The Research Process Research follows a cycle and while this cycle may vary depending on the organisation, the RDS follows this research process:
Research Cycle Stages
| Research Cycle Stage: IDEA/ CONCEPT | |
| What should be researched? What topics can be identified? Which of those are most important? | |
| Ideas can come from many areas such as:
new advances in technologies, increases of scientific knowledge, clinical practice, patients groups, National focus groups. Patients/service users Previous research |
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| Organisations Involved
Universities NHS Funding Charites |
Public Involvement
Patients/ service users can become members of panels or focus groups. Can become involved with an organisation that feeds into a panel or focus group. |
| Research Cycle Stage: Planning/ Design | |
| Definition: This is the ‘how to’ stage. Which is the best way to carry out the research to ensure that the result are accurate. Plan the next steps that will ensure that the research question being asked can be answered. Use methods that ensure that the project is practical and manageable. | |
| Planning and design are influenced by many factors:
The topic being studied. The funding stream being applied for. Budget restrictions Ethical considerations (those that may lead to the project not being granted ethics approval) The type of data you wish to use. |
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| Organisations Involved
Universities NHS RDS Charities |
Public Involvement
Member of the project steering group Member of the PPI Team Representative on project management team. Reading patient information Advising researchers on how to improve patient and public involvement. |
| Research Cycle Stage: Funding Commissioning | |
| Definition:
Getting the funds to cover the cost of running the project. There are a number of different funding bodies in the UK, some government, some private and some charities. Each funding stream has a different focus, some cover a specific topic whilst other have a specific purpose such as service improvement. |
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| The funding stage can be influenced by:
Quality of the proposals being submitted (some proposals are good ideas but have not been designed well) Approximately 30% of proposals receive funding. |
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| Organisations Involved
Funding |
Public Involvement
Lay member representation on a funding committee. |
| Research Cycle Stage: Implement/ Carry Out | |
| Definition:
This is the ‘doing’ part of the research cycle where the plans are carried out. The ethics approval must be sought prior to actually undertaking the project. |
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| There are numerous influences on the implementation stage:
Research Networks help to recruit patients to be participants of the study. The study is managed by the project management team and the project steering group, they decide how the study should procede on a day to day basis. The environment that the study is being carried out in, changes in policy and practice can effect the study. |
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| Organisations Involved
Universities NHS Research Networks Charities |
Public Involvement
Member of project steering group Carry out parts of the research such as questionnaires Comment on or write patient information |
| Research Cycle Stage: Analyse and Interpret Data | |
| Definition:
Analysis is an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole. Analysis can identify trends and themes from the data. The most commonly used form of analysis statistical analysis. Interpretation of the data is to find the meaning of the trends and themes identified. |
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| There are numerous influences on Analysis and interpretation:
The outcomes being measured in the project. Method being used: Quantative or qualitative |
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| Organisations Involved
Universities NHS |
Public Involvement
Patients can help researchers to interpret the data. Is there a reason that certain results were found. |
| Research Cycle Stage: Disseminate | |
| Definition:
The results of the project are shared with other interested parties. |
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| Places that may be used to disseminate the findings:
Medical and academic Journals GP surgeries Local and national press Patient representative organisations. Charities Best practice journals for management, service delivery etc. |
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| Organisations Involved
Universities NHS Research Networks Charities |
Public Involvement
Member of project steering group Carry out parts of the research such as questionnaires Comment on or write patient information |
| Research Cycle Stage: Evaluate and Recommend | |
| Definition:
Assess in hindsight what worked, what didn’t work and why. Recommendations for further studies can be made. |
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| This may feed into a bigger study. Many projects are broken down into a number of stages to make them manageable and so recommendation would directly feed into the planning and designing of the next stage. | |
| Organisations Involved
Universities NHS |
Public Involvement
Member of project steering group Comment on patient involvement for future studies |
Organisations that are involved in the research cycle.
Universities Organisations
Academic Institutions such as universities hold many expertise in the field of research. These organisations help to support the research cycle by supplying specialised expertise such as statisticians, methodologists, data managers and experts in the specific topic.
NHS Organisations
NHS Organisations provide clinical experts as well as the experience NHS employees who are likely to benefit or change as a result of the research. NHS organisations also provide access to the patients who are required to participate. The organisations usually host the research as it is often carried out in clinics.
RDS’s
The RDS exists solely to assist researchers to develop good quality research proposals that get funded.
Funding Organisations
These are the organisations that issue funds to complete projects. There are numerous government funding agencies. There are also a number of charities and trusts that provide funding for specific topics. NHS trusts them selves fund some research but these budgets tend to be small much smaller.
Research Networks
These organisations were established to support research in the UK to improve patient care and allow access to best treatment. They can link patients who wish to participate or get involved with researchers carrying out the research.
Charitable Organisations
There are a number of charities and trust funds that have been established to focus on the needs of patients from a specific disease or condition. Sometimes they fund research but they are also a great way to access patients who have an understanding of specific topics. Often representatives from these charities are asked to represent the project steering committee.