Why descriptive study

Hence, conclusions based on these run the risk of being non-representative, and hence unreliable. In cross-sectional studies, the validity of results is highly dependent on whether the study sample is well representative of the population proposed to be studied, and whether all the individual measurements were made using an accurate and identical tool, or not. If the information on a variable cannot be obtained accurately, for instance in a study where the participants are asked about socially unacceptable e.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Perspect Clin Res v. Perspect Clin Res. Rakesh Aggarwal and Priya Ranganathan 1. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract One of the first steps in planning a research study is the choice of study design.

Keywords: Epidemiologic methods, observational studies, research design. Case reports and case series A case report refers to the description of a patient with an unusual disease or with simultaneous occurrence of more than one condition. Cross-sectional studies Studies with a cross-sectional study design involve the collection of information on the presence or level of one or more variables of interest health-related characteristic , whether exposure e.

Ecological studies Ecological also sometimes called as correlational study design involves looking for association between an exposure and an outcome across populations rather than in individuals. Financial support and sponsorship Nil.

Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest. Ranganathan P, Aggarwal R. Study designs: Part 1 — An overview and classification. A preliminary communication on extensively disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma in young homosexual men.

What are the most popular online news sources among unders? How prevalent is disease A in population B? Is this article helpful? Shona McCombes Shona has a bachelor's and two master's degrees, so she's an expert at writing a great thesis.

She has also worked as an editor and teacher, working with students at all different levels to improve their academic writing. Other students also liked. An introduction to quantitative research Quantitative research means collecting and analyzing numerical data to describe characteristics, find correlations, or test hypotheses.

An introduction to correlational research A correlational research design measures the strength and direction of a relationship between variables. An introduction to descriptive statistics Descriptive statistics summarize the characteristics of a data set.

There are three types: distribution, central tendency, and variability. This is where descriptive research comes in. Descriptive research is classified into different types according to the kind of approach that is used in conducting descriptive research. The different types of descriptive research are highlighted below:.

Descriptive survey research uses surveys to gather data about varying subjects. This data aims to know the extent to which different conditions can be obtained among these subjects. For example, a researcher wants to determine the qualification of employed professionals in Maryland.

This way, the researcher can describe the qualifications possessed by the employed demographics of this community. This is an extension of the descriptive survey, with the addition being the normative element.

In the descriptive-normative survey, the results of the study should be compared with the norm. For example, an organization that wishes to test the skills of its employees by a team may have them take a skills test.

The skills tests are the evaluation tool in this case, and the result of this test is compared with the norm of each role. If the score of the team is one standard deviation above the mean, it is very satisfactory, if within the mean, satisfactory, and one standard deviation below the mean is unsatisfactory. This is a quantitative description technique that seeks to answer questions about real-life situations.

For example, a researcher researching the income of the employees in a company, and the relationship with their performance. A survey will be carried out to gather enough data about the income of the employees, then their performance will be evaluated and compared to their income. This will help determine whether a higher income means better performance and low income means lower performance or vice versa. The descriptive-analysis method of research describes a subject by further analyzing it, which in this case involves dividing it into 2 parts.

For example, the HR personnel of a company that wishes to analyze the job role of each employee of the company may divide the employees into the people that work at the Headquarters in the US and those that work from Oslo, Norway office. A questionnaire is devised to analyze the job role of employees with similar salaries and who work in similar positions. This method is employed in biological sciences for the classification of plants and animals. A researcher who wishes to classify the sea animals into different species will collect samples from various search stations, then classify them accordingly.

In descriptive-comparative research, the researcher considers 2 variables that are not manipulated, and establish a formal procedure to conclude that one is better than the other.

For example, an examination body wants to determine the better method of conducting tests between paper-based and computer-based tests. A random sample of potential participants of the test may be asked to use the 2 different methods, and factors like failure rates, time factors, and others will be evaluated to arrive at the best method.

Correlative surveys are used to determine whether the relationship between 2 variables is positive, negative, or neutral. That is, if 2 variables, say X and Y are directly proportional, inversely proportional or are not related to each other. There are different examples of descriptive research, that may be highlighted from its types, uses, and applications. However, we will be restricting ourselves to only 3 distinct examples in this article.

An academic institution may wish 2 compare the performance of its junior high school students in English language and Mathematics. Students who are more proficient in mathematics will be encouraged to go into STEM and vice versa. Institutions may also use this data to identify student's weak points and work on ways to assist them.

During major scientific classification of plants, animals, and periodic table elements, the characteristics and components of each subject are evaluated and used to determine how they are classified.

For example, living things may be classified into kingdom Plantae or kingdom animal is depending on their nature. Further classification may group animals into mammals, pieces, vertebrae, invertebrae, etc. All these classifications are made a result of descriptive research which describes what they are. When studying human behaviour based on a factor or event, the researcher observes the characteristics, behaviour, and reaction, then use if to conclude.

A company willing to sell to its target market needs to first study the behaviour of the market. This may be done by observing how its target reacts to a competitor's product, then use it to determine their behaviour. The characteristics of descriptive research can be highlighted from its definition, applications, data collection methods, and examples. Some characteristics of descriptive research are:. Descriptive research uses a quantitative research method by collecting quantifiable information to be used for statistical analysis of the population sample.

Quantitative data are typically analyzed and presenting using descriptive statistics. Using quantitative data, researchers may describe the characteristics of a sample or population in terms of percentages e. Quantitative data, such as narrative data collected as part of a case study, may be used to organize, classify, and used to identify patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and other characteristics of groups.

Descriptive studies have an important role in early care and education research. Studies such as the National Survey of Early Care and Education and the National Household Education Surveys Program have greatly increased our knowledge of the supply of and demand for child care in the U.

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Program have provided researchers, policy makers and practitioners with rich information about school readiness skills of children in the U.

Each of the methods used to collect descriptive data have their own strengths and limitations. The following are some of the strengths and limitations of descriptive research studies in general. Study participants are questioned or observed in a natural setting e.