June, 2014 - PhD Thesis Bangalore

Introduction to R

There are a lot of statistical programmes that are available for use in the case of psychological research. They have multiple differences in their usage. The differences are on the basis of usage, generality and cost. The most commonly used packages are SYSTAT, SPSS and SAS. The good thing about these packages is that they have the Graphical User Interface ( GUI) that have the relative ease of use. Though they offer a lot of convenience in use, they are expensive with certain limitations of usage. It is even difficult to communicate these results to others and explain in a more literary form. A widely used approach by practicing statistician is “R”

The R project has its basis on S and S + packages and is very powerful in terms of being able to operate on one programme. R is a very useful interactive package meant for data analysis. It has 3 distinctive advantages as compared to other packages that make it more advantageous. One big advantage of R is that it is completely free; it runs on multiple programmes and clubs multiple statistical programmes into a single quasi integrated programme. R is a free to install and use software as a part of the GNU project. It gives the liberty to the users to use, modify and distribute the programme within the set limitations.

R is an integrated environment meant for data manipulation and analysis. It includes the functions of descriptive statistics and many graphical tools for exploratory data analysis. In the context of inferential statistics, R has many variations of the General Linear Model which also incorporates Analysis of Variance, MANOVA and Linear Regression.

A significant reason why R is considered very powerful is that more than 5,000 packages have been contributed to R by statisticians around the world making it useful for all kinds of research related work. This enhancing collection of packages and the simplicity with which the interaction happens between the users is perhaps the greatest advantage and exclusivity of R. To add to it, R is also an amazing programme for production of graphics.

Parametric and Non parametric Procedures

The fundamental statistical concepts often work as pre requisites for a thorough understanding of the parametric and non-parametric tests. The fundamental of statistics include the understanding of random variables, probability distributions, parameters, population, sample distributions and the central limit theorem. The existence of statistics is largely because it is not possible to gather and compile … Continue reading “Parametric and Non parametric Procedures”

The existence of statistics is largely because it is not possible to gather and compile data from the entire population. The solution, so as to ensure the generalisation of research is to collect data from a subset of the population so as to know the best possible truth about the population.

The different quantities such as mean, standard deviations and proportions are all significantly important values and can be termed as parameters in context to the study pertaining to the entire population. For the reason that it is not possible to get data for the population as a whole the estimated quantities from the chosen sample, with the aid of these parameters do help in generalising the analysis.

The parametric procedures assume and rely upon the distribution of the population being normal and also the form of the parameters being normally distributed, such as means and standard deviation). On the contrary, the non-parametric procedures in statistics do not depend upon any assumptions related to the shape of the population or the form of the parameters from which the sample has been extracted.

It does sound appealing and simpler to adopt the non-parametric procedures because of the few or no assumptions they make about the population distribution from which the sample has been extracted. However, they do have two main drawbacks. The main drawback is that much less powerful statistically as compared to their parametric counterparts. The term less powerful means that there are lesser chances of the procedure being able to conclude that association between two variables when they are actually truly associated. A non-parametric test will call for a larger sample to be drawn out in order to have more concrete results.

The second drawback that has been associated with non-parametric tests is that the results of these tests are all the more difficult to interpret as compared to the parametric tests. Even a novice researcher may be able to analyse and interpret a parametric procedure analyse but it certainly calls for an experienced researcher to look into and analyse Non parametric results.

Tips for writing thesis on topics related to Marketing

The field of marketing is an interesting and a predominant area for students pursuing MBA or Ph.D. in this field of study. An MBA student needs to submit a dissertation before completion of the course, which is a very hectic and colossal task. This is a common problem for many students as it requires diligence and knowledge. Like MBA students, a Ph.D. student also needs to submit a thesis, which requires more research and excellence. However, the task of writing a thesis or dissertation can become a bit easier if a student keeps in mind the following points:

* Firstly, try to choose a topic from your area of interest as in that case, a student will not feel the burden and can explore the area and also gather knowledge in the specific topic.

* A student must start writing thesis or dissertation much ahead of time because it involves data collection, analysis of the data, organization of the whole topic etc.

* Avoid plagiarism because in that case, the whole research work can get cancelled, and the student may have to do it a second time which means loss of time and effort. So, it is advisable to put down the ideas in one’s own words.

* After completion of the writing of the whole thesis or dissertation, it is sensible to edit or proofread the document as it improves the readability, and also gives the work a professional look.

If a student keeps the above point in his mind then writing a thesis or dissertation in the field of marketing will become easier. However, it will be a prudent decision in the case of a student, if he or she takes guidance from a learned person or an organization. www.phdthesis.in provides guidance, and help students in writing and completion of their research work.

Which Citation System is the best?

Multiple rules are available for authors to do citation for the sources used by them in their research. Researchers carry their own individual strong beliefs in context to which convention is best suited for citation. Larger professional organisations issue lengthy guidelines in this context. Among the most widely accepted and adopted guidelines are of the … Continue reading “Which Citation System is the best?”

Multiple rules are available for authors to do citation for the sources used by them in their research. Researchers carry their own individual strong beliefs in context to which convention is best suited for citation. Larger professional organisations issue lengthy guidelines in this context. Among the most widely accepted and adopted guidelines are of the American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA) and The University of Chicago Press. Other than this, some research journals follow their own system.

The question here is, is one better than the other? Well, they are all fine and all of them are merely conventions. It would be a futile attempt to compare these widely accepted conventions as one would not be able to come to any conclusion. Like a discussion which side of the road is better to drive cannot conclude on a decisive note, neither can this.

There is one criterion that has to be adopted for citation. All that is essentially required is that the readers should be able to check for sources of accuracy. As long as this is taken care of, the system is good.

People have their own set of preferences. Usually, the generalised response is not in favour of in text citation system. Researchers and readers usually opt for and approve of footnotes and endnotes for citation. The common concern in this case is that in text citation is annoying and came in the way making the content appear cluttered and confusing. Irrespective of this drawback if in text citation, The APA uses in text citation system and its presence is very strongly felt in the field of psychology and education and hence people researching on psychology may still feel comfortable with this form of citation but globally the preferred system is as end notes or footnotes.

Narrative Literature Review

There are many techniques that can be used to write literature review. A technique that is most interpretive and qualitative in nature and can be adopted for writing the review for many kinds of research is the Narrative Literature Review. Researchers often focus towards the Narrative Literature Review with various objectives. Some of them are: … Continue reading “Narrative Literature Review”

Researchers often focus towards the Narrative Literature Review with various objectives. Some of them are:

Give the description of the current states of Art and Science in a very focussed zone of enquiry.
Provide dimensions of insight and application into those areas in the chosen literature review which are missing.
Give a critical analysis of the existing work.
Arguments of important / controversial topics
A focus on “how to” tips to enhance the existing practices
An elaboration of the latest developments in the field of study that pertain to existing or emerging issues that are of importance and relevance and cannot be missed.

Certain guidelines can be followed when Narrative Literature Review has to be conducted. These are more detailed and elaborate in comparison to a standard Literature Review concept as the fundamental here is to add a personal and scientific perspective to the existing study so as to link it better with the topic of research and at the same time make it more worthy for further research , particularly in the cases where the study needs to be updated in light of the latest developments, lest it appears obsolete.

The first step is to identify the research area. This would aid in concentrating the focus on a specific field of study and help in minimizing the deviations.
Identify and define the specific criteria for inclusion of studies in the research. Ensure to clearly distinguish the parameters so as to be able to have ease in selecting the write research for the study and reduce the chances of incorporating content that does not have any link with the topic of study.
Identify the themes that emerge from the set of studies.
On the basis of these identified themes, draw conclusions that hold relevance and add worth and value to the research topic.

The Narrative method does have certain limitations which give reasons to its critics to put forth reasons for avoiding this technique:

The nature of the method is too subjective
There is a strong chance at the end of an amateur researcher to draw misleading conclusions which are largely because of subjectivity at the end of the researcher and failure in being able to link the output and the characteristics.

A lot of complications occur when a large set of studies are involved which may lead to confusing conclusions.