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Basics of Research

Submitted To:

Madam Abida Eijaz

Lecturer in ICS

Submitted By:

Rashid Sheikh
Roll No.

Class: Ms (morning) semester: 2nd Session: 2009-11

Punjab University Institute of communication studies, Lahore

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE NO.

Introduction to research 3

Definition of research and 4

Research topic

Literature review 5

Hypothesis 6

Types of research 7

Research questions 10

Methodology 10

Survey questionnaire 11
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Introduction to research
Research is the cornerstone of any science, including either the hard sciences such as
chemistry or physics and the social (or soft) sciences such as psychology,
management, or education.  It refers to the organized, structured, and purposeful
attempt to gain knowledge about a suspected relationship. 

There are two basic purposes for research: to learn something, or to gather evidence.
The first, to learn something, is for your own benefit. It is almost impossible for a human
to stop learning. It may be the theory of relativity or the RBIs of your favorite ball player,
but you continue to learn. Research is organized learning, looking for specific things to
add to your store of knowledge. You may read SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN for the latest
research in quantum mechanics, or the sports section for last night's game results.

Research is finding out what you don't already know. No one knows everything, but
everybody knows something. However, to complicate matters, often what you know, or
think you know, is incorrect. Either is research. What you've learned is the source of the
background information you use to communicate with others. In any conversation you
talk about the things you know, the things you've learned. If you know nothing about the
subject under discussion, you can neither contribute nor understand it. (This fact does
not, however, stop many people from joining in on conversations, anyway.) When you
write or speak formally, you share what you've learned with others, backed with
evidence to show that what you've learned is correct. If, however, you haven't learned
more than your audience already knows, there is nothing for you to share. Thus you do
research.

Definitions of research:
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“Research is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover,

interpret or revise facts, events, behaviors, or theories, or to make practical applications
with the help of such facts, laws or theories. The term "research" is also used to
describe the collection of information about a particular subject.”

“In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of
data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge”

“An objective, systematic and conscious attempt to solve a selected problem,

formulating relevant hypothesis and on their basis collecting the suitable data, analyzing
them and reaching the certain conclusions, either in the form of a solution or a
generalized theory.”

Research topic:
“Effects of Physical Exercise on human health”

Literature review
Doctor H. R. Paul says in his book medical and exercise that physical inactivity is recognized as
a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Regular aerobic physical activity increases exercise
capacity and plays a role in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The known benefits of regular aerobic exercise and current recommendations for implementation
of exercise programs are described in this revised report.6

Exercise training increases cardiovascular functional capacity and decreases myocardial oxygen
demand at any level of physical activity in apparently healthy persons as well as in most subjects
with cardiovascular disease. Regular physical activity is required to maintain these training
effects. The potential risk of physical activity can be reduced by medical evaluation, risk
stratification, supervision, and education.

Exercise can help control blood lipid abnormalities, diabetes, and obesity. In addition, aerobic
exercise adds an independent blood pressure–lowering effect in certain hypertensive groups with
a decrease of 8 to 10 mm Hg in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. There is
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a direct relation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular mortality, and physical inactivity
is an independent risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease. There is a dose-
response relation between the amount of exercise performed from approximately 700 to 2000
kcal of energy expenditure per week and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality
in middle-aged and elderly populations. The greatest potential for reduced mortality is in the
sedentary who become moderately active. Most beneficial effects of physical activity on
cardiovascular disease mortality can be attained through moderate-intensity activity (40% to 60%
of maximal oxygen uptake, depending on age). The activity can be accrued through formal
training programs or leisure-time physical activities. Although most of the supporting data are
based on studies in men, more recent findings show similar results for women. Results of pooled
studies reveal that persons who modify their behavior after myocardial infarction to include
regular exercise have improved rates of survival. Recent studies have revealed that intensive
multiple interventions such as smoking cessation, blood lipid reduction, weight control, and
physical activity significantly decreased rate of progression and, in some cases, led to regression
in the severity of atherosclerotic lesions in persons with coronary disease. In addition, limited
data indicate that higher-intensity exercise compared with lower-intensity exercise improves left
ventricular ejection fraction in persons with coronary artery disease. Current activity status (ie,
persons remaining physically active or having been sedentary and becoming physically active)
revealed the greatest decline in coronary artery disease risk. Persons who remain sedentary have
the highest risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Hypothesis
“A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can
be tested by further investigation.”

“A hypothesis is a researcher’s prediction of the research findings. A statement of the

researcher’s expectations about the relations among the variables in the research
topic.”
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My own reflection:

“A hypothesis is a researcher’s prediction given by him before conducting research that

can be subject to verification.”

Hypothesis related with topic

“The more a man exercise the better health he would gain”

Types of research

1-Causal comparative research (ex post facto or non

experimental research)
Causal-comparative research attempts to identify a causative relationship between
an independent variable and a dependent variable. The aim of causal-comparative
research is to determine the cause of existing differences among groups. Also
referred to as ‘ex post facto’ research (Latin for ‘after the fact’) – retrospection.

If we take a topic like increasing pollution then the causal comparative research
could be understood like that. Increase in number of automobiles on roads and
industries is independent variable and as a result increase in air pollution is
dependant variable and as a result of increasing air pollution expectancy to life is
decreasing and rate of mortality is increasing (dependant variables).
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So, rate of increasing mortality indirectly depends on increasing number of automobiles

and industries. Causes of air pollution are both indoor and outdoor pollutants and
effects are to human life, vegetation and wild life. Ozon gas depletion, acid rain
formation and increase in global warming occur due to increase in air pollution.

Causes Effects

Damages to :
1-human life(headaches, fatigue ,skin
Indoor air pollution: and lungs cancer,asthma,respiratory
oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and diseases, nausea, allergic reactions,
tobacco products combustion, asbestos, Bronchitis hormone imbalances and liver,
central heating and cooling systems and kidney or central nervous system
humidification devices,carpeting,cleaning damage)
agents and insecticides
2-vegetation(damages to crops, leaf
Outdoor air pollution: tissues and fruits, interferes in
Smoke from automobiles and industries, photosynthesis)
combustion of fossil fuels and coal, acid
rain and ozon gas. 3-wild life
4-ozon depletion
5-Global warming
6-acid rain

The smoke which emits from motor vehicles , industries and from combustion of fuel
contain harmful primary pollutants i.e,sulfuroxides (SO x), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Carbon
monoxide, Volatile organic compounds and particulate matters(smoke,soot,dust) and
these primary pollutants reacts with each other and produce secondary pollutants i.e
sulfur dioxides, nitrogen dioxides, ozon,acid rain etc. Indoor air pollution has more
damaging effects on human health than outdoor air pollution. Indoor air pollutants
include oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products combustion, asbestos,
central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices, carpeting, cleaning
agents and insecticides which has much damaging affects on human health causing
asthma, allergic reactions, headaches, fatigue and hormonal imbalance. Outdoor air
pollutants include smoke from automobiles and industries, combustion of fossil fuels
and coal, acid rain and ozon gas which affects great damages to human life,
vegetations and wild life. Acid rain produced by these pollutants can have indirect
effects on human health i.e; it can pollute drinking water and can enter in food chain,
associated climate change, affect trees, acidify soil, and can raise the level of sea. Ozon
gas damages not only human health but also vegetation. It increases the level of Ultra
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Violet (UV) radiation which is ultimately linked with skin cancer and damage of immune
system. Another threatening affect of air pollution is increasing global warming as a
result of which earth temperature is increasing day by day. Increase in earth
temperature is causing an increase in melting of ice caps and glaciers which in turn can
cause flooding of coastal areas. Global warming also has damaging effects o human
health causing allergy, respiratory diseases and heat stress. It can create adverse
conditions for crops and wild life.

2-Correlation Research
A statistical measure of a relationship between two or more variables, gives an
indication of how one variable may predict another. The purpose of co relational
research is to discover relationships between two or more variables.

When we talk about air pollution following questions come in mind:

1- Is there a relationship between air pollution and skin cancer?

2-Is there a relationship between increasing number of automobiles and

industries and increasing damages to human life?

3-Can air pollution is a cause of increase in fall of acid rain?

4-Can increase in air pollution is a cause of low expectancy of life?

To answer these questions we do co relational research. Air pollution is major cause of

cancer. It contains harmful chemical components like sulfur dioxides (SO2 ) which
is produced by volcanoes and by the combustion of coal and petroleum.
Oxidation of sulfur dioxide takes place in the presence of catalyst in air and it
form sulfuric acid H2SO4 and acid rain is produced which enter in water and
directly and indirectly damages human internal system which lead to skin and
lungs cancer in human beings. Air also contain oxides of nitrogen (NO x) most
prominent of which are nitrogen dioxides (NO 2 ) which is produced by high
temperature combustion, carbon mono oxide which is produced by incomplete
combustion of fuel and vehicular exhaust, volatile organic compounds which
largely contribute in creating ozon gas. All these compounds present in air and
are causing great damage to human lives leading to lungs and skin cancer,
nervous system failure. Allergic reactions and respiratory diseases. Similarly,
smoke releases from automobiles and industries also contain these chemical
compounds and thus creating damages to human lives. Acid rain, which is
produced by compounds of ammonium,carbon,nitrogen and sulfur emission from
volcanoes and by different chemical reactions in atmosphere, have harmful
effects on human health, vegetation and wild life.
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Research questions

1-what is physical exercise?

2- How does physical exercise affect human body?

3-Does exercise put bad impacts on body?

4- How many people do exercise daily?

5-Is exercise compulsory for every kind of people?

Methodology:
Methodology may be a description of process, or may be expanded to include a
philosophically coherent collection of theories, concepts or ideas as they relate to a
particular discipline or field of inquiry.

Methodology may refer to nothing more than a simple set of methods or procedures, or
it may refer to the rationale and the philosophical assumptions that underlie a particular
study relative to the scientific method. For example, scholarly literature often includes a
section on the methodology of the researchers

In this research we have adopted a survey research methodology to know effects of air
pollution on human health .For this we have made a survey questionnaire consist of 25
questions about effects of air pollution on human health and handed it over to the
students to know health effects of air pollution in their views.
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Survey Questionnaire

Name----------------------------- Age-------------------------------

Occupassion -------------------

Do you exercise? If yes please fill part A and if don’t then fill part B.

A
1) Why do you exercise?

a) For pleasure b) For having good health

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2) How much time do you spend on exercise?

a) 30 minutes b) 1 hour
b) If none of them please mention here_________

3) Do you exercise early in the morning or in the evening?

a) Morning b) evening

4) Do you think this activity is a good activity?

a) Yes b) No
5) If you are asked to leave this activity, will leave it?

a) Yes b) No

B
1) You consider exercise an unhealthy activity?

a) Yes b) No

2) You don’t find some time for exercise due to your excessive work?

a) Yes b) No

3) You want to exercise but due to your laziness you fail?

a) Yes b) No

4) You think that you will soon start exercise?

a) Yes b) No