What is the meaning of Research?

The word “research” originated from the old French word “researcher” meaning to search and
search again. It implies repeating a search for something and implicitly assumes that the earlier
search was not exhaustive and complete in that there is still scope for improvement. Research in
common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. It may be a scientific and systematic search
for pertinent information on a specific topic/area. Research is the art of scientific investigation.
According to (Thyer, 2001), "the word research is composed of two syllables,
re and search. He is a prefix meaning again, anew, or over again search is a verb meaning to
examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe. Together they form a noun describing
a careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to
establish facts or principles." As per the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the word research
is derived from the Middle French ―recherche‖, which means ―to go about seeking‖, the term
itself being derived from the Old French term ―recerchier‖ a compound word from ―re-‖ +
―cerchier‖, or ―searcher‖, meaning ‗search‘. The earliest recorded use of the term was in 1577.
Research is a structured inquiry that utilizes acceptable scientific methodology to solve problems
and create new knowledge that is generally applicable. (Dawson, Catherine).
According to (Rocco, 2011), "Research is a careful investigation or inquiry especially
through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge." Research is a movement, a movement
from the known to the unknown (Redman and Mory, 2010). Research is the manipulation of
things, concepts, or symbols to generalize to extend, correct, or verify knowledge, whether that
knowledge aids in the construction of theory or the practice of art (Kothari, C.R.).According to
(Creswell, 2008), "Research is a systematic investigation to establish the facts." In the broadest
sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information, and
facts for the advancement of knowledge. According to Clifford Woody, "research comprises
defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions collecting,
organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and reaching conclusions; to determine
whether they fit the formulating hypothesis." According to Cambridge Dictionary online,
research is "a detailed study of a subject, especially to discover (new) information or reach a
(new) understanding."

What is Research?
Research is a systematic process of investigating, studying, and analyzing
information to gain new knowledge or improve existing knowledge. It
involves collecting data, and analyzing and interpreting it to answer specific
research questions or to test hypotheses.

The meaning of research varies depending on the discipline and context in

which it is conducted. In general, research aims to expand our
understanding of the world and to answer questions that are important to
society.
Types of Research:
In this topic, you decide which type of research helps you evaluate your results and
gather data. We are talking about types of research.
Qualitative Research
Quantitative Research
Mix Method Research
 Qualitative Research: Qualitative research is a research process that aims to
understand the subjective experiences of people.it used non-proabibility sampling
which means open-ended questions with no predetermined assumptions.
Researchers analyze the data they collect through a process of coding by themes
and patterns that emerge from this analysis.
Types of Qualitative Research:
Here are different types of qualitative research methods according to the various
data collection techniques that researchers use. Examples include interviews, focus
groups and observation. These methods help gather information on the participants'
perceptions, feelings and opinions about an issue or problem researchers are
investigating. The data collected in qualitative research is usually non-numerical
and can include text (interviews, field notes), images (photos, videos), or audio
(recordings.
Ethnographic Research
Ethnographic research involves being immersed in participants’ natural
environment over a period of time, aiming to gain a more in-depth understanding
of their experiences. Taking into account cultural differences, ethnographic
research provides contextually rich data about participants’ behaviors and beliefs,
and can reveal unarticulated needs and pain points. For example, a product
manager working on a running app could spend several weeks working alongside
users who are training for a marathon, observing daily mileage, dietary habits, and
interactions with the app. This could provide insights into how marathon runners
may want to utilize the app, informing future product enhancements.
Interviews: Interviews are one of the most common methods of qualitative
research, and can be used as part of almost any of the research approaches listed
above. They’re just what they sound like: one-on-one conversations between a
researcher and a participant. Interviews can be conducted face-to-face or remote,
and follow a structured format (in which each interviewee is asked the same set of
questions), a non-structured format (in which all interviewees are asked different
questions), or a semi-structured format (in which a loose structure is followed but
deviations are encouraged). Interviews provide in-depth insights and generate
useful direct quotes from participants on their experiences. They’re also wildly
scalable and flexible, generating insights about practically any aspect of the user
experience. For example, if a product manager for a shopping app wanted to
uncover specific reasons for user churn, they could talk to users who have recently
canceled their subscriptions to uncover added nuance beyond what raw data
analysis might provide. They could then use these insights to address pain points
and hopefully retain future users.
Focus Groups:
Focus groups are similar to interviews, but they involve interviewing small groups
of participants simultaneously. These structured discussions are typically led by a
moderator and aim to take advantage of the group dynamic, gathering diverse
perspectives, opinions, and insights on a particular topic. Focus groups help gather
diverse perspectives on a particular topic by encouraging group interactions and
discussions. They can provide immediate feedback to concepts, ideas, and product
prototypes, and are particularly useful in the exploratory phase of research,
identifying issues and gut reactions before conducting more extensive prototyping
and testing. For example, if a clothing outlet wanted to field test some new
branding, they could gather representative users from the target audiences and
encourage them to discuss what they liked and didn’t like about the proposed
direction of the brand. These conversations could generate lots of quick feedback
about possible tones and themes for the re-brand, which could be fed back to the
marketing team for immediate iteration.
Case Studies :
The case study method has evolved over the past few years and developed
into a valuable quality research method. As the name suggests, it is used for
explaining an organization or an entity.

This type of research method is used within a number of areas like education,
social sciences, and similar. This method may look difficult to operate;
however, it is one of the simplest ways of conducting research as it involves a
deep dive and thorough understanding of the data collection methods and
inferring the data.

Record keeping

This method makes use of the already existing reliable documents and
similar sources of information as the data source. This data can be used in
new research. This is similar to going to a library. There, one can go over
books and other reference material to collect relevant data that can likely
be used in the research

 Quantitative Research:

Quantitative research involves the collection and analysis of numerical data to understand
patterns, relationships, or trends. It is typically used to quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, or
other defined variables and generalize results from a larger sample population. Below are the
main types of quantitative research:

1. Descriptive Research

Descriptive research is aimed at describing characteristics or functions of a phenomenon or

population. It provides a snapshot of the current state without trying to influence or manipulate
any variables.

 Purpose: To observe and describe the behavior or characteristics of a subject.

 Methods: Surveys, observational methods, and case studies.
 Examples:
o Describing the demographic characteristics of a population (age, gender, income).
o Examining patterns of consumer behavior.

2. Correlational Research

Correlational research examines the relationship or association between two or more variables. It
does not imply causation but determines whether variables move together in a predictable
pattern.

 Purpose: To explore relationships or associations between variables.

 Methods: Surveys, statistical techniques like correlation coefficients (e.g., Pearson’s r),
regression analysis.
 Examples:
o Investigating whether there is a relationship between exercise and levels of stress.
o Analyzing the correlation between education level and income.
3. Experimental Research

Experimental research is a controlled study designed to test cause-and-effect relationships.

Researchers manipulate one or more independent variables to observe their effect on dependent
variables.

 Purpose: To determine causal relationships between variables.

 Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), laboratory experiments, field
experiments.
 Examples:
o Testing the effect of a new drug on patients' health outcomes.
o Examining how a change in teaching methods affects student performance.

4. Quasi-Experimental Research

Quasi-experimental research is similar to experimental research but lacks random assignment of

subjects to control and experimental groups. It is often used in real-world settings where
randomization is not feasible.

 Purpose: To estimate causal relationships when random assignment is not possible.

 Methods: Pre-test/post-test, non-equivalent control groups, time series analysis.
 Examples:
o Assessing the impact of a policy change on student performance when random
assignment to groups isn't possible.
o Studying the effect of a new law or regulation on crime rates.

5. Causal-Comparative (Ex Post Facto) Research

Causal-comparative research investigates potential cause-and-effect relationships by comparing

groups that differ on a certain variable or outcome. It is often used when experimental
manipulation is not possible.

 Purpose: To identify and compare causes of a particular outcome.

 Methods: Comparison of existing groups, statistical analysis such as ANOVA (Analysis
of Variance).
 Examples:
o Comparing test scores between students who attended different types of schools.
o Investigating differences in health outcomes between smokers and non-smokers.

6. Longitudinal Research

Longitudinal research tracks the same individuals or groups over a prolonged period of time to
observe how certain variables change or develop.

 Purpose: To study changes over time or to observe the development of certain behaviors
or phenomena.
  Methods: Surveys, repeated measurements, cohort studies.
 Examples:
o Studying the long-term effects of childhood nutrition on adult health.
o Tracking changes in political opinions over the course of an election campaign.

7. Cross-Sectional Research

Cross-sectional research analyzes data from a population at one specific point in time. It is a
snapshot of a phenomenon or condition at a single moment.

 Purpose: To examine a population or phenomenon at one moment in time.

 Methods: Surveys, observational data collection.
 Examples:
o Surveying the public's opinion on a political issue at a single point in time.
o Studying the prevalence of a health condition in a specific population.

8. Survey Research

Survey research involves collecting data through questionnaires or interviews from a sample of
people to understand opinions, behaviors, or characteristics.

 Purpose: To gather quantitative data on attitudes, behaviors, or characteristics of a

population.
 Methods: Online surveys, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews.
 Examples:
o Public opinion polls on political issues.
o Market research surveys to assess consumer preferences.

9. Explanatory Research

Explanatory research seeks to explain the cause-and-effect relationships that might exist between
variables, often following descriptive or correlational studies to test causal relationships.

 Purpose: To explain why or how a phenomenon occurs.

 Methods: Experimental or quasi-experimental research designs, hypothesis testing.
 Examples:
o Investigating how a specific marketing strategy influences consumer purchasing
behavior.
o Examining how environmental factors contribute to health outcomes.

Each type of quantitative research serves a different purpose and is appropriate for answering
different kinds of research questions.

 Mixed Methods: A combination of both qualitative and quantitative

approaches. In this research, you talk about people's common diseases and then
you observe through a survey how percentage of people suffering from this
disease.
Research Objectives:
When you write your research proposal how can you make your objective precise
and to the point and objective that makes your research impactful? Writing
research objectives involves being clear, and concise, and ensuring they directly
align with the research problem. Typically, objectives are stated in the following
ways:

 To examine
 To evaluate
 To assess
 To determine
 To explore
 To investigate
 To compare
 To measure

 Clear and Focused: Objectives should specify the key areas you will focus on.
For example, avoid overly broad objectives that are difficult to measure or analyze.
For example, instead of "To study the effects of social media," a more focused
objective might be "To examine the effects of Instagram use on body image
perception in teenage girls."

 Measurable Outcomes: If possible, define what outcomes you hope to

measure or analyze. This ensures that the objectives are not just theoretical but also
practical. For example, instead of "To explore customer satisfaction," a measurable
objective could be "To measure customer satisfaction levels using a Likert-scale
survey.

Significance of Research:

Research is crucial because it provides the foundation for knowledge and progress
across all areas of life. It helps us understand complex issues, answer important
questions, and discover new facts or solutions. In fields like healthcare, research
leads to better treatments, vaccines, and medical practices that save lives and
improve well-being. In education, research helps develop more effective teaching
methods and learning strategies. In business, research informs decisions, helping
companies understand consumer behavior, improve products, and stay competitive.
Beyond these practical applications, research also fosters innovation by
challenging existing ideas, encouraging critical thinking, and inspiring new ways
of thinking. It enables societies to solve problems, make informed policies, and
plan for the future. Overall, research is essential for making decisions based on
evidence rather than guesswork, improving lives, and shaping a better future.