Answer

Yes, I fully agree with the statement that research is much concerned with proper fact finding, analysis and evaluation. These three elements form the core of every research activity, whether it is a business problem, a social issue or a scientific enquiry. Research does not end with collecting information; it goes further to examine that information and judge it against defined objectives.

Meaning of the statement

Research is a systematic, objective and scientific process of searching for knowledge. It begins with a problem, gathers relevant facts about that problem, analyses those facts to find relationships and patterns, and finally evaluates the findings to reach a valid conclusion. Thus fact finding, analysis and evaluation are not separate activities but three interlinked stages of the same research process.

Reasons in support of the statement

1. Fact finding is the foundation of research. Research starts with the collection of reliable and relevant facts, figures and information through observation, survey, interview, questionnaire, experiment or secondary sources. Without correct facts, the whole study becomes baseless. For example, before launching a new product, a company must find facts about consumer needs, buying habits and competitors' prices.

2. Facts must be proper and authentic. The statement stresses the word "proper", which means facts should be accurate, adequate, unbiased and collected by scientific methods. Wrong or incomplete facts lead to wrong conclusions. Hence a researcher carefully selects the source, sample and tool of data collection.

3. Analysis converts raw facts into meaningful information. Collected facts alone are of little use. They must be classified, tabulated, compared and statistically analysed (mean, percentage, correlation, trend, etc.) so that relationships between variables become clear. For instance, analysis of sales data may show how demand changes with price or advertisement.

4. Evaluation gives direction to decision-making. After analysis, the researcher evaluates the results against the objectives and hypotheses of the study. Evaluation tells whether the hypothesis is accepted or rejected, what the strengths and weaknesses of the findings are, and what conclusion and recommendation can be drawn. This is the real value of research to managers and policy makers.

5. Research is objective, not guesswork. Personal beliefs, emotions and prejudices can mislead. Fact finding, analysis and evaluation together make research objective, verifiable and replicable, so that another researcher repeating the study gets similar results.

6. It supports planning, control and problem solving. Business houses use research findings to forecast demand, select markets, fix prices, test advertising effectiveness, measure employee satisfaction and control performance. All these require proper facts, careful analysis and sound evaluation.

7. It builds theory and knowledge. In academic research, facts are analysed and evaluated to develop concepts, models and theories, which later become the base for further research. Evaluation also identifies the gap between the present knowledge and the required knowledge.

8. It reduces risk and uncertainty. Since decisions are based on analysed and evaluated facts rather than intuition, the risk of wrong decisions, wastage of resources and business failure is greatly reduced.

Conclusion

Therefore, the statement is fully correct. Research is essentially a fact-finding, analysing and evaluating activity. Facts provide the raw material, analysis provides the meaning, and evaluation provides the judgement. A study that lacks any one of these three loses its scientific character and practical value. Hence research is rightly regarded as much concerned with proper fact finding, analysis and evaluation.

Doctrinal Research Approach

Doctrinal research is a research approach that studies law as it exists in legal sources — statutes, regulations, precedents, and legal doctrines — rather than studying law as a social phenomenon through empirical observation. It is often called "black-letter law" research or library-based research. The researcher collects, reads, analyses, and interprets authoritative legal texts to describe what the law is, to trace how a legal rule has developed, and to identify gaps, inconsistencies, or ambiguities in the existing legal framework. Its main tools are case analysis, statutory interpretation, and logical reasoning rather than fieldwork, surveys, or experiments. Its purpose is normative and analytical: it explains what the law says and what it ought to say, not why people behave as they do.

Doctrinal Research in Legal Research

Yes, doctrinal research is the most widely used approach in the field of legal research. The reasons are as follows:

1. Nature of law as a discipline. Law is primarily a body of authoritative rules and principles. Understanding and applying those rules requires the study of legal texts, which is exactly what doctrinal research does. It is therefore the natural and traditional method of legal scholarship.

2. Lawyers' daily work is doctrinal. Judges, advocates, prosecutors, and legal advisers constantly interpret statutes and precedents to argue or decide cases. The reasoning they use — distinguishing cases, reading provisions, applying doctrines — is doctrinal method in practice. This keeps the approach central to legal training and legal writing.

3. Legal education is built on it. Law courses teach students to find, read, and analyse cases and statutes. Moot court, legal drafting, and case-comment exercises all rest on doctrinal skills, so most law students and researchers are trained mainly in this approach.

4. Legal reform needs it. Law reform bodies, law commissions, and courts rely on doctrinal analysis to detect defects in the law and to propose amendments. Most legal journal articles, commentaries, and textbooks are doctrinal in character.

5. Practical constraints. Empirical or socio-legal research needs time, money, sampling, and fieldwork, which many legal researchers and institutions in countries like Nepal cannot easily arrange. Doctrinal research needs mainly a good law library and analytical skill, so it remains the most feasible option.

Conclusion

Doctrinal research is the dominant approach in legal research because it matches the very nature of law as a normative discipline. However, it is not the only approach. Modern legal research increasingly combines it with socio-legal and empirical methods to study how law actually works in society. Even so, doctrinal method remains the foundation on which all other legal research is built.

Research Proposal

A research proposal is a formal written document prepared by a researcher before conducting a study, which outlines the research problem, objectives, methodology, and plan of action. It serves as a blueprint of the proposed research and is submitted to an academic institution, supervisor, or funding agency for approval and financial support. It answers three basic questions: what the researcher intends to study, why it is worth studying, and how it will be carried out.

Main Ingredients (Components) of a Research Proposal

1. Title of the Study – A clear, concise and specific statement reflecting the nature and scope of the research.

2. Introduction / Background of the Study – Brief background information, context and rationale that establish the need for the study.

3. Statement of the Problem – A precise description of the research problem, including its nature, scope and the gap the study intends to fill.

4. Objectives of the Study – Specific, measurable goals that the research aims to achieve, usually stated in general and specific terms.

5. Research Questions / Hypotheses – Questions the study seeks to answer, or testable statements to be verified.

6. Significance / Rationale of the Study – Explanation of how the study will benefit academia, policy makers, practitioners and society.

7. Review of Literature – Summary and critical evaluation of previous studies, theories and findings related to the topic, showing the research gap.

8. Research Methodology – The core technical part, covering:

   • Research design (descriptive, exploratory, causal, etc.)
   • Population and sampling technique
   • Sources and methods of data collection (primary/secondary)
   • Research instruments (questionnaire, interview, observation)
   • Data analysis techniques (statistical tools, qualitative methods)

9. Scope and Limitations of the Study – Boundaries of the study and the constraints expected during research.

10. Chapter Plan / Organization of the Study – Outline of how the report will be structured (introduction, literature review, methodology, results, conclusion).

11. Time Schedule / Work Plan – A timetable showing the phases of the research and expected completion dates.

12. Budget / Cost Estimate – Estimated expenses required for conducting the research.

13. References / Bibliography – List of sources cited or consulted, in a standard format (APA, MLA, etc.).

14. Appendices (if any) – Supporting materials such as questionnaires, maps or tables.

A well-prepared research proposal thus provides direction to the researcher, facilitates evaluation and approval by the concerned authority, and helps in the systematic and timely completion of the study.

Qualities of a Good Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a formal set of questions used to collect primary data from respondents. For the data collected to be reliable and valid, the questionnaire must possess the following qualities:

1. Simplicity The questions should be short, clear and simple. Difficult words, technical jargon and complex sentences should be avoided so that every respondent can understand them easily.

2. Relevance Every question must be directly related to the objectives and subject matter of the study. Irrelevant questions waste the respondent's time and reduce the quality of data.

3. Clarity and Precision Each question should ask only one thing at a time. Ambiguous or vague questions (e.g., "Do you earn a good income?") should be avoided, as they lead to different interpretations.

4. Objectivity Questions should be free from bias, personal opinion and leading suggestions. They should be framed in a neutral manner so that unbiased responses are obtained.

5. Proper Sequence Questions should follow a logical order — from simple to complex, general to specific. Personal and sensitive questions should be placed at the end.

6. Adequate Coverage The questionnaire should cover all aspects of the problem under study. No important dimension of the research topic should be left out.

7. Appropriate Length It should be as short as possible while covering the required information. A very long questionnaire causes fatigue and unwillingness to respond.

8. Pre-testing (Pilot Test) A good questionnaire is tested on a small group of respondents before final use, so that defects can be identified and corrected.

9. Courtesy and Ethical Tone The language should be polite and respectful. Personal, embarrassing or confidential questions should be avoided or handled tactfully.

10. Easy Tabulation and Analysis Questions should be designed in such a way that responses can be easily coded, classified, tabulated and analyzed.

11. Adequate Instructions Clear instructions should be given at the beginning about the purpose of the study and how to fill in the questionnaire.

12. Attractive Format The questionnaire should be neatly printed with sufficient spacing, making it easy to read and fill in.

Conclusion A good questionnaire is simple, clear, relevant, unbiased, properly sequenced and easy to analyze. Such a questionnaire ensures accurate, reliable and valid data for successful research.

a) Research Design

Research design is the overall plan or blueprint that a researcher prepares before conducting a study. It specifies the objectives of the research, the sources of data, the methods of data collection, the sampling technique, the tools of analysis, and the time and cost involved. It answers the questions of what to study, where, when, how much, and by what means.

Research designs are broadly of three types:

• Exploratory (formulative) design — used when the problem is not clearly defined; it helps generate hypotheses.
• Descriptive design — describes the characteristics of a population or phenomenon as it exists.
• Causal (explanatory) design — establishes cause-and-effect relationships between variables.

A good research design is flexible, economical, reliable, and free from bias. It prevents the collection of irrelevant data and saves time and cost.

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b) Research Report

A research report is the final written document that presents the findings of a research study in an organised form. It communicates the problem, methodology, analysis, and conclusions to the readers, who may be academicians, managers, or policymakers.

The usual structure of a research report is:

1. Preliminary section — title page, letter of transmittal, table of contents, list of tables and figures.
2. Main body — introduction and statement of the problem, objectives, review of literature, research methodology, data presentation and analysis, findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
3. Supplementary section — bibliography, appendices, and index.

A good report should be clear, concise, objective, logically arranged, and free from personal bias. It is the only permanent record of the research work and serves as a basis for decision-making and future research.

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c) Primary Data

Primary data are those data which are collected for the first time by the researcher himself for the specific purpose of the present study. They are original in character and have not been previously collected or published by anyone else.

Sources/methods of collecting primary data:

• Observation — recording behaviour as it occurs.
• Interview — personal, telephonic, or structured questioning.
• Questionnaire — mailed or self-administered schedules.
• Schedule — filled in by the enumerator.
• Experiment — controlled testing of variables.

Advantages: original and up-to-date, collected as per the researcher's own need, and more reliable for the specific problem.

Disadvantages: costly, time-consuming, and requires trained investigators; results may be affected by the researcher's bias.

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d) Citation

Citation means giving reference to the source from which information, ideas, data, or quotations have been taken in a research work. It tells the reader where the material came from and gives credit to the original author.

Purposes:

• To acknowledge the intellectual contribution of other authors.
• To enable readers to locate the original source.
• To avoid plagiarism and maintain academic honesty.
• To add authenticity and credibility to the research.

Common styles: APA (American Psychological Association), MLA, Chicago, and Harvard. For example, in APA style a book is cited as:

Author's surname, Initial. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Citation may appear in-text (short form within the body) or in the reference list/bibliography at the end of the report.

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e) Research Proposal

A research proposal is a written plan prepared by a researcher before actually conducting the study. It is submitted to a supervisor, institution, or funding agency to obtain approval and support for the proposed research.

Contents:

1. Title of the study
2. Introduction and statement of the problem
3. Objectives of the study
4. Research questions or hypotheses
5. Rationale and significance of the study
6. Review of related literature
7. Research methodology (design, population, sample, tools, and techniques of analysis)
8. Expected findings and limitations
9. Work schedule and budget
10. Bibliography

Importance: It helps the researcher to think clearly and systematically, serves as a guide during the study, and enables the concerned authority to judge whether the research is feasible, relevant, and worth supporting.