Research Objectives

Research objectives describe what will be demonstrated, tested, evaluated, confirmed or compared. The objectives of a research project summarize what is to be achieved by the study. Objectives should be closely related to the statement of the problem. The formulation of objectives will help to:

• Focus the study or narrowing it down to essentials
• Avoid collection of data fact and not strictly necessary for understanding and solving the identified problem
• Organize the study in clearly defined parts or phases

Properly formulated, specific objectives will facilitate the development of your research methodology and will help to orient the collection, analysis, interpretation, and utilization of data.

Criteria of Research Objectives

• It should be closely related to the statement of the problem and should cover the different aspect of the problems and its contributing factors in a coherent way and in a logical sequence.
• It should be clearly phrased in operational terms specifying exactly.

                 o What you plan to do?
                 o To whom it will be done?
                 o When it will be done?
                 o For what purpose?

• It should be realistic and measurable
• It should have action verbs that are specific enough to be evaluated; for e.g. to determine, to compare, to verify, to calculate, to describe, and to establish. 
• Avoid the use of vague non-action verbs such as: to appreciate, to understand, or to study
• Keep in mind that when the project is evaluated, the results will be compared to the objectives. If the objectives have not been spelled out clearly, the project cannot be evaluated.
•  Overall, research objectives should be SMART, that is:

                      o   S     = Specific

o   M    = Measurable

o   A     = Attainable, achievable

o   R     = Relevant, result-oriented, realistic, reliable

o   T     = Timely, time-bound

Types of Objectives

    1. General Objectives

    2. Specific Objectives

1) General Objective: It is stated in one or two sentences outlining the broad prospective of the study in general terms. The general objective of a study states what researchers expect to achieve by the study in general terms.

For example, if the problem identified is low utilization of child welfare clinics, the general objective of the study could be:

- to identify the reasons for this low utilization of child welfare clinics by mothers in Dhanusha District

2) Specific Objectives: It is possible (and advisable) to break down a general objective into smaller, logically connected parts. These are normally referred to as specific objectives. They should specify what you will do in your study, where and for what purpose.

Continuing the previous example of general objective, example of specific objectives could be:

a) To determine the level of utilization of child welfare clinic by the mothers

b) To identify the factors related to the child welfare services offered that encourage mothers to utilize the services

c) To identify socioeconomic and cultural factors that may influence the utilization of child welfare services by the mothers