Primary data is described as a data originally collected, in essence, the data gathered is afresh and for the first time. Surveys and Experiments are two important statistical techniques used in research and data collection. When the research type is experimental, experiments are considered as a major source of primary data. On the other end, surveys are performed when the research is descriptive in nature. While surveys collected data, provided by the informants, experiments test various … [Read more...]

People quite commonly use questionnaire and schedule interchangeably, due to much resemblance in their nature; however, there are many differences between these two. While a questionnaire is filled by the informants themselves, enumerators fill schedule on behalf of the respondent. The research process is incomplete without collection of data, which starts after identification of research problem and chalking out research design. The researcher should keep in mind that there are two types of … [Read more...]

Generation of the hypothesis is the beginning of a scientific process. It refers to a supposition, based on reasoning and evidence. The researcher examines it through observations and experiments, which then provides facts and forecast possible outcomes. The hypothesis can be inductive or deductive, simple or complex, null or alternative. While the null hypothesis is the hypothesis, which is to be actually tested, whereas alternative hypothesis gives an alternative to the null … [Read more...]

In statistics vocabulary, we often deal with the terms parameter and statistic, which play a vital role in the determination of the sample size. Parameter implies a summary description of the characteristics of the target population. On the other extreme, the statistic is a summary value of a small group of population i.e. sample. The parameter is drawn from the measurements of units in the population. As against this, the statistic is drawn from the measurement of the elements of the … [Read more...]

In statistic, the arithmetic mean is one of the ideal measures of central tendency. For a given set of observations, the arithmetic mean can be calculated by adding all the observations and dividing the value obtained by the number of observations. There are two types of mean, i.e. sample mean and population mean, which is often used in statistics and probability. The sample mean is mainly used to estimate the population mean when population mean is not known as they have the same expected … [Read more...]

Sampling error is one which occurs due to unrepresentativeness of the sample selected for observation. Conversely, non-sampling error is an error arise from human error, such as error in problem identification, method or procedure used, etc. An ideal research design seeks to control various types of error, but there are some potential sources which may affect it. In sampling theory, total error can be defined as the variation between the mean value of population parameter and the observed … [Read more...]

Data collection plays a very crucial role in the statistical analysis. In research, there are different methods used to gather information, all of which fall into two categories, i.e. primary data, and secondary data. As the name suggests, primary data is one which is collected for the first time by the researcher while secondary data is the data already collected or produced by others. There are many differences between primary and secondary data, which are discussed in this article. But the … [Read more...]

Before elucidating the difference between IQ and EQ, let us first understand, what these terms actually mean. EQ or say Emotional Quotient refers to a person's ability to understand his/her emotion along with the other person's emotions, whereas IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient indicates a person's intelligence level. Many people hold that IQ is more important for a person to achieve success in life while researchers hold that people with high EQ are more successful in their careers. So, … [Read more...]

Research is the most widely used tool to increase and brush-up the stock of knowledge about something and someone. In the field of marketing, business, sociology, psychology, science & technology, economics, etc. there are two standard ways of conducting research, i.e. qualitative research or quantitative research. While the qualitative research relies on verbal narrative like spoken or written data, the quantitative research uses logical or statistical observations to draw … [Read more...]

In our earlier article, we've discussed probability and non-probability sampling, in which we came across types of probability sampling, i.e. Stratified Sampling and Cluster Sampling. In stratified sampling technique, the sample is created out of the random selection of elements from all the strata while in the cluster sampling, all the units of the randomly selected clusters form a sample. In stratified sampling, a two-step process is followed to divide the population into subgroups or … [Read more...]