Introduction to Research Objectives
Introduction to Research Objectives

The most important thing in a research work is to choose the research objectives. They will guide our work and point us to the right way. The first step in defining the research objectives is identification of the research problem. The main part of the research work involves deep thinking about the research objectives. The research objectives should be related to the statement of the problem and will summarize that what we will hope to achieve from the study. The research objectives can be defined as the statement of the specific knowledge skills and attitude that student are expected to achieve through their experiences which is gained with the help of conducting study. Research objective is derived from the knowledge gaps and state what is new and special that particular activity necessarily needs investigation. The research objective means what to do and what to achieve.

SMART Research Objectives: The research objectives must be SMART [4], which means that they must be Specific (Relating to one thing not to other), Measurable (can be measure in terms of output), Achievable (describes a task which can be achieved), Realistic (accepting thing as they are in reality and not making decisions based on unlikely hopes for the future) and must be time limit (set deadlines and milestones, times when you will sit down and reflect on and review your progress).

How the Research Objectives be Stated?: The research objectives must be stated using action verbs that are specific and to be measured, like “to compare”, “to calculate”, “to determine” etc [1]. Research objective writing is essential for writing an effective and credible research paper. Keeping the research paper free of Bias (supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way by allowing personal opinions to influence your judgment). By paying close attention to the research work and looking to the following aspect we can keep the research paper free of bias [2].

The first aspect is to evaluate the sources for bias means that use the reliable and credible sources for the research work.

1)      Firstly Sticking with scholarly journals articles and publications is one of the ways to avoid bias. A second is to seek website which have “.edu”,”.gov”,”.org” domain extensions. There are many types of information sources used in the research work such as books and journals [2]. But not every sources is free of bias due to this always evaluate your sources.

2)      The second aspect is to express the thoughts explicitly by using this we can achieve the research objectives in trusted manner. For example, by using “most of world” instead of this we must “write 82 percent of the world’s population” [2]. It will keep the objectives and argument credible.

3)      The third aspect is to balance the position with opposing views it means that a good research paper must be balanced from every side by using strong arguments of the concerned topic. These arguments will take different position and explain competing viewpoint of the research paper efficiently. You can prove false the opposing viewpoint with supporting evidence that logically shows why unbiased argument is a stronger one.

4)      The fourth aspect is to use the research objectives language and not use the subjective language. By presenting the information fairly and credibly we must use the objective language, so with the help of this someone can draw conclusion easily.

Usefulness of Research Objectives: The research objective is to find the answer of certain questions through the application by using scientific procedures. The goal of the research is to produce new knowledge which will take three forms. The first form is exploratory which means to discover and identifies the new problems. The second form is the constructive in which you will develop solution for the problems which you have to discover. The third form is the empirical in which we can test the feasibility of solution using empirical evidence. If we take the farming side in this our main objectives is “to identify conditions under which farming may remain viable as important agricultural counties transition to become mostly urban and suburban in land use.” By stating this objective we selected such areas to study and to follow the subsidiary objectives of determining that which kind of agricultural products that has been successfully used their, the supply and affordability of land for farming and the activity of keeping animals in range, and the supply of other input for the improvement of production like hand labor, credit, water, repair services, chemical etc. We aims to report the degree of success of such program as to preserve (to keep some thing as it is or to prevent it from damage) farmland, to contact new farmer, to promote the direct marketing on locally grown food and to make sure the water supply needed for agricultural on time.

Goal Vs Objectives: The goals and objectives set out the scope of the research work. The goals are the general expectation of the project while objectives are more specific and provide a statement which means that what aims to be achieved by the project at termination [3]. Research objectives must be used in all research area proposals no matter they are focused on medical, non medical research or any other type of research. For example, in Non-Medical research our goal is to improve the reliability of large scale electricity generation from the new resources, while the objectives are to identify the process to rapidly correct power loss in solar power plants, in Medical point of view our goal is to lose the weight in order to make our body fit or improve our health and our specific aims is to lose 15 pounds within three month. What is to be done if someone started the research project but not mentioned the research objectives clearly? The answer is that objectives must be general or specific. The general objectives mean what should be achieving in general terms while specific objectives will break down the general objectives into the smaller parts which are logically related that will address the various aspect of the project [1]. The specific objectives must specify what you will do in each phase of the project How, When, Where and for what purpose.

References:

[1] http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=454414&section=8.6.2

[2] http://www.write.com/objective-writing-tips-keeping-your-research-paper-free-of-bias/

[3] http://www.erm.ecs.soton.ac.uk/theme4/aims_and_objectives.html

[4] http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/pd-smar.htm