7th of May, 2012

Chapter 5: Researching
1) What is research and its Purpose:
Research is the collection of relevant dat/information to be used for the production of the document. Research forms the basis of every document. A technical writer can not write a document without proper research. We have problems because we have wants and needs. In order to solve the problems, collection of relevant data is essential. The findamental concept of research is questionaing. The answers which we get for our intelligently designed questions provide us the relevant facts. Questioning is of two types: 1) Close ended Questions/Close Questions 2) Open ended Questions/Open Questions 1) Close Questions The nature of close questions is that they generate a limited/specific and to the point responce from the respondant. Therefore, closed questions are used to obtain very basic informations. 2) Open Questions An open question has such a nature that it allows a detail and more involved response from the respondant. Therefore, these are used to obtain detailed information/secondary information. Hence,

their nature is of subjectivity or contrary to the subjective nature of closed questions.

A researcher utilizes the following three sources for collecting relevant information: 1) Interviewing Interviews are conducted from one respondant. Therefore, they are time consuming. However, they provide the researcher detailed information and very close observation. In order to conduct interviews, a researcher must interact flexibly and design questions intelligently. 2) Probing A researcher may encounter a situation in which the respondants do not provide the adequate information. Normally, it has been felt that the respondants say less as compared to what they know in their first response. In such situations, probing is utilized by the researcher which means extracting/digging deeper in order to get the unsaid information in the first response. Probing involves two techniques: a) Echotechnique b) Reformulation

a) Echotechnique The researcher notes the first response of the respondant and asks him to explain one important jargon/terminology or a phrase. The

response provides probing to the researcher because the response will be more involved and detailed. b) Reformulation In this case, the researcher either rephrases the first response of the repondant or gives a comment on the first response of the respondant. As a result, the respondant indulges into giving clearifications/explanations and researcher gets the relevant information in a more detailed way.

Interviews are an exact source for observations/researching because here along with the verbal responses, the non-verbal communication are also present.

Surveying On contrary to intervies, surveys are less time taking because in surveys, the here researcher can engage a lot of respondance at one time. Surveys consist of written responses which are obtained on a written form/questionaire (survey-form). This questionaire must be designed very intelligently in order to get the exact/relevant information needed by the researcher. 1) A survey form may consist of both close ended and open ended questions, but the open ended questions and their responses are difficult to tabulate.

2) Use context setting introductions. The questionaires/survey-form must contain the context setting introduction at the top. It provides the respondants answers to: a) Why the researcher needs this information. b) How will this information be utilized by the researcher. c) Why the researcher has chosen the respondant for this survey. 3) The questions must be designed carefully. 4) The questionaire should be made in such a way that it provides facility to the researcher when he collects/tabulates information from the form.

Printed/Published information:
A researcher may use libraries and internet for researching but it must be made sure that what is the age of the information. Sometimes, an information is present but it is obselete/outdated.