Introduction to Research:

Research Means in Search of knowledge. Or Research is an art of scientific investigation.

Research is an academic activity & as such term should be used in a technical sense. Research comprises of defining & redefining problems, formulating hypothesis & suggesting solutions.

The concept of research refers to:

Searching for knowledge. Adding new knowledge. Finding out something undiscovered. Rediscovering something gain.

Verbs that have similar meaning as research:

To find, to discover, to investigate, to inquire, to explore.

The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search. Re is a prefix meaning again, a new or over again search is a verb that means 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.

Or we can say collecting, organizing & evaluating the data: making deductions & reaching conclusion, &carefully the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.

Research is Search for Knowledge

It is an Art of Scientific Investigation

According to Redman and Mory, Research is a “Systematized effort to gain new knowledge”

Research is an original addition to the available knowledge, which contributes to its further advancement

In sum, Research is the search for knowledge, using objective and systematic methods to find solution to a problem

Scopes of Research:

Does the research cover a particular Objective of research or researcher? Does the research cover a particular time period? Does the study cover a specific geographical area? If the study involves people, what age group, gender and place of origin are

to be included? Are all dates of publication to be included? Is the research going to cover publications from other countries? Will the research include other languages and scripts? (Language of research)

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Are all perspectives to be considered? For example, philosophical, political, psychological, etc.

Objectives of research:

To gain familiarity with new insights into a phenomenon To accurately portray the characteristics of a particular individual, group, or a

situation To analyze the frequency with which something occurs To examine the Hypothesis of a casual relationship between two variables

Types of research:

Descriptive Analytical Applied Fundamental Quantitative Qualitative Conceptual Empirical Other Types

Descriptive Vs Analytical:

In Descriptive Research, the Researcher has to only report what is happening or what has happened.

In Analytical Research, the Researcher has to use the already available facts or information, and analyse them to make a critical evaluation of the subject

Applied Vs Fundamental:

An attempt to find solution to an immediate problem encountered by a firm, an Industry, a business organization, or the Society is known as Applied Research

Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is ‘Pure’ or ‘Basic’ or ‘Fundamental’ Research

Fundamental research is research that is carried out in an attempt at discovery, and has been described as being curiosity driven. When people undertake fundamental research they do so in order to learn about what it is they are researching, and as such it very often leads to new insights. From this basis, it is possible for new developments and solutions to old problems to be considered.

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One of the characteristics of fundamental research is that the results can often be unpredictable and unexpected. It also needs the person or the people who are doing the research to have open minds as to what they actually discover, as opposed to having a pre-conceived notion of what may occur and so only addressing what they believe to be pertinent. It is also necessary for what may appear to be unrelated facts to be taken into consideration. This means that fundamental research has often got to be multidisciplinary by its very nature.

Applied research differs from fundamental research because it is used to solve actual problems rather than just a way of gaining knowledge. This means that many scientists use applied research in an attempt to resolve some of the many very real issues that face the modern world, such as improving crop production; treating or curing particular diseases; and improving the energy efficiency of buildings, and transportation.

Quantitative research

Quantitative research is a more logical and data-led approach which provides a measure of what people think from a statistical and numerical point of view. For example, if you wanted to know how many of your customers support a proposed change in your products or service and how strongly (on a scale) they support it.

Quantitative research can gather a large amount of data that can be easily organised and manipulated into reports for analysis.

How to do it

Quantitative research largely uses methods such as questionnaires and surveys with set questions and answers that respondents tick from a predefined selection. Answers can be measured in strengths of feeling such as ‘strongly agree’ ‘disagree’ or numbers such as scales out of 10.

This form of research is very flexible in terms of how it’s carried out such as through the post, online or even over the phone. If you are carrying out research, make sure that you have a fair cross section of respondents and that you have enough of them to provide a greater range of reliable data.

To help gain willing participants, companies often offer incentives such as free products or financial remuneration for their time.

Qualitative Research

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Unlike quantitative research which relies on numbers and data, qualitative research is more focused on how people feel, what they think and why they make certain choices.

For example, if you are thinking of changing your branding you would carry out qualitative research to see what emotional reactions people have to the new identity and what they associate it with.

How to do it

Qualitative research is largely led with discussion around certain concepts or ideas with open questioning. Attendees are encouraged to explain or describe their reasons for having certain responses which can reveal underlying motivations, associations and behavioural triggers.

The most common forms of qualitative research consist of focus groups relevant to the target market or one to one interviews, conducted face to face or over the telephone.

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