Academic research is a difficult nut to crack. Why so? It is because you have to take care of different styles and traits of this research, e.g., precision and objectivity. Nowadays, academic research is expanding each day, and with its expansion, it has become imperative for researchers to learn about different traits of writing. Today’s article will discuss the two most important traits, precision and objectivity. There will be a discussion on the importance of both features of academic research. Today’s article will also discuss how you can maintain objectivity and precision in your academic research. However, before moving on to this discussion, let’s briefly explain what it means by both terms.
What is meant by objectivity in academic research, and why is it important?
The word “objectivity” has different meanings in different fields of study. However, the standard meaning says that any research that is unbiased and impartial is objective. Thus, as an objective researcher, you explore both sides of an academic issue and give your unbiased and fair opinion. Often, the objectivity in academic research is termed value-free. It means the research is unaffected by moral, economic, social, and religious values. Hence, this is what is meant by objectivity in academic research.
Coming to the importance of maintaining objectivity in research, objectivity is important as it gives an accurate explanation of how things are happening in the real world. Also, objectivity is important in academic research because no one likes to read academic documents that are biased and present one-sided arguments.
What is the definition of precision in academic research?
In academic research, precision is how close the measured values are to each other. Often, many researchers confuse the term accuracy with precision. It is important to note that precision is different from accuracy, and it is an independent term from accuracy. It means that academic research can be precise but not accurate, or it can be accurate but not precise, as well as both precise and accurate.
Being precise is very important in academic research as it refers to how correct you are in your claims about the topic. Research studies are often criticised because of their lack of precision in them. It is because a research study is almost useless with no precision in the data. Hence, precision is important because it helps to generate research that is of greater value. This is why getting PhD dissertation help for academic research is necessary.
How do we maintain objectivity in academic research?
After reading the information above, you have learned the meaning and importance of precision and objectivity in detail. Now, it is time to discuss how you can be objective in your academic research so that your final product, i.e., a dissertation, can enjoy a good readership. Hence, a brief description of the techniques is as follows:
- Use multiple people to research. Employing one person for the whole data acquisition process is not good. The research bias is highly likely to be introduced in your research. So, use different people with different backgrounds to perform the academic research.
- Verify the research results. To maintain the objectivity in your research, verify it from several sources. Using one source and accepting it as the only credible source does not lead you to objectivity. So, it is essential to apply the triangulation technique and use other sources to verify the research results.
- Have participants review the results. Your interpretation of the research results can be biased and lean towards one belief. This is what your readers may think. In this case, let the participants review the research results to maintain objectivity. Let them decide whether your interpretation is according to their beliefs or not.
- Get your results reviewed. It is another great way to maintain objectivity in academic research. Ask your fellow researchers to review the results and interpretations made by you. They can give your proper insights into the objectivity of your academic research.
How do we maintain precision in academic research?
After learning to maintain objectivity in research, it is time to unfold the techniques of maintaining precision. The research results often get polluted by some unknown errors. So, a brief description of the effective strategies that can make the research precise is as follows:
1. Verify using alternate methods
The first technique that you can use to see whether your research is precise or not is to verify the research results using some other methods. Put the research data into another formula and see how it affects the results of your study. If the research results remain the same after applying another method, the data is precise and accurate. Hence, verify the research using alternate methods.
2. Verify using real-world tests
Devising and carrying out a real-world test is another great technique for maintaining precision in academic research. Although conducting some experiments can be time-consuming, the plus side is that this test will give you an idea of the precision of research results. The research results are precise and accurate if the real-world test also gives you results close to those performed in the controlled environment.
3. Do not practice overloading the data
What do most researchers do? They stuff the data and fail to get precise results. Avoid overloading and make the research entry process easy so that errors could be minimal. When you overload the data into the research method, the errors start showing up automatically. Therefore, to maintain precision, avoid doing this.
Conclusion
Precision and objectivity are two different yet most important features of academic research. Objectivity talks about the biasness and partiality of the research toward the research question or topic. It says there should not be any role of personal beliefs, experiences, or values in academic research. These are necessary things to maintaining objectivity in academic research. However, precision discusses how close the values are to reality. All in all, precision and objectivity are important terms. Please read the information above to maintain them in your academic research.
