Information Technology & Informatics (04:189:103): Getting Started

Research can be seen as a series of linked activities moving from a beginning to an end. It usually begins with the identification of a problem followed by formulation of research questions or objectives. The researcher determines what information to collect and how it will be analyzed in order to answer the research question.

Described in this way the research process seems linear, yet research is often an iterative (repeating) process. Decisions made early in the research process are often revisited in the light of new insights or practical problems encountered along the way.