The dissertations are the main asset of a student in higher classes. The students studying in universities performing bachelors, masters, PhDs, and further include the dissertation as their final product of study. The dissertation is indeed the essence of knowledge students gain in their study period. It is also the practical implication of knowledge which includes research data collection services.
How do you complete the dissertation?
The dissertations related to any field need to collect data for completing the dissertation. For any level master, bachelor, or Ph.D. data collection help is needed to complete the dissertation. The researcher needs some method through which they can collect data and use them for their dissertation results and conclusion. There are certain tools through which data can be collected for a dissertation.
There are a variety of tools available in the literature, market, and online channels but not all of them is can be used for a single dissertation. It changes and refers to dissertation type and structure.
Before going into the details of tools let’s discuss the Data Collection Types
The data collection is of two types. The first one is qualitative and the second one is quantitative (Harvard.edu. n.d). A clear view has been provided below.
Quantitative – in this data collection type the numerical data is collected. It includes the data showing numbers, values, and different statistics
Qualitative – in this type of data collection the number is not important, the quality is important. It includes the statements, considerations, and observations.
The 5 best tools for the collection of data that can help in collecting data for the dissertation are discussed below.
1. Interview
The interview is performed between two persons. One person asks a question and the other person gives answers to those questions. This is an important tool for the collection of data for qualitative data collection method. The interview provides observations and comments of selected people regarding a certain topic of research. It can be a variable of research or a general question.
There are three types of interview choose one that fits your need.
Structural Interview: the structural interview does not provide in-depth answers to the questions. It provides straight answers to the questions asked. It does not include any discussion on a certain topic. The structured type of interview includes generally a questionnaire for which the answers are collected in the type of statements. These statements did not give depth of concept for a certain issue.
Semi Structural Interview: the semi-type of structure provides somehow a bit extra knowledge from the structural method. The questions are asked but the scope of a certain statement or certain issue is identified in this type. The semi-structure provides the exploration of ideas with certain statements for the asked questions. The semi-structure does not include any discussion and it involves fewer questions.
Unstructured Interview: this interview type is very causal and it includes discussion regarding a certain topic. For example, you can ask a manager about his experience regarding Total Quality Management for increasing the performance of an organisation. You can ask for his experience in detail and it will not include the answers to certain questions. This is an in-depth interview.
2. Questionnaires
A questionnaire is an important tool for collecting the data in the numerical method. The questionnaire includes questions related to the research and they are delivered to the prospects for filling up questions. They can include questions, they can include multiple-choice questions or they can be rating questions. The questionnaire is mostly done through online platforms like survey monkey and many others.
There are certain advantages and disadvantages of using the questionnaire.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| It can be used for a large number of people. | The answers can be wrong or fake. |
| Mostly they are free or very cheap. | They can only be used for quantitative data not for qualitative. |
| Very easy for analysing data. | Some people can leave the question non answered. |
| It can be done for any kind of topic. | The person might fill in the wrong answer due to some personal reason. |
| Person identification is not required. | The online analysing method can be expensive. |
Reports
The reports are a good source of data collection from different channels or sources. Generally, the reports are essential in gaining data from different organisations about the revenue, and collecting information regarding certain statements of recognised persons (AIU, n.d). The reports are generally free and easy to find as they are mostly available online. These are good tools and they have certain types.
Organisational Reports
These reports are related to different types of organisations whether governmental or non-governmental. These organisational reports make a great impact on academic research as they are easy to approach and provide reasonable data related to a certain topic. The organisational report is very effective and acceptable in academic literature for the collection of related knowledge for different organisations.
Articles
The articles are also a good source of collecting data for certain topics while doing the research. The articles are developed in such a way that they provide the related data and mostly the data is on point. But with articles, there is a problem which is the accreditation of writers. A resourceful website can be considered as good.
These two methods are different in their approach, and according to requirement, both can be used at the same time.
Literature or Existing Data
In the existing data, the research articles and survey information are counted. The existing data is very useful and it is also one of the most important sources for the collection of data in the qualitative type of data collection. The survey provides the statistical data and the research journal provides the conclusion and results for different research topics.
Focus Groups
The focus group consists of a group of people for the testing purpose. It can be 6-10 people or the group can range in between hundreds. The focus group is very effective in identifying the results of an experiment. For a certain group, the experimental values can be achieved and a focus group is beneficial for finding the actual impact of experimentation.
