5 challenges encountered in conducting a research project

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Top 10 Challenges Faced by Researchers on the Path to Excellence

The pursuit of research excellence is not for the faint of heart; you have to overcome several challenges faced by researchers to map a path to excellence. From formulating research questions to gathering data, writing research papers, and getting them published, researchers grapple with complexities that demand their unwavering dedication and perseverance. By shedding light on the challenges faced by researchers , we aim to help academics navigating the path of knowledge and foster a deeper understanding of the challenges in conducting research .

A career in scientific research can be highly rewarding and fulfilling for those who enjoy intellectual pursuits, value continuous learning, and want to make a positive impact on society. It offers exciting opportunities to unravel the mysteries of the world, push the boundaries of knowledge, and contribute to the collective understanding of humanity. However, one requires dedication, hard work, and perseverance to overcome the many research challenges you will encounter along the way.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Challenges faced by researchers

While each research journey is unique, the challenges faced by researchers share common threads that bind them together. By acknowledging and understanding these research challenges , academics can equip themselves with the knowledge and strategies needed to conduct research effectively.

1. Slow and time-consuming processes

The scientific process is often slow and iterative, and progress sometimes can only be measured in small increments over many months or years. Research takes time to execute, and oftentimes the results are uncertain. This can be frustrating for researchers who may have invested significant time, money, and effort into these projects. By being patient and persistent and inculcating a willingness to accept failure and setbacks, you can overcome this researcher challenge and make important contributions to your field.

2. Difficulty in getting grants and funds

One of the biggest challenges faced by researchers is securing adequate funding for their work. Grants can be highly competitive, and the process of applying can be time-consuming and complex. To secure research funding for your project, you need to seek out a variety of funding sources, including government grants, private foundations, and industry partnerships, and learn what is needed to write a successful grant proposal . One of the most common research challenges is writing a clear, concise, convincing grant proposal that outlines the goals and significance of your research and why the funding agency should support your project.

3. Juggling activities to ensure better time management

Managing multiple projects and deadlines successfully is among the most common research challenges . Careful time management , prioritizing work, and setting realistic goals and deadlines are simple ways for researchers to manage their many responsibilities. Experts suggest using strategies like breaking larger projects into smaller tasks and scheduling regular breaks to avoid burnout, a very real challenges faced by researchers .

5 challenges encountered in conducting a research project

4. Active networking and collaboration

Collaboration and networking is essential for research, but it can also be a big challenge faced by researchers . It can be difficult to build a network when you are just starting out, especially if you are unfamiliar with the language or uncomfortable with public speaking. It doesn’t get easier when it comes to collaborations, especially in interdisciplinary research projects. Researchers have different working styles or conflicting priorities, which can lead to tension and conflict when working with larger teams. To overcome this challenge in conducting research , scientists should set the right expectations from the start, establish clear communication channels, and be willing to work together to achieve shared goals.

5. Managing and evaluating huge amounts of information

Managing and analyzing large datasets can be a time-consuming and complex process. To overcome this research challenge , researchers should develop effective data management strategies, such as using cloud-based tools for storage and analysis and implementing best practices for data security and privacy. The collection, analysis and management of research data is critical to scientific study and career advancement, which makes it important to know how to develop an effective data management plan for researchers .

6. Successfully publishing in impactful journals

Publishing research in reputable journals is one of the biggest challenges faced by researchers globally. Researchers have to learn to navigate the peer-review process, respond to feedback, meet strict formatting and style guidelines, and develop strong academic writing and editing skills. Experts suggest seeking mentorship and guidance from senior researchers and overcoming this research challenge by using AI academic writing assistants like Paperpal, powered by Researcher Life, to ease the process.

7. Securing intellectual property

Intellectual property rights protect your research ideas and work from being used unfairly or incorrectly by others. However, protecting intellectual property can be a critical challenge faced by researchers , particularly those working in areas with high commercial potential. It’s important to know that different laws related to intellectual property rights can impact research collaboration across boundaries, so discuss this beforehand. One way to tackle this research challenge is to be aware of your rights and responsibilities regarding intellectual property and seek out legal advice and guidance as when required.

8. Understanding and following the nuances of academic and scientific ethics

Research ethics are among the top challenges faced by researchers . Plagiarism, falsification, fabrication, missing ethical declarations and non-compliance with standard ethical guidelines are considered inappropriate and can have serious consequences for researchers. Overcome this research challenge by following all ethical considerations in research ; this helps to maintain the high standards of science and research, ensure accountability, prioritize transparency, and ensure trust and integrity in your work.

9. Staying abreast of technological developments

Researchers must keep track of and use technology effectively, but the continually developing landscape can also be a source of frustration. Today, there are several online tools, software, and platforms to optimize your academic writing, research reading, science communication, and more. Oddly, the challenge faced by researchers here is keeping up with technology trends, finding AI tools that are tailored for academics, and effectively integrating them into their work.

10. Balancing work and life

One of the biggest and most common challenges faced by researchers is balancing the demands of a research career with personal and family responsibilities. PhD students and researchers must learn how to achieve a healthy work-life balance , prioritize self-care, and set boundaries to avoid academic burnout. Seeking support from peers, friends, and family is a great way to manage the stress that comes with a career in scientific research. Effective time management, pursuing a hobby, and taking breaks are other ways to find ways to take care of your mental health as a researcher.

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8 Challenges Faced by Researchers (and Tips to Help)

Published on 18 Jan 2023

Being a researcher is a rewarding career for many reasons: You get to explore new ideas, work with cutting-edge technology, learn about the world, and have important discussions with like-minded individuals.

But, research doesn’t come without its challenges.

Luckily, challenges get easier to overcome when you don’t feel alone in facing them. So, we’ve put together a list of the top 8 challenges that researchers face and some tips to help.

1. Choosing your research topic

Starting a new research project and narrowing your focus to a single topic is one of the first challenges you’ll learn to face as an early-career researcher . And, it’s also one of the most important ones.

Your topic for each new research project is the foundation on which all your other work rests, so it’s vital that you take your time in tackling this challenge. A well-thought-out topic can also help you avoid some of the challenges that we’ll discuss later in this article.

TIP: Stay flexible and consider all the angles

Obviously, you’re going to want to research something that’s compelling enough to hold your interest. But, picking a good topic requires much more than just deciding what you’re most excited about.

Start by identifying a few gaps in your research niche along with different angles you could take on each. You don’t have to change the world with your work, but you do want to pinpoint places where you can make a difference (i.e. adding something new to the body of knowledge that exists).

Evaluate each topic for how realistically you can achieve it. What resources do you have available? Are you short on money? Will it be hard to find people (participants or team members)? Are you on a time limit? Take all these factors into consideration to choose a topic that will be manageable for you.

Your final research topic will likely look a lot different from the one you had in your head when you first started out. Stay flexible as you discover potential barriers and develop new angles that you can take to overcome them.

2. Finding research funding

Another common challenge that researchers face is finding the money they need to get the research done. Sometimes this comes alongside the shock of how much the required materials, tools, and assistance will cost. Research is more expensive than most people imagine.

In addition, there are many researchers competing for the same grants and funding. So, the competition can be fierce, especially for early-career researchers and researchers in developing countries .

If you can’t pull together enough funding, you may have to make compromises that limit how effectively and efficiently you can complete your research. Depending on the project requirements, it’s possible you’ll have to postpone your research until enough money is secured.

TIP: Think outside your social and geographical boxes

It’s easy to get discouraged while on the hunt for funding. So, remind yourself that there will always be more opportunities. Start by reaching out to your network. Request letters of support to help you apply for the grants that you’ve identified.

Don’t be afraid to branch out. Search for sources online and apply for funding available from potential international research partners. Just because your own country doesn’t have the funding doesn’t mean there isn’t someone, somewhere else that will pay you to complete your research.

3. Convincing others of the value of your research

Your research may be important. But, few people will take your word for it without a little convincing. For projects that take a long time to execute or require significant resources, you’ll have to do even more convincing. Unfortunately, the best methods for estimating and demonstrating the impact of research aren’t always clear.

Even after you’ve completed your project, you’ll likely be asked to demonstrate the impact of your research to your funders/stakeholders. This is an important step for solidifying your reputation and that of your research institution.

TIP: Reflect on your research purpose

Set aside some reflection time throughout the development and execution of your research. Use this time to put your purpose under a microscope. Remind yourself why you began this project, what good has come from it already, and what more can be achieved. Reflection exercises help you maintain confidence in your goal. They also ensure that you always have something relevant to say when someone asks: “So, why should I care?”

In addition, it never hurts to improve your scientific storytelling skills . Getting people to care about concepts that they don’t fully understand is a difficult task. Storytelling can help you convince varied audiences of the value of your research.

4. Overcoming imposter syndrome

Researchers have to expose themselves and their work to criticism. While others are criticizing the value of your work, it can be hard to maintain a high level of confidence in yourself. And when your work takes a turn you didn’t expect, feelings of self-doubt can easily creep in.

If you start doubting your own skills and accomplishments, or feel that you’re not as capable as others, you might be experiencing imposter syndrome . It’s a problem that people in all professions face and, in severe cases, it can cause someone to feel like a fraud in spite of all they’ve accomplished.

TIP: Remind yourself of your research (and personal) success

If you’re experiencing feelings of self-doubt, boost your confidence by reviewing past research projects and reminding yourself of your achievements. Lining up the facts in front of you can help with overcoming feelings of inadequacy. If you don’t have a large research record, think about other personal or academic achievements that you’re proud of.

Seek help from others, whether that’s constructive feedback on your work or advice from a mental health professional. And, consider trying something completely new as a hobby outside of your research. Trying new things can shake you out of your usual thought patterns and, most importantly, it gives you permission to be okay with being “bad” at something.

5. Building a good research team (or finding collaborators)

Research is rarely done alone. Chances are you’re going to need a research team to support you (or collaborators in the same field of research to connect with).

If you’ve never built a research team before, you may struggle to know where to start. You may not even be sure what kind of people you work well with.

If you’re looking for research collaborators , you’ll quickly realize that your biggest competitors are often your best potential partners. The research community is a complicated environment and the “publish or perish” mentality doesn’t always foster natural cooperation.

TIP: Use all available resources and expand your network

Think about the resources closely available to you. If you’re early in your career, look for mentoring schemes at your institution or apply for funding to attend academic conferences . If you already have a significant network, think about potential collaborators you can reach out to within it.

When you’ve exhausted the closest available options, create more collaboration opportunities and be intentional in growing your network. In particular, consider looking for team members and connections who bring a perspective that challenges your usual way of thinking.

6. Recruiting research participants (or collecting samples)

Managing participant recruitment and sample collection is a difficult part of many research projects. It’s often the biggest hurdle between the question you have and the data you need to answer it.

Low email open rates, lack of support from institutions, and restrictive regulations are all frustrating for researchers in search of willing (and relevant) research participants. These recruitment issues can become even more prominent when your research focuses on socially-sensitive or politically-charged topics.

TIP: Don’t be afraid to ask (but be sure to come prepared)

Using research tools that help you recruit and collect data from participants is a given. But, these tools won’t help if you’re afraid or unprepared to ask for help.

Prepare a good argument for why people should participate in your research. Learn to sell your story and come up with potential incentives if needed. Finally, have all your forms and information ready if people ask for it.

Then, reach out to your network (or list of potential participants). The worst that can happen is that some will say “No.” And, when they do, don’t let that stop you. Get back up, dust yourself off, and try again. Perseverance is key.

7. Staying self-motivated and managing your time

When you’re managing a research project, it can seem like there’s never enough hours in the day. There’s an ongoing battle between considering all perspectives to keep your research balanced and taking a deep enough dive to make sure your research has an impact. It’s likely that you’ll have commitments outside of your research project as well. So, you’ll be fighting to maintain a good balance between other work, administrative, and personal tasks.

As your research project drags on, you may also start hitting a motivational wall. When you’re the person in charge of maintaining deadlines, the temptation to procrastinate on tasks you don’t enjoy can throw timelines off track.

TIP: Plan and put accountability systems in place

There’s plenty of advice out there to help you with motivation. In particular, if you take the proper care when planning your research project , you’ll be setting yourself up for success. Choosing a topic that is interesting and engaging is key in helping you fight motivational burnout later in the process.

If your topic is engaging but you’re still struggling with time management, try some of these tips:

Map your project in a visual calendar: If you haven’t already done this, sit down and input deadlines/tasks into a digital or physical calendar to help you break down your research project into more manageable chunks. It lifts some of the mental burden of remembering tasks and gives you a handy tool to see if you’re on track.
Set up a reward system: Whether it’s going out for a nice meal, binging your favorite TV show, or going on a fun day trip, think of rewards that are meaningful to you and tie them to specific project milestones. Follow through and give yourself those well-deserved breaks when you accomplish the associated milestones.
Find accountability buddies: Share your research goals with someone you trust and ask them to follow up with you. Knowing that someone other than yourself expects an update every few weeks can be extremely motivating.

8. Ensuring your research doesn’t sit and collect dust

Unfortunately, there are times when research that took a long time and a lot of effort is never used. Sometimes, this is because the expectations of the researcher and the funders didn’t line up. But more often, it’s because of a lack of effective effort to communicate the research results to stakeholders who can leverage it.

In the context of knowledge management, there is also a large body of partially completed research and data sets that are effectively “lost” to the larger community. When you’re incentivized to move on to your next research project quickly, you might deprioritize tasks like making your old research and unused data sets easily accessible to those who are looking for it (including your future self).

Even fully completed research is facing a knowledge management crisis. As mentioned in this study on researcher challenges by ExLibris:

“Advances in technology have changed the demands for transparency in sharing research… Most scholars (almost 60%) are now obligated to make their raw research datasets openly available with their published work. However, over a quarter of them (26%) find it difficult to do so in the context of current research data management solutions.”

TIP: Wrap up your research with the future in mind

When the end is in sight and you’re excited to move onto a new research topic, think about the impact that you want your research to have. If you don’t take the time to communicate your findings effectively or make your insights easily available, all the hard work you did could end up having a minimal real-world effect.

On a similar note, knowledge management benefits your future self. All of those notes and data that you didn’t publish? Where and how will you store them in case you want to access them later? Organize this information while it’s still fresh in your mind. Otherwise, you could find yourself staring at notes years later that seem like they were written in a foreign language. Even worse: bad organization could prevent you from even finding your old notes/data at all.

Research challenges: Expecting the unexpected

Being a researcher is full of unpredictable challenges. Careful preparation and planning can help with some of the common ones that come up. But, there will always be issues that catch you completely off guard.

While it would be great to be able to “expect the unexpected,” the most effective strategy for managing challenges is to simply keep an open mind. Recognize early on that your research is never going to go exactly the way you anticipate (and embrace that as part of the fun of being a researcher).

Maintain a curious enthusiasm about your research question and your research process. It will help you think outside of the box when unexpected challenges inevitably arise.

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11 common challenges you face as a researcher

As much as I love being a researcher, we experience some challenges when we try to lead research. Below I will share some of the common pain points other researchers, and I have faced within our roles.

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1. research is slow and expensive.

As research as a separate team is relatively new compared to engineering, product, or design, many stakeholders may not have worked with researchers in the past and understand the value that a researcher can bring to the table.

Additionally, because some research methodologies take time to execute or require external vendor support to get the best insight, there are perceptions that research is slow or expensive and will be a barrier or blocker in building or shipping products.

These can lead to research not being included in product conversations early, or at all, limiting the ability for analysis to provide strategic or directional support.

In other cases it may lead to research not getting the right budget to effectively perform their work, leading to researchers having to be scrappy, hacky and de-prioritize research that may take up a significant percentage of their budget.

2. Research teams of one, or silos

When research is not valued, organizations will not invest in a group. Many organizations will have an individual researcher across the entire company or multiple product areas, which can strain the researcher to rigorously prioritize what projects they work on and lead to frustrations with other teams if they are not getting research support.

In cases where research teams exist, researchers may be embedded in discrete or separate product areas, making it hard for researchers to collaborate or pair with other researchers on projects. When researchers come together to attend crit or share feedback and experiences, researchers spend time setting the context of what they're working on with peers (especially in non-consumer facing experiences) to ensure peers can provide meaningful feedback to support their projects.

3. Research execution

Sometimes, after a researcher has spent the time and effort creating a robust research report, it isn't used. A research report is usually not used because of a mismatch in expectations of the stakeholder and researcher. Researchers need to ensure that stakeholders are taken along the research creation journey to ensure there is alignment and buy-in from stakeholders.

In some cases, researchers may "throw research over the fence" in that they may not invest the effort in creating research outputs that resonate with stakeholders or take the time to have conversations and presentations with stakeholders to open a dialogue about the research and help the stakeholder understand how to leverage the research

4. Research not used

In other cases, product priorities may have shifted, or new dependencies now prevent the research findings from being integrated into products and design. Inaction on research can make it harder for researchers to feel like they impact their team when their work doesn't create change in the product.

Researchers must determine other ways to generate value from the work that they have done. Value might be in the form of looking for broader opportunities to share findings outside of the direct stakeholder team or share with their research team, where outputs have the chance to be used for related work.

5. Too much effort to add and search for previous work

Researchers can spend a lot of time looking for past research or data to support a stakeholder or research project. Because researchers have to quickly jump from one project to another to ensure they can continually provide value, 'meta work' such as knowledge management is usually deprioritized in the research process.

Researchers may actively try to stay up to date with knowledge management activities. As each researcher may have a different mental model for how to tag and store insights, other researchers can find it difficult to find research unless they know the right search keywords.

Whatever the format a researcher presents in (such as a presentation or report), it will be the same format that it is stored. An inconsistent storage format can be hard for future researchers to parse for insights, leading researchers to have to go through every individual report on a topic to determine if there are relevant insights.

6. Service model requests

Although stakeholders are critical to ensuring the value of research is understood, some stakeholders may come to a researcher with an explicit research request (e.g. "I want to do usability testing on this feature"). This experience puts researchers into a 'service model' and prevents researchers from providing real strategic value and looking for opportunities that may be blind spots from stakeholders.

Preventing service model situations from happening requires researchers to build strong proactive relationships with their stakeholders, so researchers are on the pulse of potential research opportunities and teach them how to come with questions, not solutions, to researcher conversations.

7. Institutional knowledge inhibits new research

As many stakeholders may have domain or institutional knowledge about the area that they are working in, they may make assumptions about customers or products, leading them to drive product decisions on their own experiences.

Although stakeholders might have daily interactions with customers, they are not customers. Their underlying biases and assumptions based on their experience may not always align with actual customer pain points and needs. Researchers must figure out ways to tactfully push back on these decisions to ensure that research can provide guidance, or analysis, to ensure customer needs are clearly understood.

8. Insight of one

If stakeholders are customer-facing, or are part of customer conversations, they are likely to receive feedback on the stakeholders' product or experience. Customers may also 'solutionize' (i.e. provide suggestions on fixing the product) during these conversations. If a customer is high value, stakeholders are more likely to reactively decide to change or re-prioritize work based on the customer's insight or product suggestion.

A robust stakeholder perspective may be challenging for researchers when they are looking to propose work that may be on a similar topic, as a stakeholder may be adamant that the insight they captured as part of the customer conversation covers the need to conduct additional research.

9. More time in operations means less time to research

The responsibility of all organization and operational activities are then put on the researcher, leaving them less time to focus on ensuring high-quality research throughout the process.

Having a dedicated research operations resource also enables them to focus on other ways to improve operations in planning, to run, and synthesizing research that can provide longer-term efficiency gains for researchers.

10. Recruiting participants is high effort

A large part of a research operations' role is managing the participant recruitment process. If a research panel with customers who have proactively opted to participate in research is not available (either internally or through a vendor), alternative sources have to be used to identify potential participants.

Email open rates generally average 15-25% , so if there is a niche participant type, it's even more challenging to recruit enough of the relevant participants to match the required sample size.

There may also be situations where participant types are not digitally active (e.g. truck drivers), which means potential participants need to be called and manually scheduled individually.

Additionally, managing participants can take more effort: in most cases, confirmation calls are conducted with participants the day before a research session to minimize the potential of no-shows, and allows participants to reschedule.

11. Managing vendors through onboarding processes

Vendors support research in two key ways:

Recruitment & Logistics: Managing participants, including recruiting, scheduling, and incentive management. Vendors help when there is difficulty finding participant requirements, non-customers / users of a product or if the study is blinded. They may also rent out research labs for researchers to facilitate sessions if internal facilities are not available.

Research execution: Running full research projects, including planning, recruiting, execution, and synthesis. These are useful when there is a scoped project with little to no ambiguity (e.g. competitive review, usability testing).

In both cases, vendors need to go through procurement to agree on the work, cost, and expected outputs.

There are usually questionnaires related to security, privacy, and operational structures for larger or enterprise organizations that one or more internal teams may manage. In these cases, the researcher / research ops must become the middleman, working across both the internal teams and vendor to prevent timeline slippage of projects.

Procurement can become more complicated if organizations have stringent privacy or data protection processes, as there are strict requirements on what data sharing with external parties (e.g., personally identifiable information or PII off-limits).

If there is data that the researcher needs to recruit with and they are denied access because of company policy, it can lead to the researcher and vendor having to determine workarounds that may risk the quality of participants or research output.

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Overcoming research challenges, by shreya murthy, peer research ambassador.

Its 11pm at night and you have to send some materials to your PI on your research project the next morning. All of a sudden, your computer screen goes blue, then black, then won’t turn on again; your computer just crashed with all of your research inside.

Participating in research is a really wonderful and engaging experience and helps students in so many personal and professional ways. However, when situations such as the above computer crash happen, things get a little more interesting.

Like with any endeavor, there are going to be successes and challenges. While your computer crashing may be a bit of an extreme research challenge, it can happen. However, the more likely issue may be erroneous data, or an experiment giving you results you did expect or not being able to find the right resource in the library. Each person’s research is different and thus necessitates a unique response. However, having the right attitude and mentality when dealing with these issues will always help the situation.

Recognize that these issues do happen and that it is a normal part of the research process. By accepting this as truth you can transition from a place of panic or anxiety over the issue to a place of problem solving. Try to figure out what caused the problem, try to understand how to prevent the problem from happening again, or try to understand what the issue is trying to tell you. Use this information to make adjustments.

Be flexible! This is probably one of the most important things about research. You have to be able to roll with whatever your project throws at you. Depending on how long it takes you to figure out the issue, you may realize that you have to amend your timeline for the project. Maybe your data collection and database creation will now take 2 months instead of 1. Maybe you need to spend more time working on your experiment and less time on something else.

Remember why you started researching this topic in the first place . This is absolutely crucial. When talking to students who are interested in getting involved in research one of the things that we highlight is the need to be very passionate and interested in the topic that you choose to study. This is one of the reasons why. When things get tough, your underlying passion and motivation to answer your research question is going to be the thing that gets you through the tough times. It is going to be the thing that pushes you to go back into your lab or spend time working out your computer problem.

Undergraduate research is really fun to conduct but it does present challenges and will test your resolve as a student and researcher. Having the right attitude and mindset will really help you out when your computer decides to mess with you or an experiment gives you some weird data.

Shreya is a senior majoring in Criminology, Human Rights, and Finance, with a minor in Political Science. Click here to learn more about Shreya.

11 common challenges you face as a researcher

Value and perception of research

Research is slow and expensive

These can lead to research not being included in product conversations early, or at all, limiting the ability for analysis to provide strategic or directional support.

Research team sizes

Research teams of one, or silos

Research execution

Throwing research over the fence

Research not used

Knowledge management

Too much effort to add and search for previous work

Stakeholders

Service model requests

Institutional knowledge inhibits new research

Insight of one

Research operations

More time in operations means less time to research

The level of effort for research operations activities generally spikes right before, and right after research execution . When research teams are small or scrappy, they are less likely to invest in having a dedicated research operations resource.

The responsibility of all organization and operational activities are then put on the researcher, leaving them less time to focus on ensuring high-quality research throughout the process.

Recruiting participants is high effort

Email open rates generally average 15-25% , so if there is a niche participant type, it's even more challenging to recruit enough of the relevant participants to match the required sample size.

There may also be situations where participant types are not digitally active (e.g. truck drivers), which means potential participants need to be called and manually scheduled individually.

Managing vendors through onboarding processes

Vendors support research in two key ways:

In both cases, vendors need to go through procurement to agree on the work, cost, and expected outputs.

Originally published on Dovetail’s Method in Madness

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Research Paper Challenges: A Guide to Overcoming Them

As the prevalence of research papers continues to increase in educational institutions, so does the need for guidance on how to effectively manage and overcome related challenges. This article provides an overview of some common obstacles that can be encountered when undertaking a research paper project, along with practical solutions which have proven successful among students. The material is supplemented with current case studies from different academic levels and disciplines as well as tips for maximizing resources available during this process. By analyzing these issues through a comprehensive approach, it is possible to gain an understanding of how best to tackle any given challenge associated with completing a research paper project.

I. Introduction to Research Paper Challenges

Ii. identifying the challenge at hand, iii. common causes of research paper difficulties, iv. developing an effective writing strategy, v. overcoming procrastination and distractions in writing a research paper, vi. making use of available resources for assistance with your project, vii .conclusion: understanding and resolving issues when working on a research paper.

Research papers can be quite intimidating. They require more detailed research, significant amount of time and energy to come up with quality results, and a deep understanding of the subject at hand. For many students, the biggest challenge comes from learning how to effectively navigate these academic hurdles while still producing high-quality work.

Selecting a Topic – Coming up with an interesting yet relevant topic that will yield meaningful results can be difficult.
Finding Relevant Sources – It is essential to have reliable sources in order for your paper’s argument to be taken seriously.

For researchers in the current academic climate, identifying an appropriate research challenge can be a daunting task. With each year bringing new theories and discoveries, staying up to date on current scholarly literature is a must for any ambitious scholar looking to break through barriers with their work. Furthermore, being able to recognize where further exploration is needed within the field provides invaluable insight that allows your project stand out from other similar ones.

One of the most important aspects of choosing a research topic lies in its ability to foster innovation while advancing existing knowledge. As such, potential projects should take into account recent publications as well as gaps in literature or areas ripe for additional exploration.

Establishing what questions are yet unanswered : Brainstorming about topics which still need answers helps ensure that your efforts result in something groundbreaking.
Research past investigations : Reviewing related studies conducted by previous scholars offers valuable information and inspiration when considering possible directions you might pursue.

Lack of Understanding and Organization The most common causes of difficulty when it comes to writing a research paper are lack of understanding the material and poor organization. Without knowing how to properly organize your thoughts, information, or sources into coherent sections with smooth transitions, you will not be able to produce an effective final product. Also crucial is having a basic understanding on which materials should be consulted for each topic – if you do not have this knowledge then you can easily become overwhelmed by all available sources.

Time Commitment For many researchers time management is also an issue as they often underestimate the amount needed to complete their paper in its entirety. All too often students wait until the last minute hoping that sufficient results can still be achieved under such tight constraints – unfortunately more times than none these papers end up being rushed jobs full of errors due to little planning ahead or dedication in researching topics thoroughly enough prior submitting them.

Focusing Your Ideas

Beginning your research paper can be an overwhelming task. It is important to narrow down and define the scope of your project, choose a topic that interests you, and develop a working thesis statement. You should also consider what types of sources are most suitable for supporting arguments in this particular area or on this subject matter. Gathering materials from reliable sources is essential for crafting an accurate argument.

Organizing Your Research Paper

Create an outline to ensure that all ideas are logically organized.
Set aside time each day devoted exclusively to researching and writing

. This allows you to make progress at a steady pace without becoming overwhelmed by deadlines or distractions.

Developing effective writing strategies such as creating drafts; organizing material into logical sections; revising content; proofreading text for clarity, consistency, accuracy and correctness will help expedite the process significantly.

. A combination of careful planning along with diligent effort towards completing tasks ahead of schedule will provide enough time needed for revisions if required before submission deadlines.

When it comes to writing a research paper, procrastination and distractions can be major hindrances to its completion. Fortunately, there are ways of overcoming them.

Set Clear Goals:

Establishing achievable goals is essential in keeping on task with your research paper. Set smaller, incremental objectives that you will need to complete throughout the process such as outlining chapters or conducting research interviews. Doing so helps make sure progress continues despite any bumps along the way.

Manage Your Time Wisely:

Time management plays a key role in beating procrastination and distraction when working on your paper. Structure your day into sections dedicated specifically for researching, drafting and editing without interruption from other activities or tasks like checking email frequently or engaging in social media conversations every few minutes – these are huge time wasters! It’s also important to schedule adequate rest periods during which you can do something completely different than what you’ve been doing while working on the project; this keeps creativity alive during crunch times ahead of deadlines.

Uncovering and Utilizing Research Resources It can be difficult to know where to look for help when it comes to researching a project, especially when working with limited time. Start by consulting your professor or teaching assistant: they will likely have access to resources that may not immediately be available elsewhere. Once you’ve identified potential sources of assistance, such as in the university library’s collections, take some time to familiarize yourself with their offerings. Ask questions about what materials are offered — online databases? physical texts? — and how best make use of them. You may also want consider whether supplemental options exist within your research area; examples include interview transcripts or public opinion polls.

Finding reliable academic sources
Using primary and secondary source material appropriately

Being cognizant of these elements is essential if you hope for your project paper’s results and conclusions be taken seriously among colleagues. That being said, the process shouldn’t intimidate you either – practice makes perfect! Asking clarifying questions is always recommended, so don’t hesitate approach knowledgeable people who might aid in providing effective guidance along the way – from professors all the way up through experienced professionals in relevant fields.

Conclusion: Understanding and Resolving Issues When Working on a Research Paper

Issues can arise when working on any research paper. As daunting as this prospect may be, it is important to understand the most common issues in order to effectively manage them. Some of these issues include inadequate understanding of the topic or sources used; inadequate time to conduct research and write up findings; limited access to relevant information resources; difficulties in assessing evidence for reliability or accuracy, etc.

The key is having an organized approach towards resolving such issues. The researcher should start by clearly identifying what aspects need attention – this will help narrow down the scope of action required while tackling problems related with their project. It also helps if they discuss their work openly with colleagues and mentors who can provide insight into possible solutions that might not have occurred otherwise. Furthermore, researchers must stay aware about recent developments related to their subject area which would improve understanding from multiple perspectives thus resulting in improved writing quality overall.

The challenges that accompany the research paper can be intimidating. With this guide, we have sought to provide insight into strategies for overcoming these obstacles and to assist researchers in turning their projects from mere ideas into tangible accomplishments. Through an understanding of what they may encounter while writing a research paper, as well as proactive solutions to address each challenge, authors will find themselves better prepared for any issue along the way. This article provides valuable guidance on how one might successfully overcome all manner of roadblocks during the course of researching and writing a quality piece.

Four key challenges of a great research project

February 14, 2022

Your research project is about to begin. You’ve checked out a bunch of resources and listened to a bunch of advice. You know all the tricks and techniques for knowledge gathering necessary to make this project great. What you might not have thought about are the challenges you’re likely to face.

From unquestioned assumptions to imperfect data, research projects can throw a variety of challenges up in front of an intrepid researcher. Knowing which ones you’re likely to encounter and how to deal with them can transform the outcome of your project.

Identifying your assumptions

Even the most impartial researcher will have certain assumptions about how they think their project might work out. For instance, you might think that gathering data from demographic a will probably reveal trends x and y . Letting assumptions like these go unexamined is dangerous, as you may, consciously or unconsciously, arrange your study to increase the likelihood of arriving at those conclusions.

Your research project should begin by making a logbook of your assumptions. Make a list of hypotheses and note the assumptions in them. Include everything from established theories in your subject area to methods of data collection you presume will be most effective for you. If you’re embarking on an academic research project, you should also take careful note of assumptions you find in journal articles during a literature review. Assumptions left unquestioned by prior researchers can be opportunities for further research for you. And if you don’t believe us, believe Einstein .

If your research project is for a business exercise, kick things off by getting your stakeholders together to address everyone’s assumptions head-on. Take note of everyone’s assumptions about your research topic and where they come from — instinct, prior data, previous research, or elsewhere. Existing knowledge (or, as it’s sometimes known, conventional wisdom ) is a great place for assumptions to hide.

Your aim should be to test these assumptions throughout your project. For a business-oriented research project, you can test assumptions about user needs or behaviors against focus groups . For academic research projects, you can test them against a figure of trust, like an editor, a project supervisor, or a mentor.

Finding your data

From scientific research to UX research, quantitative data is key to any modern field of study. But finding good quality data can be tricky. Some very worthwhile areas of interest are obscure and difficult to access, either incidentally ( like a poorly documented online subculture) or intentionally (such as anything to do with an individual's medical history). Even in more accessible subject areas, you might find that data is available but poorly organized or not easily available in readable formats like CSVs.

Your search for data begins by establishing the personas or communities you’re interested in. Finding your data can be tough, but it’s impossible if you don’t really know who you’re looking to gather information from. For example, targeting a very broad audience like “millennials” is a surefire way to incur avoidable problems finding good data. But targeting something more specific audience like “millennials earning more than $50,000 per year with a history of using product x ” will make data gathering easier.

Familiarize yourself with basic web scraping techniques before you kick off the data collection phase of your project. This will make it easier to collect information from sites that display readily available data but that don’t offer easily downloadable CSVs.

If your project requires you to talk with hard-to-reach communities, begin building a network in that community before your project begins. Consult existing connections you might have. Approach community leaders on social media. And be aware that ethical safeguards must be put in place if your research project concerns vulnerable populations .

Working with bad data

An absence of data is a challenge, and bad data is a completely different challenge. If you’re using a methodology based on secondary data analysis, you might find the data available to you is not of sufficient quality for you to use in its current state.

The first step to overcoming this challenge involves understanding what the problem is with the data.

Does the data have poor metadata or logging conventions, making it hard to locate or parse?
Is the data incomplete, with multiple entries missing?
Is the data gathered from a sample size that’s too small?
Is the data gathered without sufficient ethical safeguards in place?

From there, you must determine if the bad data is salvageable. Data gathered unethically is an automatic no-go, as your project could have legal or moral ramifications. Data that’re incomplete or drawn from an unrepresentative sample size can be salvaged if its metadata demonstrates how the data is unrepresentative or incomplete. For example, if the data is biased by age and the metadata indicates what age it’s biased toward, it may be possible to build upon that data with an additional targeted study.

Datasets that have poor metadata can also be salvaged if the metadata is not so bad as to make the overall set insensible. It’s also salvageable if the set is not so large that manually amending the metadata is impossible.

If you determine the data you’re working with can’t be saved, scrape new data from available open databases. Otherwise, you may have to switch to a primary data collection methodology. It might cost more and require a longer time frame, but it will save your project.

Securing stakeholder buy-in

Whether you’re embarking on an academic-minded- or business-driven research project, managing stakeholder expectations is a common challenge. Stakeholders can often be a tremendous asset to a project’s final outcome, but you can just as often find them resistant to your research direction, focus, or even the project itself.

Business-oriented research projects might encounter resistance from stakeholders who lack belief in R&D or team members who don’t want to invest time and input. Academic research programs can also find themselves falling afoul of the sensibilities of their supervisor or grant funder if the project is interdisciplinary.

The best research projects often come from bold ideas and the desire to try new things. Learn to sell your project in your stakeholder’s language. For example, an academic should situate their proposal in the context of a well-executed literature review that includes content that advisors or grant providers know and credit. They can also draw stakeholder attention to the similarities between their research proposal and previous projects in their field of study that successfully delivered value.

For business research projects, a project leader faced with skeptical stakeholders should demonstrate the cost of going ahead with a project without the right research data. They should also provide examples of companies whose bold approach to R&D paid off big time, though it can be just as effective to cite companies who totally missed the boat on big innovations. If you’re encountering particular opposition from a particular team in your organization, explain to them how success in this research project will make their lives easier.

Trying to do it all alone

Whether the posited outcome of your study is a groundbreaking research paper or a splendid new product, having a proactive approach to potential challenges makes for a more fruitful research process. No more getting blindsided at the 11th hour by the realization you’ve been operating under a false assumption all this time! No more bad data!

And whatever the nature of your research project, you need the right tools to help secure the basics — like finding and saving useful sources so they remain accessible to you. And we’ve got just the tool to make keeping track of the important stuff a whole lot easier.

Ready to step up your research game?

Heyday automatically saves the content you view and resurfaces it within your existing workflows - so you don't need to keep 100+ tabs open! It's like having your own personal research assistant.

Three big research challenges (and how to overcome them)

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Building on our work with researchers across scores of industries we’ve pinpointed three key challenges that – like the proverbial bad penny – come up again and again.

Firstly there’s the headache of harmonizing disjointed data sets across multiple regions and/or audiences.
Then there’s the challenge of managing your time, your team’s time, and your access to resources.
Finally there’s the unwelcome phenomenon of imposter syndrome, whereby highly able practitioners start questioning their professional legitimacy for no apparent reason.

If any (or all) of the challenges we outline here sound familiar, believe us, we understand.

We’re more than familiar with the challenges researchers face.

In this article we look at each issue in more depth and offer a few ideas to help you fight back.

1. The disjointed data set challenge

High-quality data is one of the most valuable commodities in a researcher’s toolkit .

In contrast, dodgy data sets drain researcher resources and limit effectiveness. This we all know.

Unfortunately working with data from legacy systems with no single or unified customer view isn’t exactly unheard of.

That’s because the customer experience is increasingly complex due to the proliferation of devices and channels, and organizational conflicts can lead to siloed data and duplicate customer records across multiple databases.

The solution

The first step to overcoming the disjointed data set challenge is acknowledging that less-than-perfect data environments aren’t necessarily a showstopper.

In many cases you can successfully leverage disjointed or incomplete data, supplementing it with third-party data or using large scale surveys to probabilistically link data sets.

While our position is simple – single-sourced market research is the most effective way forward – it’s sometimes necessary to focus on finding imaginative ways to make things work, perhaps by widening your net to include other sources.

You’ve probably heard the old saying about how the bendy reed can survive storms that topple the mighty oak. Very poetic, but also very true.

It’s important that researchers can flex in response to events, including deficiencies in their data sources.

This is often about reaction time and team attitudes.

If your researchers can respond to events quickly, effectively and with a glad heart then you’re in a great place; if they’re slow and resistant to change then less so. Similarly, being able to make sense of the noise associated with disjointed data positions researchers as the experts in the room, with the insights and understanding to act as trusted advisors to decision makers. Another example of flexibility in practice is making sure you can add new data sets to your core data to create a harmonious whole that expands to match your needs.

Our platform makes it incredibly easy to ingest new GWI data sets. That way your insights will always be relevant, whatever direction your business takes in the future.

2. The managing time and resources challenge

For busy research teams there are rarely enough hours in the day.

There’s a constant struggle between taking a broad enough approach (to make sure you’ve covered all the ground) and going deep enough (to make sure you’ve bottomed out the search for insights).

In practice this means that even with access to the right data sets, uncovering insights with the power to transform a strategy, campaign or business model can be a major challenge.

There are several things you can do that together should help you triumph over this challenge.

Firstly it’s essential to use the freshest possible data so tasks can be completed quickly and efficiently without being derailed by out-of-date stuff.

Secondly it’s important to keep all your data in one, easily accessible location.

Using a single data source with a single methodology means you don’t waste time trying to connect disparate data sets.

Finally – and importantly – it pays to use powerful and intuitive tools, more of which in the next section.

The right tools can make a major difference when it comes to time and resources challenges.

We’ve redesigned our platform from the ground up to help researchers overcome this exact issue. The result saves time and maximizes efficiency (with a visual interface that’s miles away from the clunky systems of the past), supports the effortless ingestion of the latest data from GWI, and integrates everything in one easy-to-use location.

Our new platform’s introducing smarter search tools, the ability to “fave ‘n’ save” almost everything, and an intuitive resources app meaning you get to the stuff you actually want, in far less time.

At the same time we’ve flattened the learning curve to such an extent that members of your team should be able to jump in and start generating results almost immediately, massively reducing any bottleneck around resources.

(Keep an eye out for updates on the release of our brand new platform coming this summer.)

3. The imposter syndrome challenge

No one likes feeling on the back foot, least of all researchers whose work is supposed to inspire confidence and could underpin huge spending decisions.

But when stakeholders almost inevitably know more than you about a particular topic it can be a challenge to avoid creeping feelings of self-doubt. According to the Harvard Business Review , imposter syndrome is “a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.”

Imposters suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.” Ouch.

No-one can know everything (even if they appear to), and that as a researcher you’re really a detective, not an encyclopedia.

Your job is to know how to find stuff for your stakeholders, not to know it already.

That’s absurdly unrealistic. So – as far as possible – stop worrying and start reminding yourself of past successes.

All that good stuff in your past career? Remind yourself that you helped make it happen.

Facts are the key to overcoming feelings of inadequacy every time.

Within revenue-orientated teams, the ability of research leaders to demonstrate a genuine ROI from their work is a great way to overcome feelings of imposterism. Nothing says “credibility” like cold, hard cash. Although sometimes tricky, there are ways to measure research and insight ROI and your team’s impact on your business, perhaps the simplest and most effective is looking at straightforward commercial success.

Using this approach, City Pantry – one of London’s leading office catering marketplace businesses – were recently able to demonstrate cost-per-lead figures 75% lower than other campaigns of a similar type thanks to uniquely positioned, insight-driven content.

For teams where revenue earning is at one remove (say product development) other metrics make more sense, for example speed of decision-making.

The point is that collaboration between teams and clear communication of results and data make demonstrating research and insight ROI a practical proposition, with the confidence dividend that implies.

The big takeaways

Obviously there are no foolproof solutions to any of the challenges we’ve just outlined.

That said, the ideas we put forward above can undoubtedly reduce the difficulty that hard-pressed researchers face on the daily:

Use a single-sourced, regularly updated data set
Seek out and use the latest tools
Believe in yourself and your track record

Perhaps the most important takeout is that very few problems in our world are truly intractable, and where there’s a will, switched-on research professionals can usually find a way.

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Research Work Problems and Solutions: Overcoming Challenges for Success

Research work problems and solutions

Research is crucial for academic and scientific progress, but it comes with challenges. Researchers often face obstacles that can slow them down and affect their work quality. In this blog post, we’ll discuss common research problems and practical solutions to overcome them. Let’s explore how to tackle these challenges and keep pushing forward in our pursuit of knowledge and innovation.

Types of Research Problems

1. Problem: Limited Resources

One of the most prevalent challenges in research work is the scarcity of resources, including funding, equipment, and access to relevant literature. Limited resources can impede the execution of experiments, data collection, and analysis, thereby compromising the validity and reliability of the research.

a) Seek funding opportunities: Look for grants, scholarships, and fellowships that align with your research topic. Explore government funding agencies, private foundations, and research institutions that offer financial support.

b) Collaborate with others: Establish collaborations with other researchers or institutions to pool resources, share equipment, or gain access to specialized facilities.

c) Utilize open-access resources: Take advantage of open-access journals, online databases, and repositories to access relevant literature and reduce costs.

2. Problem: Time Management

Research involves careful planning, organization, and time management. However, researchers often struggle to juggle multiple tasks like literature review, data collection, analysis, and writing. This can cause delays and inefficiencies.

a) Create a research schedule: Develop a realistic timeline, breaking down your research project into smaller tasks with specific deadlines. This will help you prioritize and allocate time effectively.

b) Set achievable goals: Set daily or weekly goals that are attainable and measurable. Celebrate small milestones to stay motivated and maintain productivity.

c) Delegate and collaborate: Involve research assistants or collaborators to distribute workload and share responsibilities. Effective communication and coordination will optimize time management.

Fig 1: Problems faced by researchers very often in their research career

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/SundarShetty2/problem-and-solution-to-indian-researcher

3. Problem: Experimental Challenges

Conducting experiments can pose significant hurdles, including technical difficulties, equipment malfunction, or unforeseen variables that affect the outcomes. Such obstacles can disrupt the research process and yield unreliable or inconclusive results.

a) Conduct pilot studies: Before embarking on a large-scale experiment, perform pilot studies to identify potential challenges and refine your methodology.

b) Anticipate and plan for contingencies: Consider potential risks and challenges during experimental design. Develop backup plans and alternative approaches to mitigate unforeseen circumstances.

c) Seek expert advice: Consult with experienced researchers, technicians, or mentors in your field to gain insights and recommendations for troubleshooting experimental challenges.

4. Problem: Data Analysis and Interpretation

Analyzing and interpreting data accurately is crucial for drawing meaningful conclusions. However, researchers often encounter issues related to data quality, statistical analyses, and drawing appropriate inferences.

a) Enhance data quality: Ensure data integrity through rigorous data collection techniques, proper documentation, and quality control measures. Validate data through repeated measurements or independent verification.

b) Seek statistical guidance: Collaborate with statisticians or data analysts to select appropriate statistical tests, analyze complex data, and interpret results accurately.

c) Engage in peer discussion: Present your findings to peers or participate in research forums to gain feedback and alternative perspectives on data interpretation.

Research can be tough, but it’s worth it. By recognizing and dealing with common research problems, researchers can improve their work. Whether it’s getting resources, managing time, handling experiments, or analysing data accurately, using the suggested solutions leads to successful outcomes.

Questions for Readers:

What are some other common challenges you have faced during your research work?
How do you typically manage your time while conducting research?
Have you ever encountered any experimental challenges, and how did you overcome them?
What strategies do you employ to ensure accurate data analysis and interpretation in your research?

Liked what you read. For more exciting content, do visit our website https://www.manuscriptedit.com/scholar-hangout/ .

You can also mail us at [email protected] for any queries.

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3.5 Challenges Conducting Developmental Research

Learning objectives.

Describe challenges associated with conducting research in lifespan development

Challenges Associated with Conducting Developmental Research

The previous sections describe research tools to assess development across the lifespan, as well as the ways that research designs can be used to track age-related changes and development over time. Before you begin conducting developmental research, however, you must also be aware that testing individuals of certain ages (such as infants and children) or making comparisons across ages (such as children compared to teens) comes with its own unique set of challenges. In the final section of this module, let’s look at some of the main issues that are encountered when conducting developmental research, namely ethical concerns, recruitment issues, and participant attrition.

Ethical Concerns

As a student of the social sciences, you may already know that Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) must review and approve all research projects that are conducted at universities, hospitals, and other institutions (each broad discipline or field, such as psychology or social work, often has its own code of ethics that must also be followed, regardless of institutional affiliation). An IRB is typically a panel of experts who read and evaluate proposals for research. IRB members want to ensure that the proposed research will be carried out ethically and that the potential benefits of the research outweigh the risks and potential harm (psychological as well as physical harm) for participants.

What you may not know though, is that the IRB considers some groups of participants to be more vulnerable or at-risk than others. Whereas university students are generally not viewed as vulnerable or at-risk, infants and young children commonly fall into this category. What makes infants and young children more vulnerable during research than young adults? One reason infants and young children are perceived as being at increased risk is due to their limited cognitive capabilities, which makes them unable to state their willingness to participate in research or tell researchers when they would like to drop out of a study. For these reasons, infants and young children require special accommodations as they participate in the research process. Similar issues and accommodations would apply to adults who are deemed to be of limited cognitive capabilities.

When thinking about special accommodations in developmental research, consider the informed consent process. If you have ever participated in scientific research, you may know through your own experience that adults commonly sign an informed consent statement (a contract stating that they agree to participate in research) after learning about a study. As part of this process, participants are informed of the procedures to be used in the research, along with any expected risks or benefits. Infants and young children cannot verbally indicate their willingness to participate, much less understand the balance of potential risks and benefits. As such, researchers are oftentimes required to obtain written informed consent from the parent or legal guardian of the child participant, an adult who is almost always present as the study is conducted. In fact, children are not asked to indicate whether they would like to be involved in a study at all (a process known as assent ) until they are approximately seven years old. Because infants and young children cannot easily indicate if they would like to discontinue their participation in a study, researchers must be sensitive to changes in the state of the participant (determining whether a child is too tired or upset to continue) as well as to parent desires (in some cases, parents might want to discontinue their involvement in the research). As in adult studies, researchers must always strive to protect the rights and well-being of the minor participants and their parents when conducting developmental research.

This video from the US Department of Health and Human Services provides an overview of the Institutional Review Board process.

You can view the transcript for “How IRBs Protect Human Research Participants” here (opens in new window) .

Recruitment

An additional challenge in developmental science is participant recruitment. Recruiting university students to participate in adult studies is typically easy. Many colleges and universities offer extra credit for participation in research, can reach potential participants through email listservs, or can enhance recruitment efforts through social media. Unfortunately, young children cannot be recruited by making announcements in Introduction to Psychology courses, by posting ads on campuses, or through online platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk. Given these limitations, how do researchers go about finding infants and young children to be in their studies?

The answer to this question varies along multiple dimensions. Researchers must consider the number of participants they need and the financial resources available to them, among other things. Location may also be an important consideration. Researchers who need large numbers of infants and children may attempt to recruit them by obtaining infant birth records from the state, county, or province in which they reside. Some areas make this information publicly available for free, whereas birth records must be purchased in other areas (and in some locations birth records may be entirely unavailable as a recruitment tool). If birth records are available, researchers can use the obtained information to call families by phone or mail them letters describing possible research opportunities. All is not lost if this recruitment strategy is unavailable, however. Researchers can choose to pay a recruitment agency to contact and recruit families for them. Although these methods tend to be quick and effective, they can also be quite expensive. More economical recruitment options include posting advertisements and fliers in locations frequented by families, such as mommy-and-me classes, local malls, and preschools or daycare centers. Researchers can also utilize online social media outlets, which allows users to post recruitment advertisements for a small fee. Of course, each of these different recruitment techniques requires IRB approval. And if children are recruited and/or tested in school settings, permission would need to be obtained ahead of time from teachers, schools, and school districts (as well as informed consent from parents or guardians).

And what about the recruitment of adults? While it is easy to recruit young college students to participate in research, some would argue that it is too easy and that college students are samples of convenience. They are not randomly selected from the wider population, and they may not represent all young adults in our society (this was particularly true in the past with certain cohorts, as college students tended to be mainly white males of high socioeconomic status). In fact, in the early research on aging, this type of convenience sample was compared with another type of convenience sample—young college students tended to be compared with residents of nursing homes! Fortunately, it didn’t take long for researchers to realize that older adults in nursing homes are not representative of the older population; they tend to be the oldest and sickest (physically and/or psychologically). Those initial studies probably painted an overly negative view of aging, as young adults in college were being compared to older adults who were not healthy, had not been in school nor taken tests in many decades, and probably did not graduate high school, let alone college. As we can see, recruitment and random sampling can be significant issues in research with adults, as well as infants and children. For instance, how and where would you recruit middle-aged adults to participate in your research?

A tired looking mother closes her eyes and rubs her forehead as her baby cries.

Another important consideration when conducting research with infants and young children is attrition . Although attrition is quite common in longitudinal research in particular (see the previous section on longitudinal designs for an example of high attrition rates and selective attrition in lifespan developmental research), it is also problematic in developmental science more generally, as studies with infants and young children tend to have higher attrition rates than studies with adults. For example, high attrition rates in ERP (event-related potential, which is a technique to understand brain function) studies oftentimes result from the demands of the task: infants are required to sit still and have a tight, wet cap placed on their heads before watching still photographs on a computer screen in a dark, quiet room. In other cases, attrition may be due to motivation (or a lack thereof). Whereas adults may be motivated to participate in research in order to receive money or extra course credit, infants and young children are not as easily enticed. In addition, infants and young children are more likely to tire easily, become fussy, and lose interest in the study procedures than are adults. For these reasons, research studies should be designed to be as short as possible – it is likely better to break up a large study into multiple short sessions rather than cram all of the tasks into one long visit to the lab. Researchers should also allow time for breaks in their study protocols so that infants can rest or have snacks as needed. Happy, comfortable participants provide the best data.

Conclusions

Lifespan development is a fascinating field of study – but care must be taken to ensure that researchers use appropriate methods to examine human behavior, use the correct experimental design to answer their questions, and be aware of the special challenges that are part-and-parcel of developmental research. After reading this chapter, you should have a solid understanding of these various issues and be ready to think more critically about research questions that interest you. For example, what types of questions do you have about lifespan development? What types of research would you like to conduct? Many interesting questions remain to be examined by future generations of developmental scientists – maybe you will make one of the next big discoveries!

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Chapter 5. Challenges in Improving Community Engagement in Research

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Jo Anne Grunbaum, EdD

Introduction

This chapter addresses common challenges faced in community-engaged research, whether that research meets the definition of community-based participatory research (CBPR) or falls elsewhere on the spectrum of community engagement efforts. These challenges and some approaches for meeting them are illustrated with a series of vignettes that describe real-life experiences of partnerships emanating from the Prevention Research Centers (PRC) program, the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program, and other community-engaged research (CEnR) efforts.

CDC funds PRCs in schools of public health and medicine; the first three PRCs were funded in 1986. Currently, 37 PRCs are funded across 27 states, working as an interdependent network of community, academic, and public health partners to conduct applied prevention research and support the wide use of practices proven to promote good health. These partners design, test, and disseminate strategies that can be implemented as new policies or recommended public health practices. For more information on the PRC program, visit https://www.cdc.gov/prc .

The CTSA program began in 2006 with 12 sites funded by the National Center for Research Resources, a part of NIH. As of publication, the CTSA Consortium includes 55 medical research institutions located throughout the nation that work together to energize the discipline of clinical and translational science. The CTSA institutions share a common vision to improve human health by transforming the research and training environment in the U.S. to enhance the efficiency and quality of clinical and translational research. Community engagement programs in the CTSAs help foster collaborative and interdisciplinary research partnerships, enhance public trust in clinical and translational research, and facilitate the recruitment and retention of research participants to learn more about health issues in the United States’ many diverse populations. For more information on the CTSA Consortium, visit https://ctsa.ncats.nih.gov/ External .

Engaging and maintaining community involvement.
Overcoming differences between and among academics and the community.
Working with nontraditional communities.
Initiating a project with a community and developing a community advisory board.
Overcoming competing priorities and institutional differences.

Each vignette describes a challenge faced by a partnership and the actions taken and provides pertinent take-home messages. The intention is to provide readers with snapshots of community engagement activity during the research process. Readers are encouraged to contact the authors or refer to the references for further information concerning findings and follow-up.

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Published: 08 December 2023

Challenges and strategies for conducting research in primary health care practice: an integrative review

Daiana Bonfim 1 ,
Lorrayne Belotti 1 ,
Leticia Yamawaka de Almeida 1 ,
Ilana Eshriqui 1 ,
Sofia Rafaela Maito Velasco 1 ,
Camila Nascimento Monteiro 1 &
Adelson Guaraci Jantsch 2

BMC Health Services Research volume 23 , Article number: 1380 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

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Providing accessible and high-quality patient-centered healthcare remains a challenge in many countries, despite global efforts to strengthen primary health care (PHC). Research and knowledge management are integral to enhancing PHC, facilitating the implementation of successful strategies, and promoting the use of evidence-based practices. Practice-based research in primary care (PC-PBR) has emerged as a valuable approach, with its external validity to diverse PHC settings, making it an effective means of translating research findings into professional practice.

To identify challenges and strategies for conducting practice-based research in primary health care services.

An integrative literature review was conducted by searching the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Lilacs databases. The research question, guided by the PICo framework, directed the execution of study selection and data extraction. Data analysis followed the RAdAR method's three phases: pre-analysis, data analysis, and interpretation of results.

Out of 440 initially identified articles, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were conducted in high-income countries, primarily the United States. The challenges and strategies for PC-PBR were categorized into six themes: research planning, infrastructure, engagement of healthcare professionals, knowledge translation, the relationship between universities and health services, and international collaboration. Notable challenges included research planning complexities, lack of infrastructure, difficulties in engaging healthcare professionals, and barriers to knowledge translation. Strategies underscore the importance of adapting research agendas to local contexts, providing research training, fostering stakeholder engagement, and establishing practice-based research networks.

The challenges encountered in PC-PBR are consistent across various contexts, highlighting the need for systematic, long-term actions involving health managers, decision-makers, academics, diverse healthcare professionals, and patients. This approach is essential to transform primary care, especially in low- and middle-income countries, into an innovative, comprehensive, patient-centered, and accessible healthcare system. By addressing these challenges and implementing the strategies, PC-PBR can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between research and practice, ultimately improving patient care and population health.

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Introduction

Despite global efforts toward strengthening primary health care (PHC) in the last 40 years, providing accessible and good quality patient-centered health care is still a challenge to most countries. Recently, the report Operational Framework for Primary Health Care (2020) released by the World Health Organization reinforced the principles of the Astana Declaration highlighting 14 levers that must be simultaneously pulled to promote PHC across the world [ 1 ].

One of those 14 “operational levers” describes the importance of conducting research that is meaningful for PHC: “ Research and knowledge management, including dissemination of lessons learned, as well as the use of knowledge to accelerate the scale-up of successful strategies to strengthen PHC ” [ 1 ] . Although conducting research that meets these premises is not simple, primary care practice-based research (PC-PBR) has become an important vehicle for the development of science in the real world, because of its external validity to other PHC settings and contexts, making knowledge translation easier to put evidence into professional practice [ 2 ].

PC-PBR occurs in the context of patient health care in the community, according to Dolor et al. (2015), resulting in the research questions being primarily generated by the health services to respond to the needs of their territory [ 3 ]. PHC is responsible for serving as the first point of contact for patients, through which all health issues should be addressed. It serves as an ideal setting for conducting practice-based research, encompassing the implementation of innovations and studies aimed at enhancing the quality of care for various health conditions. These conditions span across diverse areas, including mental health [ 4 ] and chronic kidney disease [ 5 ]. Furthermore, it is also pertinent in the context of public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic [ 6 ].

One solution to foster this type of research is creating practice-based research networks (PBRNs). Their aim is to bring healthcare professionals, researchers, health managers, and academic institutions together, facilitating partnerships, and providing structure and technical support to healthcare professionals to carry out research projects that are developed and conducted in PHC settings to tackle important aspects of PHC [ 7 , 8 ]. They also help on the job of acquiring funding, capacity building, organizing the necessary logistics to put a research project in place and all sorts of tasks from study design to publication [ 3 , 9 ]. In this way, PBRNs seek to promote a culture of scientific research in an environment originally dedicated to health care [ 10 ] and to answer relevant questions about the local health needs of PHC services. According to Bodenheimer et al. (2005), PBRNs are increasingly seen as institutions that can simultaneously conduct research efficiently and leverage changes in practice [ 11 ], serving as laboratories for approaching important challenges to PHC.

However, a preview study [ 9 ] developed in Canada described some lessons learned to engage PBRLNs present aspects related to the need for continuity in ethics, regular team meetings, enhancing levels of engagement with stakeholders, the need for structural support and recognizing differences in data sharing across provinces.

Even though the literature on PC-PBR is growing, “How to implement a PBRN and how to scale PC-PBR?” and “How can a healthcare service become a setting for knowledge and innovation production?” are two questions still unanswered. Moreover, scenarios with incipient PHC could benefit from evidence-oriented policies and practice-oriented research. To answer these two questions, available information from places that already run PC-PBR projects needs to be systematized around the challenges, obstacles and solutions found by other researchers. Aiming to help researchers from low- and middle-income countries that are willing to produce research in primary care, we performed an integrative review identifying the challenges and strategies for carrying out PC-PBR.

An integrative literature review was performed based on the methodology proposed by Whittemore & Knafl (2005) [ 12 ] that includes (a) identification of the problem, (b) literature search, (c) evaluation, (d) analysis and (e) presentation of results. Differently from a systematic review, the broader focus of an integrative review enables the inclusion of studies using different methodologies (qualitative, quantitative and mixed) in the analysis and supplies the methodological rigor necessary for a broader understanding of one specific phenomenon [ 13 , 14 ].

Literature search

The research question was developed using the PICo framework (Population, Interest and Context). The elements were organized by P - Primary health care (PHC); I - Challenges and Strategies; Co - Practice-based research (PBR); resulting in the guiding question: “What are the challenges and strategies to carry out PBR in PHC?”. Data were collected in February 2022 by a librarian affiliated with the authors' institution from the databases PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Lilacs. The database selection was conducted to ensure comprehensive coverage of relevant literature, encompassing multidisciplinary and geographical perspectives related to practice-based research in primary care. The search utilized descriptions and keywords from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Health Science Descriptors (DeCS), combined with the Boolean operators 'AND' and 'OR' (Table 1 ).

Study selection

Articles in English, Spanish and Portuguese were included, regardless of their publication year. Review studies, essays, letters to the editor, studies conducted in non-PHC settings (e.g., emergency services), and those focused on specific health problems were excluded.

Two researchers independently screened the articles by title and abstract (SRMV e AGJ), and the disagreements were resolved through discussion and mediation by a third author (LB). Following this stage, the studies were read in their entirety by the same two authors. During this phase, any remaining disagreements regarding the final inclusion were examined and decided by the authors. In the study selection phase, the software Rayyan was employed as a tool for managing and screening research articles.

Data extraction

Information was systematically extracted from the selected articles and organized using a custom-designed spreadsheet, enabling the identification of key aspects essential for addressing the research question. These included author names, publication year, study type, study location, research objectives, methodologies employed, study populations, primary internal and external challenges encountered in operationalizing research within primary healthcare, and strategies offered for its effective implementation.

Data synthesis

The review followed a deductive approach that prioritized the extraction and summarization of studies included as the primary objective of the review and synthesis [ 15 ]. This process entails extracting the results from each included paper and categorizing them according to common themes or meanings. These categories are subsequently further organized, allowing for a summary that yields synthesized findings: practical and actionable guidelines suitable for informing policy and formulating strategies [ 16 ].

To achieve this, the data analysis followed the steps established by the three distinct phases of the RADaR method: pre-analysis, data analysis, and interpretation of the results [ 17 ]. In the pre-analysis stage, each article was read, and its information was extracted and stored in a spreadsheet created to summarize all articles included in the study. In the data analysis stage, the content was categorized according to the similarities of the barriers and challenges identified. Finally, in the interpretation of the results, a reflective and critical analysis of the content was conducted, summarizing the content into themes for analysis [ 17 ].

A total of 440 publications were identified in the databases. After excluding duplicate studies ( n =120) and those that did not answer the guiding question ( n =283), 37 studies were read in their entirety. Out of these, 11 were excluded as they did not meet the eligibility criteria. The final sample consisted of 26 studies (Fig. 1 ), with the majority being published in the past two decades and conducted in high-income countries (HICs), primarily in the United States of America ( n =13). Furthermore, a significant proportion of these studies were case studies focused on the medical profession (Table 2 ).

Flowchart of study selection

During the data analysis, six overarching themes and 15 subthemes related to the challenges of carrying out PC-PBR emerged. Among these challenges, difficulties regarding research planning were noteworthy, with issues ranging from excessive bureaucracy to challenges in planning and developing a research project. The Engagement of health professionals in research was recognized as one theme encompassing four different subthemes: lack of training and experience in scientific writing; difficulties with foreign languages; previous negative research experiences; and fears of negative impacts on the healthcare team, patients and productivity. Challenges regarding knowledge translation detail the difficulties in applying the knowledge acquired from one article to a change in daily work. Infrastructure issues are related to the location of the health services and how dispersed they can be in one area, the lack of technological tools and the little access to funding resources to sponsor more robust and long-term projects. Finally, a weak relationship between universities and health services can lead to little – or even no – collaboration between research institutes and PHC practices. The lack of international partnerships is finally presented as one main challenge for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) since such collaborations could be helpful in building capacity for young research centers to address pressing issues in contexts where PHC is still very incipient (Table 3 ).

The strategies listed in the articles included in this review were organized according to the challenges described in the previous section. The following were highlighted: suggestions related to creating a research agenda adapted to each reality; training strategies to develop research skills; sharing the results with all stakeholders involved, from participants to health managers and decision-makers; and the importance of creating networks for practice-based research (Table 4 ).

Challenges and strategies for conducting PC-PBR

Research planning.

In this domain, a series of challenges related to designing a research plan are combined, such as developing and refining a research question, designing a strategy for data collection and data analysis, writing and submitting a proposal to the ethics board committee and the amount of time it takes to obtain the approval to start the project [ 8 , 9 , 11 , 18 , 30 , 32 , 35 ]. The time needed to carry out and conclude a study is often very different from the amount of time needed to make decisions in health care. Conducting a study with the length of time necessary to meet the needs for the transformation of health services is a difficult task, since managers and decision-makers may have more immediate expectations and hope for quick solutions to their problems [ 8 ]. To overcome this limitation, it is important that all stakeholders (managers, patients, health professionals, and researchers) are involved in the study, mainly to facilitate the understanding of the steps that one study needs to go through until its publication [ 9 , 18 , 38 ].

Engagement of health professionals in research

Some decision-makers and health managers fear that a research project can cause trouble in the way that a health facility is used to operate, impairing its productivity or even hindering the patients’ trust in the health service [ 8 , 18 , 21 , 30 , 31 , 35 , 36 ]. In addition, many managers see research projects as less important than practice, without acknowledging the possible benefits of research on patient care [ 28 ]. Researchers must bring these issues into debate with health managers and decision-makers so that barriers such as a lack of time dedicated to research, high caseloads limiting the time dedicated to research, and the need for institutional approval to allow professionals to participate in research projects can be overcome [ 26 ]. If this is not done, it will be difficult to create a routine of knowledge production and innovative research that integrates healthcare professionals, patients and researchers to create robust scientific evidence with an impact on the workplace, patient care and the quality of the services provided.

Knowledge translation

This theme, which is known as integrated knowledge translation in the current literature [ 39 ], involves the processes of generating, sharing, and applying knowledge, not necessarily in that specific order [ 8 , 32 ]. In theory, carrying out PC-PBR is a powerful resource to make knowledge translation happen, since research questions are created to answer local needs, relying on the participation of professionals – and sometimes the patients – in practice [ 32 ].

However, one of the barriers to knowledge translation lies in the difficulty of adapting the knowledge to contexts that are distinct from those where one study was held, e.g., results from HIC being translated to LMICs. This reinforces the need to involve all stakeholders in the stages of designing the project to describe the aspects of the context where the research will be held, outlining this information in the discussion section of the article as well, making it easier for the reader to understand its external validity [ 2 , 8 , 30 , 38 ].

The long time span for the publication of the study results in scientific journals, in addition to the high rejection rate, are factors that further delay the process of knowledge translation. Considering the dynamic nature of primary care services, studies should have a broad plan to disseminate results, to implement the evidence in a timely manner [ 30 ].

Infrastructure

Challenges related to infrastructure are frequently found in PC-PBR studies, from the distance between primary care services in rural settings and the difficulty of reaching some services to the often lack of technology resources, such as internet access, and patients’ electronic records [ 8 , 9 , 20 , 23 , 32 , 35 ].

The lack of reliable, sustainable, and systematic funding for PC-PBR research activities is the main obstacle to overcoming these infrastructure limitations and promoting the creation of PC-PBR [ 8 , 10 , 19 , 23 , 27 , 31 , 35 ]. Like every research initiative, PC-PBR needs to be supported with adequate and constant funding. For that reason, researchers must remain attentive and updated to identify funding opportunities [ 18 ].

Healthcare services produce a large volume of data every day. Information about healthcare procedures, prescriptions, patient profile, and all sorts of interactions between the patient and their healthcare providers. However, the quality of the information input and the way it is stored can limit its use [ 9 ]. It is essential for managers and stakeholders to verify how these data have been used, not only how practitioners use them for patient management but also for research, surveillance, and accountability [ 19 , 23 ].

Confidential information should be strictly and safely handled so that no patient information becomes public, allowing its use for research with no harm to the patient or for the practice [ 34 ]. For this purpose, all parties using these data must agree to a common commitment across the PC-PBR network to develop and implement research programs. Ideally, the research priorities should be established by the researchers and managers, with a clear evaluation of the capabilities of each practice, the information systems available and the whole network. When used appropriately, these real-world data can generate new knowledge from practice to improve patient care [ 18 ].

Relationship between universities and health services

Some studies highlighted the strains of integrating universities and health services [ 8 , 18 , 21 ]. The distance between these two scenarios can be explained by several factors: (a) the fact that academic priorities may not reflect the needs of the communities [ 8 ]; (b) weak connections between academia and primary care services [ 19 ]; (c) the lack of a mutual agenda between them combining common interests [ 25 ]; (d) the distance between researchers and health professionals [ 8 ]; and (e) the restricted access to specific research training courses run by universities, apart from formal master’s and doctorate courses [ 21 ]. Such training courses are usually offered during workdays, which limits the participation of those who work full-time as health care providers. Offering postgraduate courses in research aimed at health professionals that take advantage of the students’ experience to generate relevant research questions and new knowledge for healthcare could be transformative both for universities and health services. However, gathering individuals who traditionally work in different sectors is not easy. In addition, creating organizational structures that support primary care-based studies can demand financial resources, time, and people, which are not easily available [ 29 ].

Among the strategies found in the articles to overcome this challenge, it is important that the research questions arise from practice and that the roles of researchers, academics and health professionals are well-defined within the group. In addition, it is important to select a coordinator responsible for managing the research project and the tasks that need to be executed [ 30 , 34 ].

Implementing PC-PBR can bring results both for practice and academia, bringing together different professionals to achieve a common goal of improving patient care. Strengthening the interaction between academia and primary care services can help to promote the sustainable development of research projects in which health professionals can develop innovations in health care that can be studied and tested, creating a virtuous cycle beginning with raising questions from practice, conducting experiments, finding results and producing evidence that can serve the purpose of improving patient care and the health of the population [ 19 ].

Partnerships between countries

Despite this being a topic addressed in only two of the articles under analysis, promoting international partnerships can be a solution to many of the challenges mentioned here. However, such collaborations are not yet a reality for many countries. There is a shortage of international initiatives to promote research courses and training to bring together mentors from HIC and young researchers from LMICs and provide direction for conducting studies in contexts with few resources [ 8 ].

In addition, many professionals from LMICs who are involved in studies or education abroad end up migrating to other countries, contributing to the so-called “brain drain” of skilled professionals and worsening the inequality in scientific production between HICs and LMICs.

Addressing research projects within the local context and exploring opportunities for international collaboration is important enough to foster PBR and guide health professionals in places where universities and research institutes are not yet established. Moreover, it is important to consider the epidemiological profile, cultural aspects, and social determinants of health in every scenario involved when an international collaboration is planned. The different contexts of practice can enrich the research and establish comparisons that can be decisive for international scientific advancement [ 8 ].

The challenges and strategies for the implementation of PC-PBR indicate operational, structural, and political issues. One of the key aspects learned about planning a PC-PBR study is to identify and include all stakeholders (patients, employees, doctors and administration) in the development phase of the project, allowing for discussions about the study design and its implementation phases. This approach must become an integral part of the study, being comprehensive to addressing barriers to participation, obtain data, analyze and interpret the results and, finally, discuss its findings and implications. Additionally, planning data collection that demands little effort from health professionals can strengthen the study’s realization and the involvement of everyone.

In this context, it is important to emphasize that all challenges are even more pronounced in LMICs. In this regard, efforts are being made towards decolonization [ 40 ], encouraging research that validates the context and perspectives of local thinkers, thereby expanding the discussion to generate and incorporate evidence into real scenarios that value the knowledge of communities, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers in LMICs. Therefore, the present study aimed to synthesize the challenges and strategies that underlie this discussion, but a gap was identified in terms of the production of this discussion in LMICs.

To address the issue of limited international collaborations in LMICs, it is crucial to explore targeted implications and strategies to surmount this constraint. Some viable strategies involve providing training and education in cultural sensitivity, thereby enhancing the efficacy of these partnerships. While international collaboration typically prioritizes partnerships with high-income countries, LMICs can also explore collaborations with other LMICs. Sharing knowledge, best practices and resources with neighboring countries facing similar challenges can result in mutually advantageous outcomes.

PC-PBR only happens if the professionals who are directly involved in patient care and health service management are integrated as part of the team of researchers, not just as the subjects of the research [ 8 , 36 ]. Although it is a great challenge, training healthcare professionals to conduct research in primary care is fundamental for the success of these projects [ 23 , 24 ].

Alternative research approaches, such as implementation research, have advanced and grown as new strategies to reduce the gap between research and practice, mainly because they systematically approach the factors that contribute to this gap, understanding the context and identifying barriers and solutions for delivering sustainable and effective health care [ 41 ]. Thus, to make progress in overcoming these structural barriers it is important to understand the essential pieces of the research process, without which a project will likely die prematurely. One of these elements is the minimal infrastructure needed for PC-PBR research projects to be long-lasting and sustainable [ 9 , 23 ].

The studies under analysis point out that the most promising way for this to happen is through collaboration between primary care services, universities, and research institutes. In addition, these collaborations can provide training in research skills for health professionals, creating an environment conducive to exchanging experiences, ideas, and questions about the practice. All these suggestions will help to create a research agenda oriented toward solving real issues related to taking care of patients in primary care, which is the main objective of conducting PC-PBR [ 8 ].

The distance between universities and primary care settings is recurrently cited. This issue reinforces the idea that there is a place where knowledge is produced (universities and academia) that is different from the places where health care occurs. In other words, primary care is seen as a place where scientific evidence produced by academia is put into practice.

Conducting scientific research within primary care practices is innovative and can create ruptures and conflicts when it affects the way the job is done or when it takes people out of their comfort zones. By placing health professionals—and at times, patients—as agents of research production, PC-PBR can change the way new knowledge is produced. If knowledge is traditionally produced in academia and then taken as a truth by the place where patient care occurs, PC-PBR can not only generate new knowledge to change professional practice but also bring new evidence to change the way academia works, guiding new research that is better aligned with reality [ 34 ].

In some countries, a more horizontal construction of new evidence and knowledge translation can be seen between academia and healthcare practice. In Australia, for example, PBR protocols are designed to build a sustainable collaboration between a PBRN and an Advanced Center of Research and Translation in Health to build a research platform for planning, conducting and translating research evidence to improve care across the healthcare spectrum [ 42 ].

Aligned with the need for partnership between universities and practices, international collaborations are also an opportunity to guide professionals in places where universities and research institutes are not yet established. Cases such as Australia and New Zealand, where two PBR networks were established to encourage research in the area of osteopathy, show that PBRN has the potential to facilitate the access of professional researchers and clinics that are interested in collaborating with clinical tests and, thus, offer the scientific community an opportunity to conduct research with different methodologies in diverse contexts [ 42 ].

Regarding the difficulties in engaging health professionals in PC-PBR, some examples listed in the articles were little experience in scientific writing, difficulties reading articles in foreign languages, limited self-trust and lack of training to start and conduct studies. Thus, studies recommend that universities and research institutes organize training courses to develop research skills and exchange experiences to determine shared research priorities [ 8 ].

Although essential, the development of research skills is not enough for professionals to engage with and incorporate studies into their places of practice. For PC-PBR projects to advance, leadership is necessary to influence policymakers and managers and advocate for studies to be directly connected with the practice where health care happens.

The majority of the selected studies highlighted the medical category in the discussion about PBR. However, it is important to expand the professional composition of PC-PBR beyond and consider other categories to organize more participative and multidisciplinary studies. All health professionals must be invited to interact and collaborate with scientific activities and implement new projects. The inclusion of all health professionals, including community health workers, nursing assistants, and dental hygienists, who are commonly found in LMICs, can improve the development of research projects that will better take into consideration the patients’ and the territory’s needs [ 8 ].

Implementing PC-PBR goes beyond research production, since the results of the studies produced by researchers, health professionals, users and managers, in addition to the lessons learned, are shared with the health service where the study was held, bringing greater transparency to the entire process and motivating more health professionals to actively participate in future research projects [ 38 ].

Limitations

This review was limited to the literature that reported lessons learned and experiences conducting PC-PBR since few empirical studies with primary data from practice were found. Additionally, there is little representation from LMICs. This limits the conclusions of this review to the contexts described herein, i.e., HIC, where PHC already has a solid structure and a robust research production. Exploring studies performed in PC-PBR networks and identifying their strengths and weaknesses would be a step forward in this sense, but it would demand greater operational efforts. However, this is the first review that is necessary for the advancement of primary care research mainly in LMIC.

The challenges for implementing PBR are similar in the contexts analyzed, showing that turning one place that was originally designed for delivering primary care into a place of knowledge production is not a trivial task. The benefits depicted in the studies show that transforming the traditional methods of knowledge production and translation through PC-PBR can generate a virtuous cycle, providing criticism and reflection about the practice and generating innovations and new knowledge to improve healthcare and patients’ health and well-being.

Additionally, the found strategies point to the need for lasting and systemic actions involving health managers, decision-makers, academics, different types of health professionals and patients, aiming to transform PHC practice in the long term. Despite being more the exception than the rule, PC-PBR has the potential to transform a PHC system that is still under development into an innovative, socially accountable, more comprehensive, accessible, and patient-centered healthcare approach. Furthermore, recognizing the transformative potential of PC-PBR, it becomes imperative to explore strategies for scaling these practices and approaches, ultimately having a broader and more profound impact on the entire primary healthcare system.

Availability of data and materials

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

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Bonfim, D., Belotti, L., de Almeida, L.Y. et al. Challenges and strategies for conducting research in primary health care practice: an integrative review. BMC Health Serv Res 23 , 1380 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10382-1

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7 Challenges Associated with Conducting Developmental Research

Challenges associated with conducting developmental research.

The previous sections describe research tools to assess development in infancy and early childhood, as well as the ways that research designs can be used to track age-related changes and development over time. Before you begin conducting developmental research, however, you must also be aware that testing infants and children comes with its own unique set of challenges. In the final section of this module, we review some of the main issues that are encountered when conducting research with the youngest of human participants. In particular, we focus our discussion on ethical concerns, recruitment issues, and participant attrition.

Ethical Concerns

As a student of psychological science, you may already know that Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) review and approve of all research projects that are conducted at universities, hospitals, and other institutions. An IRB is typically a panel of experts who read and evaluate proposals for research. IRB members want to ensure that the proposed research will be carried out ethically and that the potential benefits of the research outweigh the risks and harm for participants. What you may not know though, is that the IRB considers some groups of participants to be more vulnerable or at-risk than others. Whereas university students are generally not viewed as vulnerable or at-risk, infants and young children commonly fall into this category. What makes infants and young children more vulnerable during research than young adults? One reason infants and young children are perceived as being at increased risk is due to their limited cognitive capabilities, which makes them unable to state their willingness to participate in research or tell researchers when they would like to drop out of a study. For these reasons, infants and young children require special accommodations as they participate in the research process.

When thinking about special accommodations in developmental research, consider the informed consent process. If you have ever participated in psychological research, you may know through your own experience that adults commonly sign an informed consent statement (a contract stating that they agree to participate in research) after learning about a study. As part of this process, participants are informed of the procedures to be used in the research, along with any expected risks or benefits. Infants and young children cannot verbally indicate their willingness to participate, much less understand the balance of potential risks and benefits. As such, researchers are oftentimes required to obtain written informed consent from the parent or legal guardian of the child participant, an adult who is almost always present as the study is conducted. In fact, children are not asked to indicate whether they would like to be involved in a study at all (a process known as assent) until they are approximately seven years old. Because infants and young children also cannot easily indicate if they would like to discontinue their participation in a study, researchers must be sensitive to changes in the state of the participant (determining whether a child is too tired or upset to continue) as well as to parent desires (in some cases, parents might want to discontinue their involvement in the research). As in adult studies, researchers must always strive to protect the rights and well-being of the minor participants and their parents when conducting developmental science.

Recruitment

An additional challenge in developmental science is participant recruitment. Recruiting university students to participate in adult studies is typically easy. Many colleges and universities offer extra credit for participation in research and have locations such as bulletin boards and school newspapers where research can be advertised. Unfortunately, young children cannot be recruited by making announcements in Introduction to Psychology courses, by posting ads on campuses, or through online platforms. Given these limitations, how do researchers go about finding infants and young children to be in their studies?

The answer to this question varies along multiple dimensions. Researchers must consider the number of participants they need and the financial resources available to them, among other things. Location may also be an important consideration. Researchers who need large numbers of infants and children may attempt to do so by obtaining infant birth records from the state, county, or province in which they reside. Some areas make this information publicly available for free, whereas birth records must be purchased in other areas (and in some locations birth records may be entirely unavailable as a recruitment tool). If birth records are available, researchers can use the obtained information to call families by phone or mail them letters describing possible research opportunities. Alternatively, researchers can choose to pay a recruitment agency to contact and recruit families for them. Although these methods tend to be quick and effective, they can also be quite expensive. More economical recruitment options include posting advertisements and fliers in locations frequented by families, such as mommy-and-me classes, local malls, and preschools or day care centers. Researchers can also utilize online social media outlets like Facebook, which allows users to post recruitment advertisements for a small fee. Of course, each of these different recruitment techniques requires IRB approval.

Participating in developmental research can sometimes be difficult for both children and their parents. This can contribute to a higher attrition rate than is typical in other types of research.

Another important consideration when conducting research with infants and young children is attrition. Although attrition is quite common in longitudinal research in particular, it is also problematic in developmental science, as studies with infants and young children tend to have higher attrition rates than studies with adults.

Child development is a fascinating field of study, but care must be taken to ensure that researchers use appropriate methods to examine infant and child behavior, use the correct experimental design to answer their questions, and be aware of the special challenges that are part-and-parcel of developmental research. (9)

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Addressing the Challenges of Conducting Research in Developing Countries

Roxanne m. amerson.

Gamma Mu Chapter, STTI, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, ude.nosmelc@annaxor

Cecily W. Strang

Gamma Chi Chapter, STTI, Adjunct Faculty, School of Nursing, King University, Bristol, TN, Adjunct Faculty, Presbyterian University of East Africa, Kikuyu, Kenya, Global Health Director, Maasai Special Projects Fund, moc.liamg@gnartsylicec

To explore the unique challenges that occur when conducting research in developing countries so the reader can consider approaches for providing ethically and culturally-appropriate research strategies applicable for the context of the host country.

Organizing Construct

This article presents an overview of the challenges, which are organized based on the phases of the research period: pre-enrollment, enrollment, and post-enrollment. At each stage, examples of adaptation to meet the challenges are presented and recommendations are posited.

Conclusions

Strategies for research should protect the rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations while balancing the needs of society at-large, provide culturally relevant ethical informed consent while balancing institutional review board requirements, and conduct research in a culturally-appropriate manner for the host country while balancing the principles of ethical research established by developed countries.

Clinical Relevance

Researchers are implored to focus on the ethical and cultural appropriateness of each aspect of the study process to afford the highest level of research credibility and validity.

Research should be conducted in a manner that is appropriate for the unique community and the culture of the proposed research site. While this may seem straightforward, significant challenges have been encountered when conducting research in developing countries where cultural perspectives often vary significantly from those of developed countries. These challenges include: protecting the rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations while balancing the needs of the many ( Stapleton, Schröder-Bäck, Laaser, Meershoek, & Popa, 2014 ), providing a relevant informed consent that is truly appropriate for the culture of study while balancing an institutional review board’s set of rules, and conducting research in a culturally-appropriate manner for the host country while balancing the principles of ethical research established by developed countries ( Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011 ). Beneficence, justice, and respect for the rights of each human being should be expressed throughout the research plan. Ethical research can only be conducted when the unique circumstances and constraints of the host country are considered and the standards of research are upheld, yet adapted, to address these needs.

One might question, why should we conduct research in developing countries? Many developing countries have insufficient resources or a weak infrastructure to support their own research ( Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011 ). The Global Forum for Health Research reports that only 10% of research funding is spent on 90% of the world’s health problems; therefore using funds from developed countries to address health disparities in the lesser developed countries is appropriate to reduce the inequality that exists ( Bhutta, 2002 ). Constituents of the United States (US) or other developed countries might question the exportation of research dollars to other countries. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) support research outside the US when the research has the potential to impact global health issues that affect many countries. Indigenous knowledge may hold keys to scientific advances. Also, the incidence of specific diseases may not be high in the US or other developed countries and therefore no longer a developed-world focus. Researchers must travel to the geographical regions where the diseases are more prevalent and those suffering are in continued need of care. For example, diarrhea remains the second leading cause of mortality for children under the age of five worldwide ( Bulled, Singer, & Dillingham, 2014 ), yet this is a health concern found primarily in developing countries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) , malaria remains a leading cause of illness and death in developing countries. Clearly, the staggering rates of these diseases warrant further research to reduce mortalities.

The majority of published literature related to conducting research in developing countries is currently written by ethicists. Normative global health ethics seeks to identify “wrongdoings” and readdress those issues in an ethical manner which is appropriate to “specific circumstances and constraints” ( Stapleton et al., 2014 ). In consideration of this ethical framework, nursing must take a pro-active stance and join the conversation in order to lead health initiatives on a global front in a more ethical manner.

Researchers commonly initiate research studies with the best intentions. Unfortunately a lack of understanding by the researchers of the social determinants of health and the unique cultural factors of the community inhibit attempts to attain successful outcomes. A systematic review of 27 studies focusing on improving patient knowledge of informed consent found evidence of comprehension issues related to the meaning of randomization, placebo, benefits, and risks ( Montalvo & Larson, 2014 ). Of the 27 studies, three were conducted outside the US and reported a lack of understanding related to terminology in the presence of low literacy levels. During a community-directed treatment study for onchocerciasis (river blindness) in Tanzania, people failed to participate in the treatment due to a lack of understanding about the cause of the disease, the benefit of the medication, and fears of sterility and impotence that might be associated with the medication (York, Kabole, Mrisho, Berry, & Schmidt, 2014). Consideration of the low literacy levels in this community and the availability of visual education materials would likely have improved the outcomes of the program. Also, the lack of education for the community-directed distributors of the medication played a pivotal role in the less-than-optimal implementation of the program.

The Declaration of Helsinki, established in 1964, provides guidance on ethical issues in research; however, it offers little guidance to address specific issues that arise when conducting research in developing countries ( Bhutta, 2002 ). This document was originally intended for use by physicians conducting biomedical research and suggests a portion of participants be assigned to a control group. The participants in the control group may receive a placebo; therefore they are not always provided the best treatment. For example, clinical trials regarding the use of zidovudine, in developing countries in 1994, deemed the drug too expensive for developing countries; thus placebos were used in one arm of the study. Clearly, the participants who were placed in the placebo group (participants received no treatment) were not provided with the best treatment. This lead to ethical questions about the research associated with preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in developing countries ( Bhutta, 2002 ). A great debate exists about what is “ethical” care that should be provided, both during and after the study. What should be provided: the standard of care for a developed country or the standard of care in the host country? Can the host country afford to provide the best care? What happens after the research is over? Can a level of best care be maintained? An updated version of the Declaration in 2008, continues to fuel the debate. The declaration continues to support the use of placebos when no effective treatment is available or there are compelling reasons to support the use of the placebo and participants will not be subject to any serious harm. According to Bhutta (2002) , it is important to develop a research plan with health interventions that will be available and can be sustained in the host country.

These issues and questions provide a small glimpse of the challenges associated with research in developing countries. The following sections address specific challenges from published literature, as well as the encounters of two experienced researchers working with indigenous populations in the developing countries of Guatemala and Kenya. The following challenges and recommendations are organized based on the phases of the research periods: pre-enrollment, enrollment, and post-enrollment ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ).

Pre-enrollment Phase

The pre-enrollment phase involves determining how to convey the meaning and protocol of the research study, assessing the community for issues that may impact the research study, and demonstrating respect of the potential research participants ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). An ethical challenge for the professional conducting research in a cross-cultural environment, often within a vulnerable population, is to ensure “truly voluntary and fully informed” consent ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 , p. 412). Challenges related to the informed consent protocol have been encountered in multiple and diverse studies worldwide. According to Igoumenidis and Zyga (2011) , “informed consent is the cornerstone of modern ethics, but it tends to lose its true meaning when put in the context of a developing country” (p. 247). Low education levels often affect the participant’s full understanding of what research entails ( Stapleton et al., 2014 ). In sub-Saharan Africa, researchers participating in the HIV/AIDS Prevention Trials were challenged to find ways to develop informed consents that conveyed basic research concepts in a society where few participants had even the basic education levels to understand what is meant by “experiment” ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). Many Maasai in Kenya continue to live very traditional lifestyles in a predominately oral society, and have limited or no formal schooling ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). While conducting research in Kenya, pre-enrollment involved the careful translation of the informed consent using forward and backward procedures along with community input; training of the translators about the research process and importance of fully informing the participants; and allowing a time for questions by the participant prior to each interview.

Other challenges related to the informed consent arise in diverse cultures. Informed consent is a process and requires community input, formal or informal, depending on the culture of the community. For many countries, autonomous decision-making is not a communal social structure concept ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). For example, in Maasailand, Kenya, research involvement required the overall, initial permission to be given by the area chief and Maasai elders for the villagers to participate ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). When granted permission, the researcher was informed that individual consents were no longer needed. Word had traveled to the villages prior to the arrival of the researcher that they had permission to share their stories. In accordance with institutional review board (IRB) protocol, the procedure to garner individual consents was still fully followed. During a study in rural Guatemala, permission was sought from the cocode (local mayor and town council) prior to beginning focus groups or household surveys ( Amerson, Hall-Clifford, Thompson, & Comninellas, 2015 ).

In some cases, informed consent may be more heavily focused on protecting the rights of the researchers from developed countries, and not the rights of participants. Based on the standards of the developed world, the informed consent may be lengthy; may include complicated concepts that are foreign to collectivistic cultures; and is often impractical in an oral society ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). The standard protocol for informed consent requires an explanation of the study, benefits, risks, incentives, privacy, confidentiality, and contact information for the researchers as well as the sponsoring university. The provision of contact information for the researcher’s IRB, which is located in a foreign country, for all practical purposes, is irrelevant for poor, non-technological communities and participants. In Guatemala, participants often consult their family members before giving their permission to participate in the research. The western concept of confidentiality often seems at odds with their family-oriented culture. Language differences create significant barriers for true informed consent. All words are not completely translatable into another language. Words such as “placebo” and “randomization” may not translate, if no equivalent word exists in the indigenous language ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). Researchers must consider these issues and balance them with the requirements of the IRB for their institution.

Gaining permission in a developing country with different social structures presents additional challenges. Commonly, patriarchal or matriarchal social structures may require non-research participants to give consent for others to participate. The process of gaining permission frequently is a lengthy process ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). In Massailand, this process required almost two years. The researcher visited the host country to gain gatekeeper permissions, hear potential community concerns about the research process, confirm interest in and need for the study topic within the community, and seek opportunities for pragmatic use of data gathered for the research participants or community at large ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). Prior to the actual study date, this initial effort paved the way for an overwhelming response to participate in a large ethnonursing study of 48 participants from the Maasai community. In Guatemala, this process was reduced to approximately six months by the presence of an in-country host, who served as a liaison with the community ( Amerson et al., 2015 ). This host, with a well-established reputation within the local community, facilitated meetings and introductions to gatekeepers of the village. Also, one of the researchers had been working in the community periodically for over 3 years.

Age of consent varies depending upon the host country and should also be considered in the context of the country of study. In Guatemala, the age of consent is 18. According to NIH guidelines, the age of consent is 21 years; thereby necessitating a waiver from the IRB to allow participants to provide their own consent ( Amerson et al., 2015 ). Indigenous cultures may have alternative definitions of adulthood that do not fit with a chronological age. For example, marriage and motherhood may signify adulthood, while occurring far less than 18 years of age. Within the Maasai culture, it was important to seek the malaria care practices from all generations of malaria sufferers and care givers. To hear the full story, the researcher sought and was granted IRB approval for mothers and fathers age 14 and above ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). Not only is age an important consideration, gender practices may influence how consent is given. In certain cultures, male consent must be given for females to participate ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). Many variations of the consent process must be considered prior to development of a culturally appropriate consent.

Opportunities to gather credible data are the responsibilities of all researchers. In the Maasailand study, villagers were very hesitant to participate in the interviews because as they stated researchers in the past had come, interviewed them, promised to return with information, but never had ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). In addition to apologies that previous researchers had not kept their word, much time was spent with the leaders of the village to assure them the researcher would return with the study results and a training seminar on the topic of malaria care.

Enrollment Phase

Ethical considerations continue in the enrollment phase, the research period during which informed individuals agree to participant in the study. Often in a cross-cultural research study, a different language is used with which the research team is not completely familiar ( Amerson et al., 2015 ; Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). Some have debated that the research team should be representative of the community and culture ( Bhutta, 2002 ). This is not feasible in many indigenous communities. Finding an indigenous member of the community with the required education levels, language skills, and expertise to conduct or lead the research may be highly improbable. In addition, the participants of an oral culture such as the Maasai do not often read. Ensuring comprehension of the study to each participant is critical, yet may not follow the standard IRB approach to confirm the best understanding. Because participants may find the consent process long and boring with untranslatable terms or concepts, consent should only include essential and relevant information. In countries with low formal education levels, non-readers or non-writers require the entire process to be oral. Consent forms that require a signature or mark from the participant often raise issues of mistrust, especially if the participant cannot read or write. In cultures with an oral tradition, a person’s verbal consent is highly valued. As both authors have witnessed while conducting research, asking for a signature to confirm the contract may actually imply an insult to the individual’s integrity.

Demonstration of comprehension is essential. Providing a verbal agreement for consent does not always ensure that participants are choosing to enroll for the appropriate reason. Research participants may be influenced by others within their community (i.e., community leaders) or by family members who urge them to participate ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). Participants may have unrealistic expectations of the benefits or risks. In Guatemala, potential community health workers were informed that minimal reading skills were required to participate as a promotora (promotor of health). Even when this was repeated daily, women continued to come to training sessions with less than adequate literacy skills ( Amerson et al., 2015 ).

To assist in comprehension, incorporating community members into the research process is strongly supported by community-based research protocols, but this also can add challenges. Standard IRB protocols require members of a research team (i.e., anyone collecting data) to complete training on human research ethics. However, ethics training in the developed world is not always amendable in a developing world context ( Opollo, Opolo, Gray, & Spies, 2014 ). Members of the community frequently also have low literacy skills and a lack of formal education.

Cultural practices sometimes conflict with the treatment and inventions of the study. Information about voluntary withdrawal must be balanced with acknowledgement of their value to the research program and encouragement not to withdraw. If too many people withdraw, then the research may be jeopardized. During HIV Prevention trials, researchers balanced the enrollment of women to the condom-only groups with the microbicide groups of the study ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). It was feared that women would withdraw from the condom-only group. Researchers in this study focused on the importance and value to the community of the participants’ willingness to remain in the study.

Post-enrollment Phase

The post-enrollment phase is the timeframe when the study is underway and may extend past the actual period of research. This phase ensures continuation of the study and also entails its own unique challenges. If a study continues over a long period of time, misunderstandings about the research and interventions may occur. Many Maasai informants requested clinics with malaria medicines and distribution of free insecticide treated nets (ITNs), but immediate fulfillment of these were outside the scope of the research study. It was important, during the study period of two months, to listen carefully and quell rumors that certain areas would receive such benefits. In Guatemala, rumors began to circulate that promotoras were being paid to provide education to families. This belief led to an expectation that families should also receive payment. In fact, promotoras only received a small quota of cell phone minutes in order to communicate with the researchers. Reasonable incentives for the culture, context, host country, and individual’s time are important to reiterate during each stage of the research.

Some of the challenges of international research extend beyond the period of intervention. The information gathered and opportunities for care relevant to the data are often difficult to share because: (1) the researcher may have returned to their country to review and determine findings; (2) the cost to return to the research setting may not be included in the research funds; and (3) needed care related to research findings may not be affordable or accessible for the participants. The responsibility of the researcher to address the discoveries of needed professional care for the participants should also be considered prior to the onset of the study.

Recommendations

Each of these challenges, that are more commonly encountered in developing countries, need nurses to acknowledge the dilemmas that arise and promote ethical and culturally-appropriate research in order to fully protect every research participant. In a study conducted with registered nurses serving as research coordinators ( n =266), scientific misconduct in the form of informed consent violations occurred in approximately a quarter (26.6%) of the research studies ( Habermann, Broome, Pryor, & Ziner, 2010 ). The International Code of Ethics for Nurses ( International Council of Nurses, 2012 ) includes the universal mandate for all nurses to uphold ethical practices, respect the cultural rights of each human being, and provide culturally appropriate information. The code is intended for application in every aspect of nursing practice, including research among vulnerable populations. Researchers can develop partnerships of accountability among international, regional, community, and local persons who share the topic of interest ( Bhutta, 2002 ; Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). Prior to, during, and post research study; the primary researcher met with international, national, community, and local leaders for the fight against malaria to ensure relevance of study, and shared information, sought research needs, and brainstormed post-research resources for the Maasai community ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). Researchers are further encouraged to consider Meleis’s eight criteria for culturally competent scholarship throughout all phases of the research process. These criteria address contextuality, relevance, communication styles, awareness of identity and power differentials, disclosure, reciprocation, empowerment, and time ( Jacobson, Lin-Lin, Pascucci, & Gaskins, 2005 : Meleis, 1996 ). The authors, whose expertise is working in developing countries, make the following recommendations to conduct an ethical study. The recommendations support and expand upon the three phases outlined by Woodsong and Abdool Karim (2005) and support Meleis’ guidelines for culturally competent research.

Externally-sponsored research should be reviewed by an independent reviewer from the host country in addition to the sponsoring country ( McMillan and Conlon, 2004 ). Ethical research practices require an added layer of accountability when data is collected within a developing country ( Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011 ). Initially, the researcher should consider how best to offer cross-cultural care over the span of the study. This would include cultural and participant factors, such as the cultural context, education level, socio-economic status, and translation needs in relation to informed consent, translation needs, compensation, and benefits to the participants ( Igoumenidis & Zyga, 2011 ; McMillan & Conlon, 2004 ; Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). To discover this information, formal and informal community leaders should be involved. This will enhance the overall understanding of the entire research process for both the researchers and the participating parties. Amerson et al. (2015) sought an external review with a non-governmental organization (NGO) working in Guatemala to ensure the protocol was appropriate for the cultural context. This type of input is essential to develop health care interventions which are culturally and economically suitable for the host country ( Bhutta, 2002 ).

Advisory boards and focus groups should be established to represent the concerns of participants prior to enrollment ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). In Guatemala, meeting with the cocode allowed the researchers to seek permission to work in the community, but also to answer questions about the intent of the research and how the information would be used. Community representatives need to be involved in the decision-making process to clarify the types of activities that participants will engage in during the research. It is critically important that researchers make an effort to learn what the community wants and expects from the study prior to the initiation of enrollment procedures. Researchers and community members should agree in advance about the materials and/or interventions that will be shared as a result of the research ( Bhutta, 2002 ). Also, anticipating common health problems that occur outside the parameters of the research protocol may prevent ethical scenarios associated with failure to provide treatment ( Merritt, Taylor, & Mullany, 2010 ). For example, promotoras were trained to recognize and make referrals for children who were exhibiting signs of dehydration. While they did provide education, they also performed consultations for children with diarrhea ( Amerson et al., 2015 ).

Researchers should consider the length of the consent and how to include all the necessary information to fulfill ethical standards in a concise manner while incorporating the cultural perspectives of the country. Maasai elders, community leaders, and others in the Maasai community-at-large were consulted by the researcher as to the relevance and cultural respect of the research inquiry guide ( Strang & Mixer, 2015 ). This information was then used to construct important concepts of the informed consent. Researchers may choose to conduct a pilot study with the consent form to determine its usefulness in the target community ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ).

To enhance communication and culturally appropriate interactions during the research period, the use of translators who are fluent in the languages used and an expert in the culture is important. Careful translation of the informed consent in the language of the participants will enable the highest possible level of comprehension. Consideration prior to IRB approval is necessary to determine the need of a written or oral format for the informed consent. Researchers should consider avoiding the use of signed consent forms when possible. The need for an oral consent procedure should be anticipated during the pre-enrollment phase and researchers should gain an IRB waiver for a signed consent.

To best enable community members to assist in the pre-enrollment phase, to engage in the research process, and to enhance the comprehension of participants; training materials must be adapted to their culture, language, and education level. Materials available through the Family Health International’s Research Ethics Training Curriculum provide an excellent starting point, but should be adapted to the specific community.

Most developed countries’ IRB policies are focused on the rights of the individual, yet this focus may conflict with the values of collectivistic cultures ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). Informed consent should be provided in a manner that allows for the whole family to be involved when appropriate to the culture. If the consent is read to the participants, it is suggested to read each section then follow with a period of questions and answers before moving to the next section of the consent. Allowing interested family members sufficient time to ask questions and to be involved may be more consistent with the norms of the culture.

Community-based research occurs in homes and villages where arrival is public and members of the community at-large may view the research participant as getting special privileges ( Merritt, Taylor, & Mullany, 2010 ). Research incentives may be viewed by others as special privileges; thus creating some level of animosity within close communities. It is essential to keep these cultural variations in mind when conducting research. Compensation and incentives should be relevant to the cultural context. In Maasailand, it was suggested by a Western researcher that each participant should receive an ITN as an incentive for a malaria study. However, the cost of an ITN was equivalent to the pay from three days of work and it had not yet been discovered if the Maasai communities had knowledge of the use or benefits of an ITN. It is often difficult to determine non-coercive compensation in a developing world context ( Opollo et al., 2014 ). A pre-research visit to the Maasai culture revealed that an ITN was actually not a culturally appropriate incentive.

Health problems may be identified during the research study which will not be treated by the research intervention. It is important to foster relationships with local agencies or NGOs who can provide ancillary health care needs ( Merritt et al., 2010 ). For example, some of the Maasai participants did not desire to talk about malaria, but about their current concerns for clean water or of the problem with bed bugs. It is important that the researcher is aware of the closest health care facility to each interview site, so to refer persons for assistance.

Both during and following the study time frame, efforts to maintain cultural and ethical practices continue. Researchers should continuously check for rumors or misconceptions that are occurring in the community that may affect enrollment ( Woodsong & Abdool Karim, 2005 ). Participants may expect special privileges or incentives that were not anticipated or planned by the researchers. Ethics boards may limit incentives, yet communities may expect some type of incentives for their participation. Eventually, the products or knowledge gained from the research should be shared with the local community in addition to higher levels within the host country. Any product developed through the research efforts should be made available to participants in a reasonable manner ( Bhutta, 2002 ). Following the completion of the research in Guatemala, the training materials were shared with the local health post and the regional office. The promotoras were urged to connect with the local clinic and continue to assist with training and consultations within the community.

Additional resources provide guidance for researchers working outside developed countries. The Ethical Aspects of Clinical Research in Developing Countries provides a framework of 8 principles to be considered when conducting research in a developing country ( Emanuel, Wendler, Killen, & Grady, 2004 ). This report also provides 31 benchmarks to assist researchers to evaluate the ethical appropriateness of their study. A report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2002) provides four principles to guide research in developing countries. These principles include: “(a) the duty to alleviate suffering; (b) the duty to show respect for persons; (c) the duty to be sensitive to cultural differences; and (d) the duty not to exploit the vulnerable” (2002) (p.2).

Finally, it is recommended that nurse researchers and educators provide mentorship and education that develops researchers who are prepared to face ethical dilemmas they may encounter in developing world contexts ( Stapleton et al., 2014 ). Ethics training for an international researcher should be provided prior to any global health study, with a special awareness that good intentions may actually create harm in developing countries ( Stapleton et al., 2014 ). Scientific misconduct is inexcusable, yet is highly suspected to still occur in research, including within the nursing profession. The ethical integrity of every nurse begins with education in ethics of conduct and should cover topics such as peer accountability, plagiarism, and data falsification ( Fierz et al., 2014 ). Research integrity continues as mentors are consulted when unexpected dilemmas arise.

The intent of this article is to stimulate further discussion and thought about how international research should be conducted in an ethical manner within the cultural context of the host country. Researchers are implored to focus on the ethical and cultural appropriateness of each aspect of the study process to afford the highest level of research credibility and validity. Dialogue, mentorship, and co-mentorship among experienced and novice researchers can only benefit the parameters of ethical research and further best practices. Nurses must expand knowledge amongst themselves and others to shed light on the ethical and cultural implications of conducting research in a developing country using the standards of a developed world.

Clinical Resources

Family Health International’s Research Ethics Training Curriculum - http://www.fhi360.org/sites/all//libraries/webpages/fhi-retc2/Resources/RETC2_Edition_Concise.swf
The Ethical Aspects of Clinical Research in Developing Countries - http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/189/5/930.full.pdf
The Ethics of Research Related to Healthcare in Developing Countries: A Guide to the Report - http://nuffieldbioethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/HRRDC-short-Version-final.pdf

Acknowledgments

Disclaimer: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number RO3NR013228. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Contributor Information

Roxanne M. Amerson, Gamma Mu Chapter, STTI, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, ude.nosmelc@annaxor .

Cecily W. Strang, Gamma Chi Chapter, STTI, Adjunct Faculty, School of Nursing, King University, Bristol, TN, Adjunct Faculty, Presbyterian University of East Africa, Kikuyu, Kenya, Global Health Director, Maasai Special Projects Fund, moc.liamg@gnartsylicec .

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1.12: Challenges Conducting Developmental Research

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Learning Outcomes

Describe challenges associated with conducting research in lifespan development

Challenges Associated with Conducting Developmental Research

Ethical Concerns

When thinking about special accommodations in developmental research, consider the informed consent process. If you have ever participated in scientific research, you may know through your own experience that adults commonly sign an informed consent statement (a contract stating that they agree to participate in research) after learning about a study. As part of this process, participants are informed of the procedures to be used in the research, along with any expected risks or benefits. Infants and young children cannot verbally indicate their willingness to participate, much less understand the balance of potential risks and benefits. As such, researchers are oftentimes required to obtain written informed consent from the parent or legal guardian of the child participant, an adult who is almost always present as the study is conducted. In fact, children are not asked to indicate whether they would like to be involved in a study at all (a process known as assent) until they are approximately seven years old. Because infants and young children cannot easily indicate if they would like to discontinue their participation in a study, researchers must be sensitive to changes in the state of the participant (determining whether a child is too tired or upset to continue) as well as to parent desires (in some cases, parents might want to discontinue their involvement in the research). As in adult studies, researchers must always strive to protect the rights and well-being of the minor participants and their parents when conducting developmental research.

This video from the US Department of Health and Human Services provides an overview of the Institutional Review Board process.

Thumbnail for the embedded element "How IRBs Protect Human Research Participants"

A YouTube element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: http://pb.libretexts.org/lsdm/?p=70

You can view the transcript for “How IRBs Protect Human Research Participants” here (opens in new window) .

Recruitment

An additional challenge in developmental science is participant recruitment. Recruiting university students to participate in adult studies is typically easy. Many colleges and universities offer extra credit for participation in research and have locations such as bulletin boards and school newspapers where research can be advertised. Unfortunately, young children cannot be recruited by making announcements in Introduction to Psychology courses, by posting ads on campuses, or through online platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk. Given these limitations, how do researchers go about finding infants and young children to be in their studies?

The answer to this question varies along multiple dimensions. Researchers must consider the number of participants they need and the financial resources available to them, among other things. Location may also be an important consideration. Researchers who need large numbers of infants and children may attempt to recruit them by obtaining infant birth records from the state, county, or province in which they reside. Some areas make this information publicly available for free, whereas birth records must be purchased in other areas (and in some locations birth records may be entirely unavailable as a recruitment tool). If birth records are available, researchers can use the obtained information to call families by phone or mail them letters describing possible research opportunities. All is not lost if this recruitment strategy is unavailable, however. Researchers can choose to pay a recruitment agency to contact and recruit families for them. Although these methods tend to be quick and effective, they can also be quite expensive. More economical recruitment options include posting advertisements and fliers in locations frequented by families, such as mommy-and-me classes, local malls, and preschools or daycare centers. Researchers can also utilize online social media outlets like Facebook, which allows users to post recruitment advertisements for a small fee. Of course, each of these different recruitment techniques requires IRB approval. And if children are recruited and/or tested in school settings, permission would need to be obtained ahead of time from teachers, schools, and school districts (as well as informed consent from parents or guardians).

Conclusions

Lifespan development is a fascinating field of study – but care must be taken to ensure that researchers use appropriate methods to examine human behavior, use the correct experimental design to answer their questions, and be aware of the special challenges that are part-and-parcel of developmental research. After reading this module, you should have a solid understanding of these various issues and be ready to think more critically about research questions that interest you. For example, what types of questions do you have about lifespan development? What types of research would you like to conduct? Many interesting questions remain to be examined by future generations of developmental scientists – maybe you will make one of the next big discoveries!

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/16510

[glossary-page] [glossary-term]attrition:[/glossary-term] [glossary-definition]reduction in the number of research participants as some drop out over time[/glossary-definition]

[glossary-term]informed consent:[/glossary-term] [glossary-definition]a process of informing a research participant what to expect during a study, any risks involved, and the implications of the research, and then obtaining the person’s agreement to participate[/glossary-definition]

[glossary-term]Institutional Review Boards (IRBs):[/glossary-term] [glossary-definition]a panel of experts who review research proposals for any research to be conducted in association with the institution (for example, a university)[/glossary-definition] [/glossary-page]

Contributors and Attributions

Volunteer Signs Informed Consent Form. Authored by : NIAID. Located at : https://www.flickr.com/photos/niaid/45116548901 . License : CC BY: Attribution
Research Methods in Developmental Psychology. Authored by : Angela Lukowski and Helen Milojevich. Provided by : University of Calfornia, Irvine. Located at : https://nobaproject.com/modules/research-methods-in-developmental-psychology?r=LDcyNTg0 . Project : The Noba Project. License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
Institutional Review Boards. Provided by : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Located at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=196&v=U8fme1boEbE . License : Other . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

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Before you begin conducting developmental research, however, you must also be aware that testing individuals of certain ages (such as infants and children) or making comparisons across ages (such as children compared to teens) comes with its own unique set of challenges. In the final section of this module, let's look at some of the main ...
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encountered in conducting research projects at teacher education college Ertembo Mishore1 and Tsedeke Abate2* ... failing to prepare students for today's challenges (Alemu et al., 2017; Joshi & Verspoor, 2013). As a ... Conducting research projects is one of the significant tools to produce new knowledge, resolve ...

Top 10 Challenges Faced by Researchers on the Path to Excellence

Top 10 Challenges faced by researchers

1. Slow and time-consuming processes

2. Difficulty in getting grants and funds

3. Juggling activities to ensure better time management

4. Active networking and collaboration

5. Managing and evaluating huge amounts of information

6. Successfully publishing in impactful journals

7. Securing intellectual property

8. Understanding and following the nuances of academic and scientific ethics

9. Staying abreast of technological developments

10. Balancing work and life

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1. Choosing your research topic

TIP: Stay flexible and consider all the angles

2. Finding research funding

TIP: Think outside your social and geographical boxes

3. Convincing others of the value of your research

TIP: Reflect on your research purpose

4. Overcoming imposter syndrome

TIP: Remind yourself of your research (and personal) success

5. Building a good research team (or finding collaborators)

TIP: Use all available resources and expand your network

6. Recruiting research participants (or collecting samples)

TIP: Don’t be afraid to ask (but be sure to come prepared)

7. Staying self-motivated and managing your time

TIP: Plan and put accountability systems in place

8. Ensuring your research doesn’t sit and collect dust

TIP: Wrap up your research with the future in mind

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.css-1nrevy2{position:relative;display:inline-block;} What are the problems faced by researchers during research?

2. Research teams of one, or silos

3. Research execution

4. Research not used

5. Too much effort to add and search for previous work

6. Service model requests

7. Institutional knowledge inhibits new research

8. Insight of one

9. More time in operations means less time to research

10. Recruiting participants is high effort

11. Managing vendors through onboarding processes

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11 common challenges you face as a researcher

Research Paper Challenges: A Guide to Overcoming Them

I. Introduction to Research Paper Challenges

Four key challenges of a great research project

Identifying your assumptions

Finding your data

Working with bad data

Securing stakeholder buy-in

Trying to do it all alone

Ready to step up your research game?

Three big research challenges (and how to overcome them)

1. The disjointed data set challenge

The solution

2. The managing time and resources challenge

3. The imposter syndrome challenge

The big takeaways

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3.5 Challenges Conducting Developmental Research

Challenges Associated with Conducting Developmental Research

Ethical Concerns

Recruitment

Conclusions

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Chapter 5. Challenges in Improving Community Engagement in Research