Description of Secondary Research Usage in the Capstone Project

Author’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

As I focus on tackling the topic of the role of leadership in the management of emergencies, I will use a qualitative research methodology that will integrate a descriptive research design. In that regard, the specific research method that I will adopt will entail examining existing literature, including already observed data on the topic area. Precisely, this means that I will utilize secondary research, which I will review comprehensively in line with the scope of my research topic. As McCrocklin (2018) suggests, the use of secondary research will encompass wading through information and relevant data that is already available in different resources to discover the facts that relevantly correspond with the topic area that I will form the focus of my capstone project. In other words, secondary research will entail collating, reanalyzing, summarizing, synthesizing, and interpreting extant research (Dixon, 2014; Wery, 2012). Additionally, utilizing secondary research will entail accessing raw datasets that corroborate the analysis of what role leadership plays in managing emergencies, which is vital in deliberating and accounting for all potential concerns and considerations associated with this topic, as Johnston (2017) provides.

An exhaustive and detailed literature review of this secondary research will provide valuable knowledge of and insights into this area of study. The sources of secondary research that I will purpose to use will be authoritative and dependable literature resources obtained through a systematic literature search. I will conduct this literature search using scholarly libraries and databases of trustworthy books and journal articles, conference papers, credible websites, industry reports, government booklets, and periodicals, among other sources of secondary data. Examples of libraries, online or digital repositories, and databases from which I will search these literature sources will include JSTOR, Elsevier, Wiley Online Library, SAGE Pub, ResearchGate.net, Taylor & Francis Online, Springer, and Semantic Scholar, among others that I will deem helpful. I will also outline the specific keywords that I will deploy as search terms for ensuring that I narrow down the literature search to my specific topic area. Examples of the keywords will include leadership in emergency management, leadership competencies and skills, crisis leadership, leadership performance, routine emergencies, and extreme events. I will determine other necessary keywords as I progress with my research work.

I specify five search and inclusion principles that I will employ in accomplishing the literature search to ensure that the sources obtained will be relevant or applicable to my topic. The first of these criteria is that a majority of these resources must have dedicated significant portions that address the employment and role of leadership and related concepts in scenarios involving emergencies. The second criterion will be that these articles and sources must have come from authoritative peer-reviewed journals and other trustworthy websites or online sources such as government and industry publications. The third standard will be that these resources or most of them should have been published or written within the last ten years to guarantee practical application to and legitimacy of my study area.

The fourth criterion will be that all or a significant proportion of these sources should reflect elements of confirmed reliability and validity, either explicitly stated or implicitly implied. What this means is that the validity and reliability of these sources will be determined by taking into considerations several aspects or factors. These factors will be the suitability of the author’s scholarly and academic credentials, the level of evidence they provide, the degree of their possible research biases, the amount of authoritative content authentication reflected, and the structure of their respective bibliographies. The last standard will be that these materials or review resources should have been written in the English language and must depict full and detailed reporting. This will serve to reinforce the authoritativeness of the researchers in involved or authors of these resources.

References

Dixon, S. (2014). Managing the master planning process: How do airport managers incorporate stakeholder contribution in their final master plans?. (Doctoral Thesis, Cranfield University).

Johnston, M. P. (2017). Secondary data analysis: A method of which the time has come. Qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries, 3(3), 619-626.

McCrocklin, S. (December 13, 2018). Sources of secondary research and considerations for emerging markets. Market Research, Research Modes. Washington, DC: GeoPoll Mobile Accord, Inc. Retrieved June 9, 2020, from https://www.geopoll.com/blog/secondary-research-emerging-markets/.

Wery, J. J. (2012). Interventions employed with students with emotional disturbance: A meta-analysis. (Doctoral Dissertation, North Carolina State University).