Research Methodology 1

About the course The course Research methodology 1 is designed to cover the basics of research methodology and statistics. It is a 4 credit course. This course is offered for PhD and MD.

Course Syllabus

Learning Objectives:

· To understand the methodology of research

· To introduce basics of biostatistics

· To give exposure to scientific writing

· To give hands on training in data tabulation, and graphical presentation

Unit 1. Research Methodology (20 hours)

• Introduction to research methodology – definition of research, types of research, need for Yoga research

• The research process

• Literature review – PubMed, Google Scholar, Shodhganga, S-VYASA Digital library

• Ethics of research – Laboratory ethics, Publication ethics, Ethical bodies – IEC & IRB, Guidelines for good clinical practice

• Sampling methods - Population and Sample; Simple Random Sampling, Systematic Sampling, Stratified Sampling, Cluster Sampling

• Types of variables – Independent, dependent, confounding variable

• Types of research design – Experimental design, cross sectional studies, Case study, Survey

• Types of Biological data (Scales of measurement) – nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio

• Measurement tools: Observation, questionnaire, and others

• Reliability: Test-Retest Reliability, Internal Consistency, Inter rater Reliability

• Validity: Construct Validity, Face Validity, Content Validity, Criterion Validity, Convergent & Discriminant Validity

• Introduction to Probability

Unit 2. Biostatistical analysis (20 hours)

i. Descriptive statistics

• Frequency distribution

• Measures of central tendency – mean, median, mode

• Measures of dispersion – range, variance and standard deviation

• Graphical presentation of data – Bar graphs, Pie chart, line diagram, scatter plot

• Normal distribution – Skewness and kurtosis characteristic of normal curve, empirical rule

• Z distribution – calculating z score

• Measures of correlation - Pearson’s r Correlation and Spearman Correlation

ii. Inferential statistics

• Introduction to inferential statistics

• T – distribution – the characteristics of t distribution

• Effect size, Power and sample size, errors in hypothesis testing

• Introduction to methods of comparing means - T tests – One sample t test, Paired samples t test, Independent samples t – test

Unit 3. Scientific communication (20 hours)

• Synopsis writing

• Reference writing - different styles viz., Harvard, Vancouver, APA using Mendely

• Writing a case report

• Publication process

• Research grant writing

• Thesis writing

• Research paper presentations

• Conference presentations - Oral and Poster

• Visit to research lab

Reference Books:

1. Medical Research – R L Bijlani

2. Research Methodology - C R Kothari

Download Syllabus