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Research may be described as a systematic search for knowledge. That
knowledge may serve to explain or expedite the understanding of a phenomenon. In
theoretical research it may be directed towards the establishment of a specific
or universal claim. However, no matter the aim or goal the basic need for
reliability, validity and objectivity always exists.
In a nutshell, reliability requires that the methods, instruments and
data be stable, consistent and dependable. Validity requires that procedures,
devices and evidence be actually supportive of the assertions or facts they
purport to support. Objectivity implies freedom from emotional or personalized
interpretations with a goal to matching assertions with evidence.
Whether writing a class paper, a term
paper, a thesis or a dissertation these inherent requisites of research
always apply. They are preconditions for a successful paper, thesis or
dissertation.
To satisfy the requirement for validity, what is produced as evidence for the central
proposition of a paper should be actually supportive of that proposition. The intention
of any research and the central idea it will present should be state
clearly and unambiguously. That central assertion or message of the study is the
thesis. When a thesis is clearly defined the purpose of a paper becomes known.
All activities from here must be designed to substantiate the thesis.
Reliability, which involves dependability, implies authority. It is
imperative that the methods used are chosen after extensive investigation and
rely on established observations and tested procedures. Scientific investigation
is a cumulative activity, building upon the works of predecessors, incorporating
or rejecting those but only through scientific discipline, which is also
cumulative. The consensus of a discipline or existing research must therefore
always be acknowledged even if the intent of the research at hand is to negate
or challenge an existing opinion or consensus.
Objectivity is the process of filtering out subjectivity, which comes out of
emotional attachment or personal bias. A demonstration of objectivity requires
the ability to amass enough evidence to support a presented view, assertion,
proposition, theory or thesis.
Satisfying the three preconditions mentioned so far requires that a thesis
statement be provided, from which the research ensues. After that, the next
logical step is a study of related literature, to establish what is already
known or unknown on a chosen topic.
A statement of the general problem must precede every research activity and
should be followed by a literature search on the problem being researched. It is
generally advisable that a statement of the specific target of the investigation
be done only after an elaborate literature search on the topic or problem. Through the literature search, various dimensions and methodologies are
discovered, facts uncovered that corroborate or invalidate given opinions and
positions on a topic.
The statement of the general problem may facilitate the formation of a
working thesis, which defines the focus of the research to be reported in a
paper. The related literature search helps uncover information that may
facilitate the limiting of focus and may direct the researcher to a specific
final thesis.
The process can be simplified or made easier by the use of a statement of
purpose. Being less rigorous than the actual thesis statement the statement of
purpose permits the interjection of a more personal touch because of its
informal nature. It is an expression of intent which may be a laundry list of
what the researcher plans to do. The function of the statement of purpose is to
outline the steps that need to be taken to establish the thesis advanced in the
paper and expressed in the thesis statement.
Though the statement of purpose can and should guide the research it should
never be regarded as the definitive element in the research. A controlling idea
will still have to be formulated to guarantee the necessary focus for the
success of the research or the paper resulting from it. This controlling idea is
expressed in the form of a thesis statement. The Oxford English Dictionary
defines a thesis statement as "a proposition laid down or stated, as a theme to
be discussed and proved, or to be maintained against attack." Such a statement,
which may be an affirmation or negation, represents a declared
position/stand/opinion.
The thesis statement is a declarative statement of what the paper was written
to establish as its final conclusion. It should be definitive, assertive, clear
and unambiguous. While the statement of purpose explores what needs to be done
to prove the validity of a thesis, the thesis statement is the precise
formulation of the idea embodied in the thesis. It tells the reader what the
central assertion of the paper is. A statement of purpose communicates the route
expected to lead to a verification and support of that position. In the final
analysis it is the thesis statement that is supreme and cannot be omitted in the
final paper.
Since the paper or research report should meet the tests of reliability,
validity and objectivity the thesis or controlling idea and its statement should
constitute provable representations of the main idea of the paper. They should
represent positions that can be fortified by the evidence presented. They cannot
be self-evident statements or statements of facts that need no support for
acceptance. Nor can the thesis be an opinion based primarily on the emotions of
the researcher.
The thesis statement may be followed up with questions that lead gradually to
the support of the thesis and help establish an appropriate research level.
These questions can be helpful in directing and guiding the research from its
very beginning to the end. They ensure that the researcher stay on track and
facilitate the avoidance of any deviations from what is necessary for the
establishment of the thesis. They are perhaps the most effective checks and
balances a researcher has to maintain the focus of his/her research. |
