Quantitative Research vs Qualitative Research: All the Differences Layed Out

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One of the main struggles students have while writing research papers is collecting the correct data sets. Although it may seem complicated, it is not. You just need to know the basic rules, and you are good to go.
Suppose you are looking for an easy option for that question. In that case, it will be contacting professional academic help, like EssayHave service for buying research papers, either to learn from the free materials ready for you or to get quick online support with your case. However, if you are ready to know how the research papers actually work and how to write them professionally, let’s dive in!


A short pre-word: What you need to know while writing a research paper

Writing a research paper is a bit more complicated than writing an essay. However, if you learn a few simple roles, it is only a matter of practice to quickly get proficient in writing good research. So, here they are:
1. You must have a clear goal for your research. Student research papers are not equal to professional peer-reviewed articles, usually with a study methodology, hypotheses, and verification methods. However, even if your paper only reviews the literature, you still need to have a goal. For instance, you can ask yourself: “What particular question do I want to answer?”. It will help you with further research steps.
2. Learn the types of research. Here, we come to qualitative vs quantitative research. It is not enough for a good research paper to open a database, use the keywords, and pick up the first matching article. Research papers significantly differ with many criteria. For instance, the most basic of them differ on:
    • - The research methodology (qualitative vs quantitative)
      • - The research purposes (reviews, experimental papers, case studies, descriptive papers, etc.)
      • - The study design (cohort, cross-sectional studies, etc.)

      • Therefore, you need to understand what type of data confirmation or data search you need to write your paper successfully.

    • 3. Get quick guidance on how to choose a paper type. In this article, we discuss qualitative vs quantitative methods, but here is a quick sneak peek at the most common research purposes:
      • - Review papers - collect and analyze data from other articles
      • - Experimental papers - conduct original in-field experiments to test hypotheses
      • - Case studies - present data as a coherent story with all variables included
      • - Descriptive research - explains why some phenomena exist and how they work



Qualitative Vs. quantitative: 4 key differences

Okay, you have coherent and easy guidance on the common research paper types. Now, you are ready to learn more specific classification differences. Yes, as you may have supposed, the main difference between qualitative and quantitative research lies in whether or not numerical data is used. However, it is not the only criterion.


Nature of data

Quantitative research mainly uses empirical measurable information, such as numbers, statistics, the ratio between different variables, and percentages of particular phenomenon manifestations. Qualitative research deals with non-numerical data and focuses on understanding underlying meanings, motivations, and patterns. It often involves text, images, or observations.
However, seeing one or a few numbers used across the article does not mean the research is quantitative. For instance, qualitative research may mention some empirical numeral data to support the arguments. At the same time, 90% of the article will explain the matter rather than provide numeral information. Just evaluate the prevalence of one or another data type, and you will know for sure.


Research design and method

One more simple way to tell the difference between the two research types is by the methods. Quantitative research typically involves surveys, experiments, or structured observations. Instead, qualitative research usually uses interviews, focus groups, or participant observations. The research design for qualitative research usually identifies the major themes and patterns within the study.
In the same way, you can use some questions to help you navigate the research types. For instance, here are some useful prompts:
- Does the research method try to understand the phenomenon or to measure it?
- Are the participants evaluated in numbers as statistical data (the number of respondents, for instance?
- Do participants provide their personal information or points of view on the situation, as in the interview format?
- Does the study method refer to any particular statistical instrument?

Objective

Many studies will have their objective (the research goal) in the first few pages. By that criterion, you can also tell the difference between qualitative and quantitative research. Here are some comparing examples of research objectives:
- Quantitative research aims to measure the variables, even if they are not numerical. Qualitative research seeks to explain the variables and their relations to each other, even if they are numeral.
- Quantitative research will rather calculate the percentage of a particular population within the area. Qualitative research will rather understand these populations' social context and existing issues.

Sampling methods

The third difference between qualitative and quantitative research types is their sampling. Quantitative research usually uses large, representative data. Such data types must ensure the statistical validity of the study and provide generalized conclusions. Instead, qualitative research typically uses smaller samples based on the relevance criteria to the research question.
For instance, let's say two research papers aim to explore the correlation between the students' sleep duration and academic performance. The quantitative research must gather about one hundred or more students and collect the numbers of their sleep hours and average performance rates in the test during the week. Then, the research will increase the number of sleep hours and repeat the test, comparing the results.
In that case, qualitative research will investigate what it means to have a good sleep duration. For instance, the researchers will explore participants' sleep habits, perceptions of sleep quality, experiences with sleep-related challenges, and perceptions of their academic performance.


How do you tell what type of data you need?

All right, you can now spot the qualitative and quantitative research papers out of the database list. But how do you know what sources to collect for your college assignment? No worries, here are two useful techniques that will help make your professors satisfied with your work:
1. Do ask questions. Your assignment instructions will always provide you with the actions or particular steps you must perform in this assignment. When you choose the articles for your research, ask yourself what type of research will benefit your research question the most. Usually, the assignment question has hints on whether you need a numeral or explorative data type.
2. Do not include sources just to match the number criteria. Research assignments usually specify the number of sources you must use. Do not pick up the first Google Scholar finding that matches your keywords. If you spend more time carefully considering sources, your research paper will significantly improve quality.
Hopefully, these insights will help you understand the research papers and professional articles! Feel free to ask any remaining questions, and see you in the next pieces of writing tips!
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