Research Methods and Metric Studies Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The impact factor uses (i) and (ii): citations received and the number of articles published.

Eugene Garfield's journal impact factor for a year is a ratio:

\[ \text{IF}_{Y} = \frac{C_{Y}}{N_{Y-1} + N_{Y-2}} \]

where \(C_{Y}\) is the number of citations received in year Y by items the journal published in the two previous years, and \(N_{Y-1}\), \(N_{Y-2}\) are the citable articles it published in those years. Subscriptions and downloads play no part in the calculation; downloads are the basis of usage metrics, not the impact factor.

Answer: B

The correct matching is (a)-(iii), (b)-(iv), (c)-(i), (d)-(ii).

• X and Y axes: a bar chart is drawn on two axes, categories on one and values on the other.
• Mode: a measure of central tendency, the most frequent value.
• Chi-square: its sampling distribution depends on the degrees of freedom.
• Range: the difference between the highest and lowest values.

The third option swaps chi-square and range, and the others pair mode with something other than central tendency.

Answer: C

A hypothesis is (ii) and (iv): a statement of guess about the research result, and a statement to be tested.

A hypothesis is a tentative, testable proposition about the relationship between variables, an educated guess at the answer that the research then tests against data. It is accepted or rejected after testing.

It is not the statement of the problem, which defines what is to be studied and comes first. Nor is it the conclusion of the research, which comes only after the hypothesis has been tested. So options with (i) or (iii) are wrong.

Answer: C

The phrase 'focus group' is associated with Interviews.

A focus group is a group interview: a moderator leads a small group, typically six to ten people, in discussing a topic, and the interaction among participants brings out opinions and experiences. It is a qualitative data collection method, used in libraries for example to learn what users think of a service.

A questionnaire is answered individually in writing, sampling is the selection of respondents, and observation records behaviour without questioning. The focus group is a form of interviewing.

Answer: A

Both (A) and (R) are true.

A literature review surveys and synthesises the previous research on a topic: what has been studied, by what methods, with what findings, and where the gaps lie (R). By doing so it shows how research on the topic has developed and what the trends have been (A).

Both statements are true, and R in fact explains A: it is because a review synthesises past research that it reveals past trends. The options calling either statement false are therefore wrong.

Answer: D

(A) is false but (R) is true.

Assertion A is false. J.E. Hirsch's h-index is the largest number h such that h of a researcher's papers have at least h citations each. It is computed from citation counts, so it is directly correlated with the citations the researcher's articles receive.

Reason R is true: since citations and papers accumulate over time and are not taken away, the h-index can stay the same or rise but never decreases. This is in fact one of its noted limitations.

Answer: A

The mode is 15.

The mode is the value that occurs most often. Counting each score:

\[ \begin{aligned} 15 &: 3\ \text{times} \\ 10,\ 18 &: 2\ \text{times each} \\ 6,\ 8 &: 1\ \text{time each} \end{aligned} \]

15 appears most often, so it is the mode. 10 and 18 appear twice and are the trap, and 6 appears only once; it is simply the smallest score.

Answer: A

The APA style manual is developed by the American Psychological Association.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association sets out the APA citation and writing style, with author-date in-text citations and a reference list. It is widely used in psychology, education, the social sciences and library science.

The 'American Paramedical Association', 'American Physicists Association' and 'American Physiological Association' are distractors built on the same initials; none of them publishes APA style.

Answer: A

Non-probability sampling is best described as Subjective.

In non-probability sampling, such as convenience, purposive, quota and snowball sampling, the researcher chooses the sample by judgement or convenience, so not every member of the population has a known chance of being selected. The selection depends on the researcher's subjective choice.

Random and systematic sampling are probability methods, in which selection follows a chance-based rule; their objectivity is exactly what non-probability sampling lacks.

Answer: C

Both (A) and (R) are true.

Assertion A is true: postal questionnaires take time to be delivered, filled in and returned, and many respondents delay or never reply, so the response is slow and often low.

Reason R is true: online survey tools such as SurveyMonkey distribute questionnaires by email or link, collect answers instantly and tabulate them automatically, so researchers use them to get faster responses.

The options calling either statement false are therefore wrong.