With the following guidelines, I do not intend to create models that adapt to the work of preparing research projects that will be in the future the monographs of the degree. It is our objective to illustrate and give step by step the process of elaboration of a project, which is elaborated bearing in mind that everything is the essence of the investigation process and not to isolate concepts or parts of it to secondary elaborations giving priority to others. The body of the project must be sequential and enjoy the process of the communicating vessels that will determine the success of the project.
It is a follow-up and construction guideline that must be taken into account so that the project enjoys a success and a realization for sure. That everything exposed in these lines is the true reflection of a research work and not the simple transcription of information from a text to these pages.
I hope to contribute even a small part to the realization of your research projects.
SCHEME FOR THE PREPARATION OF A RESEARCH PROJECT
I.- THE PROBLEM.
- Descriptive title of the project Formulation of the problem Objectives of the research Justification Limitations
II.-FRAME OF REFERENCE.
- Theoretical foundations. Background of the problem. Preparation of hypotheses. Identification of the variables.
III.-METHODOLOGY.
- Design of information collection techniques. Population and sample. Analysis techniques. Tentative analytical index of the project. Field work guide.
IV.-ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS.
- Human Resources Budget Schedule
V.- BIBLIOGRAPHY.
I.- THE PROBLEM.
The first thing that interests us is knowing, knowing, what will be investigated: Why, for what, what is the value or importance of the fact or phenomenon to be investigated. If the research to be carried out has criteria of priority, novelty, opportunity, conformity or behavior.
A. Descriptive title of the project.
The title of the research to be carried out must be clear, precise and complete. It is intended to indicate where, what, how and when, clearly and succinctly indicates the place to which the data refers, the phenomenon that occurs, the variables that are interrelated, and the date to which the information refers.
B. Formulation of the problem.
What do we mean by formulating a problem? Let us start from the following criteria: to formulate a problem is to characterize it, define it, frame it theoretically, suggest proposed solutions to be demonstrated, establish sources of information and methods to collect and process said information. The characterization or definition of the problem leads us to grant it a title, in which in the clearest and most denoting way we indicate the elements that are essential to it.
The formulation of the problem is the structuring of all research, in such a way that one of its components is part of a whole and that this whole forms a body that has logic of investigation. Therefore, the projected question to investigate must be synthesized, generally through a question mark.
First, it should be reviewed if the problem is likely to be resolved through investigation. You can ask about the significance of the problem, that is, if its solution represents an important contribution to the field of study and if it can open new paths. It is also advised to ask yourself: Is it a new problem or are there already works on it? In this case, are the solutions relevant? Is the problem adequately stated? What are the hypotheses intended to confirm? Are the terms sufficiently defined? Is it worth spending time and effort on your solution, even if it is provisional?
C. Research objectives.
It presupposes the expected achievement for the answers expressed in the hypothesis. It is the purpose of the investigation. Answer the question: WHAT FOR? WHAT IS THE INVESTIGATION LOOKING FOR ?. An objective must be written with infinitive verbs that can be evaluated, verified, refuted at a given moment. There are six categories: Memory, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. It is pertinent to write one of each category but always related to what the research seeks to demonstrate.
Justification
Once the research topic has been selected, defined by the problem statement and the objectives established, the motivations that lead the researcher to develop the project must be indicated. For this, the question of: WHY IS THE INVESTIGATION?
Limitations
It is pertinent to give the problem a logical, adequate formulation, to specify its limits, its scope, for this it is necessary to take into account the following factors:
- Feasibility: the important thing is that the researcher must verify the possibility of obtaining data sources for the development of their study, whether they are of the primary or secondary degree. Place or space where the research will be carried out. Time, if the assigned one gives me the coverage of the study or should I have one in case of unforeseen circumstances. Financing, if I am going to implement something that amount of money I have for it or if it will only be a feasibility study.
II.- FRAME OF REFERENCE
It is important to point out in the project the close relationship between theory, the research process and reality, the environment. Research can start a new theory, reform an existing one, or simply define more clearly existing concepts or variables.
A. Theoretical foundations.
It is the same as the frame of reference, where everything pertinent to the literature on the subject to be investigated will be condensed. It should be a detailed and concrete search where the subject and the subject of the object to be investigated has a theoretical support, which can be debated, expanded, conceptualized and concluded. No research should be without a theoretical or reference foundation or framework.
It is necessary that the working group knows and manages all the theoretical levels of its work, to avoid repeating hypotheses or approaches already worked. The review of this part of the project should be made very clear to indicate that theorist (s) is the one that will serve as a guideline in your research.
These theoretical foundations will allow the presentation of a series of concepts, which constitute a unitary body and not simply an arbitrary set of definitions, by means of which the particular phenomena studied are systematized, classified and related to each other.
B. Background to the topic.
In this aspect the investigative capacity of the working group will come into play, here everything related to what has been written and investigated about the object of investigation will be condensed. It is necessary to differentiate between consulted theorists and antecedents of the problem, since sometimes we confuse the two aspects. The first - the theorists - are the written approaches on the topic that you are going to deal with in your research object, and the background of the problem, are the investigations that have been done on the research object and can be used to expand or continue its object of investigation, in some cases it will serve to deny its object of investigation when this happens, and to elaborate postulates that later would form the field of negative investigations, a sector that has not yet been fully exploited,Because in most of the research works we limit ourselves to expanding on concepts worked on or proposing new postulates, but always with a high complement load on what has been investigated. It is time for a process of denial to begin to many investigations that are on the shelves of the libraries of the different universities in the country without having contributed anything to the construction of knowledge in any of its modalities.It is time for a process of denial to begin to many investigations that are on the shelves of the libraries of the different universities in the country without having contributed anything to the construction of knowledge in any of its modalities.It is time for a process of denial to begin to many investigations that are on the shelves of the libraries of the different universities in the country without having contributed anything to the construction of knowledge in any of its modalities.
It is appropriate to remember that the citation of the background can be prepared based on dates and / or schedules of other projects carried out, but it is essential to cite the source of consultation.
C. Elaboration of hypotheses.
It is an affirmative proposition stated to tentatively respond to a problem. It is posed in order to explain facts or phenomena that characterize or identify the object of knowledge.
- First degree hypothesis: it describes facts or situations of the object of knowledge, which although they are known by popular knowledge, can be tested.
- Second degree hypothesis: they establish a cause-effect relationship (yes X then Y). This affirmation is demonstrated and verified by its connection with a theoretical model.
- Third degree hypothesis: the presence of existing relationships between complex variables is affirmed. It suggests explanations among phenomena of greater extension.
- Null hypothesis: that by which we indicate that the information to be obtained is contrary to the working hypothesis.
D.- Identification of the variables.
Every hypothesis constitutes a judgment, that is, an affirmation or a negation of something. However, it is a special trial. It is really a scientific, technical or ideological judgment, regarding its origin or essence. Thus, all hypotheses imply a value, a meaning, a specific solution to the problem. This is the variable, that is, the value that we give to the hypothesis. The variable becomes the content of the solution that we give to the research problem.
- Independent variable: The truth value that is given to a hypothesis in relation to the cause, is called the independent variable.
- Dependent variable: We call hypotheses this way when their truth value refers no longer to the cause, but to the effect.
- Intervening variable: It will be the one whose content refers to a factor that is no longer cause, nor effect, but does modify the conditions of the investigated problem.
III.- METHODOLOGY
A.- Design and information gathering techniques.
Here you must condense all the information related to how you are going to carry out your work under study, what parameters will you use if it will be based on statistical data, which will evaluate all the information REMEMBER THAT ALL INFORMATION does not always serve you for your work. You must select that it serves as an interview, a magazine article, a comment whether radial, textual or other.
The source must be cited as well as the people who will provide the data, remember to mention them here and in a special and detailed way in the RESOURCES, whether human or institutional.
B.- Population and sample.
Population or universe is any set of units or elements such as people, farms, municipalities, companies, etc., clearly defined for which estimates are calculated or information is sought. The units, their content and length must be defined.
When it is impossible to obtain data from the entire universe, it is convenient to extract a sample, a subset of the universe, that is representative. The project must specify the size and type of sampling to be used: stratified, simple random, conglomerate, proportional, multi-stage, systematic, etc.
C.- Analysis techniques.
In order to define the analysis techniques, a tentative plan or project of the different correlations must be drawn up, based on the general and working hypotheses, specifying:
Coding and tabulation system.
They will be the statistical techniques to evaluate the quality of the data. Check the hypotheses or obtain conclusions.
D.- Tentative analytical index of the project.
It is advisable to prepare a tentative analytical index that gives an overview of the parts or chapters that will contain the work to be done.
E.- Field work guide.
In some research projects it is necessary to present a field work guide, for its preparation the following steps can be followed:
Previous study or survey.
Sample design.
Preparation of data collection materials.
Necessary work equipment: recorders, cameras, camcorders, etc.
Selection and training of personnel.
Magazine and experimental test of the previous stages.
Collection of data, either primary or secondary.
Preparation of the report of the field work.
Estimate of necessary personnel and costs.
IV.- ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS.
In this section the administrative aspects of the project must be located, this stage is of greater importance for those projects that are presented to obtain financing, total or partial.
A.- Human resources.
List the people who will participate: advisers, data collection team, etc., specifying the professional qualification and their role in the investigation.
B.- Budget.
A table with the costs of the project must be presented indicating the different sources, if they exist, and discriminating the amount of each sector in the research.
Present a financial schedule that covers the entire development of the project.
C.- Schedule.
It is a work plan or an activity plan, which shows the duration of the investigative process. The type of Schedule recommended to present the plan of activities that guide a research work is that of GANTT. The activities indicated here are not definitive. The specification of the activities depends on the type of study you want to carry out.
| SCHEDULE | ||
| ACTIVITIES | WEATHER | |
| 1. - METHODOLOGICAL ADVICE | ||
| 2. - PROPOSAL | ||
| 3. - OBSERVATIONS | ||
| 4. - PROJECT DESIGN | ||
| 5. - OBSERVATIONS | ||
| 6. - PROJECT | ||
| 7. - OBSERVATIONS | ||
| 8. - SURVEY | ||
| 9. - MATERIAL CLASSIFICATION | ||
| 10. - INFORMATION TREATMENT | ||
| 11. - ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION | ||
| 12. - DRAFTING | ||
| WEEKS | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14. | |
V.- BIBLIOGRAPHY
In the bibliography the works that deal with the subject are registered, implicitly or explicitly, it is not recommended to cite works of general culture, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.
The bibliographic list or bibliographic reference can be divided into two parts:
Bibliographic sources consulted.
Bibliographic sources to consult.
Remember that this is an outline of the research project, it is the guide of what you are going to investigate, in no case is the INVESTIGATION as such.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- CARVAJAL, Lizardo. Cientific investigation methodology. General and Applied Course. 12º- Ed. Cali: FAID, 1998. 139 p. COBO Bejarano, Héctor. Glossary of Methodology. 8th. Ed. Cali: Impretec, 1998. 50 p. COLOMBIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION Compendium of Colombian Technical Standards on Documentation, Thesis and other degree works. Santafé de Bogotá: ICONTEC, 1996.
