The Major Risks and Problems/Constraints when Drawing Up Research Plan

Problem of recruitment of research participant. Problems with recruitment can disrupt the timetable for a research project, preoccupy staff, reduce the ability of a therapeutic study to detect treatment differences and ultimately, result in a trial being abandoned (Ashery and McAuliffe, 1992). During recruitment, the sampling process can suffer from associated problems of non-response and the resultant selection bias. The proportion of eligible participants who agree to enter the study (the response rate) influences the validity of the inference that the sample represents the population of interest (Hulley et al 2000). People who are difficult to reach and those who refuse to participate once they have been contacted tend to be different from people who do not control others are:

1.  Cost of research in developing countries like Nigeria is very high. · Environmental Hazard 
2. Respondent management 
3.  Timing 
4. Revising plans and procedures 
5. Recording issues 
6. Types of information sources. 

SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

• What do you understand by the term a research plan? 

CONCLUSION

This unit explains to you the planning and execution of research, the purpose of research plan and the specification you have also studied about the background and significance of a good research plan, the preliminary results.

In this unit, you have studied how research design and methods are formulated and the possible development plan and the major constraints towards a good research plan.

SUMMARY

The research plan outline sources of existing data and spells out the specific research approaches, contact methods, sampling plans, and instruments that researchers will use to gather data. The research plan includes a written proposal that outlines the marketing management problems, research objectives, information required, how the results will help management decisions and the budget allocated for research.

The steps and elements in your research plan will vary depending on your assignment. Identifying your information need is usually the first step in an effective research plan. Another important element of a research plan is a timeline. Plan your research well ahead of deadline and leave plenty of time for searching and locating the items you will need. Though the steps vary depending on the researcher’s assignment.

TUTOR MARKED ASSIGNMENT

• Identify the major steps to be taken when drawing up an effective research plan. 

ANSWER TO SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

Research plan is a document written by a researcher that provides a detailed description of the proposed program. It is like an outline of the entire research process that gives a reader a summary of the information discussed in a project.

The steps involved in a good research plan are: determining the assignment requirements, identify a topic, identify the types of sources needed, search for relevant sources, locate the sources, and cite your sources.