Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research

When you are going to write an academic paper, then you will need to conduct an effective research. Its reason is that for writing an academic paper, we need to collect the data and data is collected with the help of an effective research. Most of the students feel it very difficult to select right research approach due to lack of knowledge about research methodologies. It is necessary for us to select the research methodology that is appropriate for our research topic. You can get guidance from your supervisor or tutor on this issue. You can also contact dissertation writing services where expert writers are available to help you in selection of dissertation methodology as well writing methodology chapter. In this article I am going to inform you about two main research approaches that are qualitative research methodology and the quantitative research methodology. I will also describe the difference between the qualitative and quantitative research.

Qualitative Research Methodology:
Qualitative research methodology is a direct method to collect the data from the primary sources like observations, surveys and interviews. You can conduct a qualitative research methodology in the following way;

Preparing Research:

• First of all, you should try to decide that whether it is necessary to collect the data with the help of qualitative research or quantitative research. You should try to read the literature related to your topic and try to know which methods is used by the other people.
• If it is necessary for you to collect the data with the help of qualitative research, then you should decide a research question that you want to study. Your research question should be clear, specific and manageable.
• There are a lot of types of qualitative research like action research, ethnography, ground theory and case study research. You can select one of them. For example, if you are going to find the immediate result with the help of qualitative research, then you can select the action research.

Collecting and Analyzing Data:

• If you are going to collect the data with the help of qualitative research methodology, then you can collect the data with the help of a lot of ways. You can collect the data through direct observation, participant observation, conducting interviews and completing surveys. In direct observation, it is required to collect the data directly by observing the situation without taking part in the situation. In the participant observation, it is required by an observer to directly involve in the situation in order to get the data. In an interview, you can collect the data by getting the answers from a particular person. In the surveys, you can collect the data with the help of questionnaires.
• After collecting the data, it is also necessary for you to analyze the data. In this data analysis, you should try to keep only that data which is relevant to your topic and remove all the irrelevant data.
• After collecting and analyzing the data, the next thing is to write the data by following the professional structure and format of that particular academic paper.

Quantitative Research Methodology:
In the quantitative research methodology, it is necessary for a student to collect the data from the secondary sources like books, magazines, government surveys and newspapers. You can conduct the quantitative research methodology in the following;

Preparing Research:

• Like the qualitative research methodology, it is also necessary for you to read the literature related to your topic in order to know whether it is necessary for you to collect the data with the help of quantitative research methodology or not.
• Quantification of the data is the main purpose of the quantitative research methodology. In a quantitative research methodology, you are given a sample and you are asked to measure the interests, views and opinions of different people related to this sample.
• Quantitative research methodology is a process that is used to test pre-specified concepts and hypothesis that are used to develop the theory.

Collecting and Analyzing the Data:

• You can collect the data from the indirect sources like library books, newspapers, government surveys and magazines.
• After collecting the data, it is also necessary for you to analyze the data and keep only that data which is relevant to the topic of the academic paper.
• When you are going to analyze the data, then you can use the statistical tests.
• Like the qualitative research methodology, it is also necessary for you to write the data in the professional structure and format of the academic paper.

How to Select a Research Methodology?
You should keep in mind the following things while selecting the dissertation research methodology;

• Your research goals
• Statistical significance of the results
• Type of the required data
• Sample size
• Timing (How quickly you need results?)
• Availability of the existing information

These are the most important points that you should keep in mind while selecting the research methodology.