A Complete Guide to Write Research Aims and Objectives

The importance of making a good quality aim and objectives of a research is paramount in the success of the research.

In this post, you will learn:

• What is research aim?
• What are research objectives?
• How to differentiate between research aim and research objective
• Examples of research aims and objectives
• Key points to remember while writing research aim and objectives
• Do’s and Don’ts

The research aim is the primary focus of the research and determines what the research serves to do. It defines the purpose of the research and tells the audience what the research aims to achieve.

Because research aims are so important for the study, a sun heading in the introductory chapter is usually dedicated to them. They are written in a paragraph form and define the main purpose of conducting the research on a topic.

Example of a good quality research aim

Research about the effects of climate change on the mental health of young adults can be worded as follows:

The above research aim is focused and clear and presents the reader with a clear understanding of the purpose of the research.

Research aims are related to research objectives. The research aim determines the overall purpose of the study, and the objectives determine in what ways that purpose will be achieved. The purpose of the research aim is separated into subsections. However, If any you need to order IT Research Paper help services then you have to take a survey on the net. These subsections are smaller steps that define the objectives of the research.

Research objectives are usually written in the form of a list. These small bits of steps can be checked off as the research progresses. They are written in chronological order, starting with the first objective that needs to be achieved and ending with the final one.

Example of research objectives

Taking the example of the research aim above, we can divide it into smaller sections to create specific aims of the research.

1. Understand the concepts of climate change and mental health
2. Understand the relationship between climate change and mental health
3. Determine the frequency and intensity of climate change news consumption among young adults
4. Determine the frequency and intensity of news affects the mental health of young adults
5. Develop recommendations for clinical practice in the field

From this example, you can see how the research aim was broken down into smaller, specific objectives that were then listed down.

Although the two concepts are related, they are not the same. The differences between research aim and research objectives are:

1. The way they are worded are different: Research aim is worded in a wide scoped way, while research objectives are worded as specific, narrowed down tasks.
2. The focus of the two are different: research aim focuses on the overall purpose while research objectives focus on how to achieve that purpose.
3. The purpose of the two are different: research aims are concerned with the overall findings of a research, which are long-term, while research objectives serve to define the short term aims of the research.
4. The way they are presented are different: research aims are written in a small paragraph form while the objectives are written in the form of a list.

The ways of writing a research aim varies with the researcher, but there are certain points to keep in mind to write a good quality research aim:

1. Answer the “why” question of the research: A research aim needs to provide an answer for why the study is being conducted. It needs to describe, in a small sentence or phares, why the research is important to conduct.

Taking the example of the research aim above, we can see that it answers the why question:

2. Answer the “what” question of the research: this is the main purpose of the research aim, as it signifies the main aim of the research.

From the example above, the “what” question is answered as follows:

3. Lastly, the research aim needs to answer the “how” question. In a simple sentence or a few phrases, it should outline the main way in which you are planning to achieve the aim.

From the example above, the “how” question is answered as follows:

Checklist of research aim:

• Tells the purpose of research
• Tells why the research is important
• Tells how the aim will be achieved
• Is clear and concise

An easy way to determine the quality of your research objectives is to apply the SMART method to them:

1. You need to make sure that the objectives are worded as specific tasks you need to achieve. They should not be vague.
2. You should ensure that the objectives are measurable, meaning that they allow you to see how much of them have been achieved and how much are left to work on.
3. The objectives need to be achievable, meaning you should have the resources to work on them.
4. They need to be relevant to getting to your research aim.
5. They need to be achievable in the time you have available for your research project.

In the example above the objectives follow the above mentioned criteria. While making your own objectives, make sure to evaluate them using the points above to ensure your objectives are good quality.

Checklist of research objectives

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timebound

What to do and what to avoid in writing aims and objectives

• The research aim is the primary focus of the research.
• Research aims are related to research objectives
• The objectives determine in what ways that purpose will be achieved.
• Research aim needs to answer the “what”, “why” and “how” questions of the research.
• Research objectives need to be SMART.