Good Qualities of a Researcher: A Note to Beginners

By Camilo Tabinas

There is a researcher within us just waiting to be unleashed.

Being good according to Webster's Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus (2005) means
having the right and proper qualities. If these qualities are needed to achieve certain
objectives, then success is a consequence of being good. That is, a good researcher
should possess the right
and desirable properties or qualities in order to succeed in his researches.
What are these good qualities of a researcher? One may say, all the good values.

Just name it. Yes its true however, it is just too broad to consider all of them. We
can trim down the good values into more practical and specific.
To be more specific, let us divide these good qualities into three: The Basics
qualities, the good qualities on the process, and the good qualities upon success. The
basic qualities of a researcher are intelligence, honesty, curiosity and initiative,
enough knowledge, and good in oral and written communication.
It cannot be denied that a researcher must be intelligent enough. Anyway, it is
unlikely for a person who is not intelligent enough to ever think of doing a formal
research and turn it to a book or a published article. Research requires critical
analysis, logical reasoning and common sense. You dont have to worry because if
you are reading this article, it is likely that you are intelligent enough.

You may have the required intelligence but if you are not curious and initiative
enough, you will not find a reasonable problem for research study, specially these
days where researches bloom and many of the easier problems had already been
studied.
Going into formal research will require you to have the basic knowledge on how to
do research. This will save you from unnecessary errors. Erroneous research may
require you to repeat your work and waste time, effort, and even money.

One may do research just to satisfy his hunger for knowledge or just for his own
advantage. Yes, satisfying oneself is a common human desire but it will be selfish
and futile if you will not share your research after it is done. Sharing you research
may be done through publications and presentations in seminars or conferences. Your
skills in oral and written communication are important. In a seminar on presenting
papers in conferences sponsored by the Philippine Association of Graduate Education
(PAGE) Dr. Delfin (2012) pointed out that though being fluent in the language you use
is of advantage, it should be remembered that the main purpose of the presentation
is to SHARE your work. Thus, I may say that we have to build our confidence more on

the substance of our work (that we are going to share) rather than just being too
conscious of perfecting the language we are going to use for presentation. Nonverbal communication such as appropriate gestures, facial expressions, even smiles
may also be of help. The bottom line: YOU MUST BE UNDERSTOOD.
A research may seem successful, but may be dangerous if done dishonestly. This is
even worse if there is a cooperative dishonesty among researchers. Example, a
medicine claimed by researchers to cure certain illness and lie about its adverse
effect can be deadly.

Really, research is a serious one that it is often tedious.

A healthy researcher can go

through all the stresses and discomforts of research work. if it is time to relax,
relax. It is time to
eat, eat( proper diet). If it is time to exercise, exercise, so that if it is time to go back
to work on your research you can have a better focus.
It is more interesting to note the good qualities needed by a researcher in the
dynamic parts of doing research. We can call these qualities as the good qualities on
the process. They are as follows:

Diligence and persistence, creativeness and innovativeness, objectiveness, open

mindedness, orderliness and cleanliness, cautious, accuracy and precision, quickness
and responsiveness, Keenness, systematic and reasonableness, and cooperation and
leadership.
Going to different libraries, sleepless nights surfing the internet, gathering data,
repeating experiments- is not a joke. A good researcher is not just born overnight. Be
ready with your diligence and patience.
A time when the data seem to be not reliable, the methods do not seem to work, and
other irritating difficulties encountered in doing research. Dont give up. Be creative
in making things possible and be innovative in ways to solve the problems
encountered in the process. Adjust, modify or even revise if you may, but dont you
quit. However, remember you should learn to follow ethical procedures in doing
research.
Oftentime a researcher has his own expectations of the outcomes in which overexcitement may lead him to become bias either consciously or unconsciously. Be
objective. Interpret data objectively. Do not manufacture or discard data to suit your
biases or expectations but probably on statistical, logical, and/or experimental
grounds.
Should there'll be an incident where one will give a negative comment on your
research in the process, do not be embarrassed, do not feel insulted or angry, instead
be happy and thankful for all you know, the negative comments are the stepping
stones for you to succeed in your research study. Be open-minded and be willing to

consider corrections and suggestions from others.

Whats taking you so long? Couldnt find your draft, ball pen, or journal? Be orderly,
learn to put and keep things at the right places. Organize and file documents, data,
instruments, etc. in an orderly manner. This will save you time in looking for them,
more so, in order to avoid collecting data again to compensate for what may have
been lost.
Something may go wrong with your laboratory experiments simply because you
forgot to clean a test tube. Be extra conscious on cleanliness.

Accurate and precise data are of importance in research. Data are the pillars of your
conclusions. So, be extra cautious in collecting data and in performing an
experiment. Not only the data are guarded when you are extra cautious and try to
be accurate and precise in your work, but also your health or the health of
others. Accidents can happen anytime when you are not cautious and careful to
consider safety.
What should be done must be done at once. Yes, it should be kept in mind that timing
is also important in dealing with situations and in dealing with other people specially
in asking permissions or approvals, however, unnecessary procrastination should
have no room in research. Be quick and responsive.

Overlooking something is not an excuse. You should be able to detect even the
slightest change. So be keen in observing and be careful and accurate in recording
data.
First thing first. If you will be confused with so many things to do, you will end up
doing nothing. Plan ahead. Be systematic in your schedules and be reasonable in
setting your priorities.
A time may come when your research will require you to lead a team of researchersbe skillful in leadership. Encourage cooperation for it plays a vital role in a team.
At last you are done with your research. You have succeeded in generating the
outputs of your research. Remember good qualities of a researcher do not end here.
There are still important qualities upon success: contentment and willingness to be of
service Contentment is good. This means you are satisfied and happy of your
success. It is alright to relax before jumping into another research. Celebrate your
success.
Humility may be needed to conform to some societys expectations. However, to be
proud of ones hard work is a thing that you can claim.
It is better if a researcher is willing to share his work so it can be benefited by the
community or even the entire world. Sharing your work doesnt only mean sharing

the outputs but also sharing the experiences you gained from doing research in
which other researchers can learn. A little like a note to beginners.
Remember there is a researcher within us. It is just waiting to be unleashed.
Go! Do your research. Do it now!
Reference:
Good (2005).Webster's Universal Dictionary and Thesaurus (p.229, reprinted).
Scotland:
Geddes&Grosset.