Definition of Research tool | Different forms of research tool

Constructing a Research tool for data collection

Research tool may be defined as:

Anything that becomes a means of collecting information for your study is called a research tool or a research instrument. For example, observation forms, interview schedules, questionnaires, and interview guides are all classified as research tools.

Constructing a research tool is the first practical step in carrying out research process. You will need to decide how you will collect the data then you construct a research instrument for this.

If you are planning to collect data specifically for your research then you have to develop a research instrument or select an already developed one.

If you are using a secondary data (information already collected for other purposes), develop a form to extract required data.

Field testing a research tool is an important part. But as a rule, field testing should not be carried out on the sample of your study but on a similar population.