1. Descriptive Research
Advanced Technical Writing

2. What?
Purpose
When?
How?

3. What is a Descriptive Research?
• Descriptive research, also known as
statistical research, describes data and
characteristics about the population or
phenomenon being studied. However, it
does not answer questions about eg:
how/when/why
the
characteristics
occurred, which is done under analytic
research.

4. What is a Descriptive Research?
• Although the data description is factual,
accurate and systematic, the research
cannot describe what caused a situation.
Thus, Descriptive research cannot be used
to create a causal relationship, where one
variable affects another. In other words,
descriptive research can be said to have a
low requirement for internal validity.

5. Purpose of Descriptive Research
• The descriptive method of research
design helps researchers plan and
carry out descriptive studies,
designed to provide rich descriptive
details about people, places and
other phenomena.

6. Purpose of Descriptive Research
• a descriptive research design can
serve as a first step that identifies
important factors, laying a
foundation for more-rigorous
research.

7. When is Descriptive Research used?
• This type of research is often associated
with anthropology, sociology and
psychology, but researchers in other
fields, such as education, use it.
• This type of research is often associated
with anthropology, sociology and
psychology, but researchers in other
fields, such as education, use it.

8. How to write Descriptive Research
Recap :
• Descriptive research is a common
method of qualitative research used
in the social sciences and psychology
to monitor the behavior of a subject
without affecting that subject in any
way.

9. How to write Descriptive Research
TIP : It might be best to write
the descriptive research design
as you formulate your project.
Like other qualitative methods
of study, there are several
designs to choose from.

10. Four Special Steps
Step1
Step2
Step3
Step4

11. STEP ONE
WHAT
HOW
WHY

12. STEP TWO
•Choose a descriptive
research design for
your study.

13. STEP TWO
Simple Research
Design
• Used to gather facts
about a particular
subject or group.
Comparative
Research Design
• Used to compare two
or more groups
Correlational
Research
design
• Used to determine the
relationship between two
or more variables.

14. STEP THREE
• Design a case study for your study.
Case studies can augment whichever
descriptive research design you use.
Documenting specific and interesting
cases in your research will enrich
your study by illustrating what is
happening and why.

15. STEP FOUR
INCLUDE
A SURVEY
CONCISE
Broad

16. Sources :
• http://www.ehow.com/how_7722711_writedescriptive-research-design.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descriptive_res
earch
• http://www.ehow.com/how_7905125_descri
ptive-method-research-design.html