This is the first in a series of articles that will discuss the need for appropriate mental planning in any research project. This article outlines the steps one should consider to ensure a successful conclusion to the research project. These steps include (1) determining the research objective, (2) choosing the most efficient research design, (3) determining the data handling techniques to be used, (4) choosing the appropriate statistical analysis and carrying it out, and (5) accurately reporting the results of the study. Statistics is needed in a research project because of the variability in data and because one usually wishes to draw conclusions about a population based on information from a sample of that population.
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