorphism in Your Dissertation?
04.11.2022
How to Write a Research Paper After Finishing a Dissertation or a Thesis
28.08.2022
How to Write a Research Methodology Section for a Dissertation and Thesis
07.08.2022
How to Write a Theoretical Framework for a Dissertation and Thesis?
05.08.2022
How to Write Literature Review for a Dissertation and Thesis
02.08.2022
Research takes a crucial role in developing an outstanding academic paper. Ensuring credible research sets the foundation of an academic paper is essential for researchers to obtain the acceptability of the paper. This article discusses four practices that make students better at researching.
Continue Reading
Academic writing should be free of all errors and grammatical mistakes to ensure accuracy and professionalism. However, now and then, you come across an error while correcting your work that makes it all extremely difficult — dangling modifiers. What exactly are these, and how can you fix dangling modifiers so that your piece of academic work is perfect in all sense? Don’t worry, as we have the perfect guide to help you through it. In this article, we will cover how you can masterfully eliminate them.
Continue Reading
After writing your manuscript, you may likely decide on an editor to perform the final checks on your document. Mostly, authors make the mistake of sending their manuscripts to their editors, without providing adequate information about specifications on the service they seek. With such limited information, your editor may produce an unsatisfactory job with limited information at his/her disposal. Thus, to ensure that your editors provide the best possible service, which will prevent journals from rejecting your manuscripts on the grounds of noncompliance to journal requirements, the following information should be provided beforehand.
Continue Reading
Writing a thesis can be an overwhelming task for many college and graduate students. Managing all the elements associated with a thesis while ensuring that the quality is not compromised can be challenging. However, what is even more strenuous is deciding on a thesis's layout. "How to structure a thesis" is a question that several final-year students struggle to answer. And understandably so, as all colleges and universities have their guidelines for drafting a thesis. However, there is an immutable structure that's common for every thesis. In this brief guide, we will take a look at this structure and analyze each of its components.
Continue Reading
Finding a dataset's middle or average is critical and involves measuring central tendency. The central tendency's most common measures include the mode, median, and mean. The mode is the most repeated measure in a data set.
Continue Reading