Understanding the Doctoral Research Process, Essay Example

The goals of scientific research in the doctoral context can be summarized in terms of the following imperative: the utilization of the existing academic literature so as to make a new scientific contribution to the field. Accordingly, on the one hand, a novelty to scientific research is found in the hypothesis of the work, in so far as with this initial claim, the researcher is endeavoring to contribute a new idea to his or her area. Namely, without the critical dimension of novelty, the research would merely be redundant, recapitulating the existing literature and therefore failing to meet the standards of doctorate-level research. On the other hand, the existing literature serves as a necessary foundation for the hypothesis. In other words, “research is a systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information – data – in order to increase our understanding of a phenomenon about which we are interested or concerned.” (Leedy & Ormond, 2015, p. 2) Data corresponds to existing literature, whereas the increase of understanding implies the contribution of novelty.

Research in this sense entails utilizing the existing literature in diverse ways. For example, integrating already present concepts into one’s new research implies using germane research in a new manner. Furthermore, existing literature can be argued with in a polemic fashion through research, for example, critiquing some of the dominant claims or even presuppositions that exist. Critical thinking and logic, in this light, serve as a crucial pivot point between these two objectives. Critical thinking can aid in assessing blind-spots or presuppositions in the existing literature, which can then contribute to the formulation of a new hypothesis. Logic, in much the same manner, can be used to organize and create valid chains of reliable argument based upon the synthesis of hypothesis and existing research. From this perspective, the fundamental dimension of doctoral research can be understood in terms of a dialogue between the new and the old: the new representing the doctoral researcher’s fresh perspective on the subject in question, whereas the old signifies the extant research which forms the foundation of the research.

References

Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. (2015). Practical Research: Planning and Design. Essex, UK: Pearson.