Question

1. Describe a very specific example from agriculture of how the “research cycle” may be applied.

2. What does peer- refereed mean and what is the significance of this?

Answer 1

The research cycle
There are multiple stages in the process of conducting a research project. Understanding the research cycle is extremely helpful in terms of comprehending the structure of research articles.

Identify a research topic
This is where you consider what your research is going to be about and start to refine it.
This is key for conducting research projects and for identifying what a literature review will be about. If
Design the research study
Once a researcher has decided what their research will be about, they’ll then need to consider the design of the study. The research topic will usually inform the design of the study, particularly if it concerns a theory, as this will usually be tested. When a theory informs the research question and the subsequent research design, this is known as the hypothetico-deductive model
There are various types of research design. Broadly, research designs can be quantitative or qualitative.

Conduct research
Once a research design has been chosen, the researcher will conduct the research. This will involve collecting data. Data collection methods vary between quantitative and qualitative methods.
Quantitative research methods will usually involve collecting data through standardised measures that allow for the collection of numerical data, such as questionnaires or psychometric tests.
Data collection for qualitative research methods involves collecting rich, non-numerical data through different potential methods. These can include the researcher interviewing participants, conducting focus groups and observing participants
Analyse results
Once the data has been collected, the researcher will need to understand the results by analysing the data.
Quantitative data is analysed through statistical methods to investigate the relationship between variables, or differences between groups.
Qualitative data analysis involves the researcher interpreting non-numerical data, including text, to understand the perceived reality of others. This can be done in various ways, such as transcribing audio data, assigning initial codes to the data, and then organising them into overarching themes.
Publish results
In order for there to be changes in business psychology practice, we need to be aware of what research has happened . The next stage of the research cycle is a critical one – publishing the findings, also known as dissemination.
This can be done through various formats, such as publishing in a peer-reviewed journal or presenting findings at a conference through a poster or oral presentation.

Eg

Peer refereed meaning and significance

Peer-reviewed (refereed or scholarly) journals - Articles are written by experts and are reviewed by several other experts in the field before the article is published in the journal in order to ensure the article's quality. (The article is more likely to be scientifically valid, reach reasonable conclusions, etc.)