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| {{about|the search for knowledge|the suburb of Melbourne, Australia|Research, Victoria}}
| | "'''Research''' and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture, and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications."<ref name="Frascati">{{cite book |url=http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/science-and-technology/frascati-manual-2002_9789264199040-en#page31 |title=Frascati Manual: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development |author=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |publisher=Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |year=2002 |pages=256 |isbn=9264199047 |doi=10.1787/9789264199040-en}}</ref> It is used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories. A research project may also be an expansion on past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects, or the project as a whole. |
| {{Selfref|For the Wikipedia policy, see [[Wikipedia:Original research]]. For information on using Wikipedia for research, see [[Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia]].}} | |
| {{Refimprove|date=June 2009}}
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| [[Image:Research-Warner-Highsmith.jpeg|thumb|[[Olin Levi Warner]], Research holding the torch of knowledge (1896). Library of Congress [[Thomas Jefferson Building]], Washington, D.C.]]
| | The primary purposes of basic research (as opposed to applied research) are documentation, discovery, interpretation, or the research and development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches to research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. Research can be classified into<ref name="RMeth">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=37x8afFN0FYC |title=Research Methodology |author=Panneerselvam, R. |publisher=PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd |year=2004 |page=6–16 |isbn=8120324528}}</ref>: |
| '''Research''' can be defined as the search for [[knowledge]], or as any systematic investigation, with an open mind, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a [[scientific method]]. The primary purpose for [[basic research]] (as opposed to [[applied research]]) is [[discovery (observation)|discovering]], [[interpretation (logic)|interpreting]], and the [[Research and development|development]] of methods and systems for the advancement of human [[knowledge]] on a wide variety of [[Epistemology|scientific matters]] of our world and the universe.
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| '''Scientific research''' relies on the application of the scientific method, a harnessing of [[curiosity]]. This research provides [[science|scientific]] information and theories for the explanation of the [[nature]] and the properties of the world around us. It makes practical applications possible. Scientific research is funded by public authorities, by charitable organizations and by private groups, including many companies. Scientific research can be subdivided into different classifications according to their academic and application disciplines. | | * ''exploratory research'': the initial analysis of date to obtain as many relationships as possible between variables without knowing their end-application |
| | * ''conclusive research'': the testing of hypotheses of a research problem formulated from exploratory research, drawing conclusions for implementation |
| | * ''modeling research'': the abstraction of reality by taking real-life problems and formulating models in order to solve them |
| | * ''algorithmic research'': the use of a well-defined sequence of steps to solve combinatorial and polynomial problems |
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| '''Artistic research''', also seen as 'practice-based research', can take form when creative works are considered both the research and the object of research itself. It is the debatable body of thought which offers an alternative to purely scientific methods in research in its search for knowledge and truth.
| | ==References== |
| | | <references/> |
| '''Historical research''' is embodied in the [[historical method]].
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| The phrase ''my research'' is also used loosely to describe a person's entire collection of [[information]] about a particular subject.
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| == Etymology == | |
| The word ''research'' is derived from the [[French language|French]] '''recherche''', from '''rechercher''', to search closely where "chercher" means "to look for" or "to search".
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| == Research processes ==
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| === Scientific research ===
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| {{Main|Scientific method}}
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| Generally, research is understood to follow a certain structural [[Process (science)|process]]. Though step order may vary depending on the subject matter and researcher, the following steps are usually part of most formal research, both basic and applied:
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| # Observations and Formation of the topic
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| # [[Hypothesis]]
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| # [[Conceptual definition]]s
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| # [[Operational definition]]
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| # Gathering of [[data]]
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| # Analysis of data
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| # Test, revising of hypothesis
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| # Conclusion, iteration if necessary
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| A common misunderstanding is that by this method a hypothesis could be proven or tested. Generally a hypothesis is used to make predictions that can be tested by observing the outcome of an experiment. If the outcome is inconsistent with the hypothesis, then the hypothesis is rejected. However, if the outcome is consistent with the hypothesis, the experiment is said to support the hypothesis. This careful language is used because researchers recognize that alternative hypotheses may also be consistent with the observations. In this sense, a hypothesis can never be proven, but rather only supported by surviving rounds of scientific testing and, eventually, becoming widely thought of as true. A useful hypothesis allows prediction and within the accuracy of observation of the time, the prediction will be verified. As the accuracy of observation improves with time, the hypothesis may no longer provide an accurate prediction. In this case a new hypothesis will arise to challenge the old, and to the extent that the new hypothesis makes more accurate predictions than the old, the new will supplant it.
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| == Artistic research ==
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| One of the characteristics of [[art]]istic research is that it must accept [[subjectivity]] as opposed to the classical scientific methods. As such, it is similar to the [[social science]]s in using [[qualitative research]] and [[intersubjectivity]] as tools to apply measurement and critical analysis.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}
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| == Historical method ==
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| {{Main|Historical method}}
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| The [[historical method]] comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use [[historical]] sources and other evidence to research and then to write history. There are various history guidelines commonly used by historians in their work, under the headings of external criticism, internal criticism, and synthesis. This includes [[higher criticism]] and [[textual criticism]]. Though items may vary depending on the subject matter and researcher, the following concepts are usually part of most formal historical research:
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| <!-- <div style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"> -->
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| * [[Identification (information)|Identification]] of origin date
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| * [[Evidence]] of localization
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| * [[Recognition]] of authorship
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| * [[Analysis]] of data
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| * Identification of [[integrity]]
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| * Attribution of [[credibility]]
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| <!-- </div> -->
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| == Research methods ==
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| The goal of the research process is to produce new knowledge. This process takes three main forms (although, as previously discussed, the boundaries between them may be obscure.):
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| * [[Exploratory research]], which structures and identifies new problems
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| * [[Constructive research]], which develops solutions to a problem
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| * [[Empirical research]], which tests the feasibility of a solution using empirical evidence
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| [[Image:NYC Public Library Research Room Jan 2006-1- 3.jpg|thumb|The research room at the New York Public Library, an example of [[secondary research]] in progress.]]
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| Research can also fall into two distinct types:
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| * [[Primary research]] (collection of data that does not exist yet )
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| * [[Secondary research]] (summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing research)
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| In social sciences and later in other disciplines, the following two research methods can be applied, depending on the properties of the subject matter and on the objective of the research:
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| * [[Qualitative research]] (understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior)
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| * [[Quantitative research]] (systematic empirical investigation of quantitative properties and phenomena and their relationships)
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| Research is often conducted using the hourglass model Structure of Research.<ref>Trochim, W.M.K, (2006). Research Methods Knowledge Base.</ref> The hourglass model starts with a broad spectrum for research, focusing in on the required information through the methodology of the project (like the neck of the hourglass), then expands the research in the form of discussion and results.
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| == Publishing ==
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| [[Academic publishing]] describes a system that is necessary in order for academic [[scholar]]s to [[peer review]] the work and make it available for a wider audience. The 'system', which is probably disorganized enough not to merit the title, varies widely by field, and is also always changing, if often slowly. Most academic work is published in journal article or book form. In publishing, STM publishing is an abbreviation for academic publications in science, technology, and [[medicine]].
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| Most established [[List of academic disciplines|academic fields]] have their own journals and other outlets for publication, though many [[academic journal]]s are somewhat interdisciplinary, and publish work from several distinct fields or subfields. The kinds of publications that are accepted as contributions of knowledge or research vary greatly between fields; from the print to the electronic format. [[Business model]]s are different in the electronic environment. Since about the early 1990s, licensing of electronic resources, particularly journals, has been very common. Presently, a major trend, particularly with respect to scholarly journals, is [[Open access (publishing)|open access]]. There are two main forms of open access: open access publishing, in which the articles or the whole journal is freely available from the time of publication, and [[self-archiving]], where the author makes a copy of their own work freely available on the web.
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| == Research funding ==
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| {{Main|Research funding}}
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| {{wikiversity}}
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| {{Wiktionary|research}}
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| Most funding for [[scientific research]] comes from two major sources: [[Corporation|Corporate]] [[research and development]] departments; and government research councils such as the [[National Institutes of Health]] in the USA<ref>{{cite web|title=US Scientific Grant Awards Database|url=http://search.engrant.com/}}</ref> and the [[Medical Research Council (UK)|Medical Research Council]] in the UK. These are managed primarily through universities and in some cases through military contractors. Many senior researchers (such as group leaders) spend a significant amount of their time applying for grants for research funds. These grants are necessary not only for researchers to carry out their research, but also as a source of merit.
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| == See also ==
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| {{col-begin}}
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| {{col-2}}
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| * [[Academic conference]]
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| * [[Advertising research]]
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| * [[Basic research]]
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| * [[Business cluster]]
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| * [[Business information]]
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| * [[Conceptual framework]]
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| * [[Creativity techniques]]
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| * [[Demonstrative evidence]]
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| * [[Due diligence]]
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| * [[Dialectical research]]
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| * [[Empirical evidence]]
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| * [[Empirical research]]
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| * [[European Charter for Researchers]]
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| * [[Genealogy|Genealogical research]]
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| ** [[Cluster genealogy]]
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| * [[Internet research]]
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| {{col-2}}
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| * [[Innovation]]
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| * [[Lab notebook]]
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| * [[List of countries by research and development spending]]
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| * [[List of fields of doctoral studies]]
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| * [[Marketing research]]
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| * [[National Council of University Research Administrators|National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)]]
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| * [[Research Methods Institute]]
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| * [[Open research]]
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| * [[Operations research]]
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| * [[Original research]]
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| * [[Participatory action research]]
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| * [[Pearl growing]]
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| * [[Phronetic social science]]
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| * [[Psychological research methods]]
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| * [[Research and development]]
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| * [[Social research]]
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| {{col-end}}
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| == References ==
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| {{reflist}}
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| ==Further reading==
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| *Freshwater, D., Sherwood, G. & Drury, V. (2006) International research collaboration. Issues, benefits and challenges of the global network. Journal of Research in Nursing, 11 (4), pp 9295–303.
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| [[Category:Research| ]]
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| [[Category:Research methods| ]]
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| [[ar:بحث علمي]]
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| [[an:Investigación]]
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| [[ast:Investigación]]
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| [[bm:Ɲinini]]
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| [[bn:গবেষণা]]
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| [[bs:Istraživanje]]
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| [[ca:Investigació]]
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| [[cs:Výzkum]]
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| [[co:Ricerca]]
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| [[da:Forskning]]
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| [[el:Έρευνα επιστημονική]]
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| [[es:Investigación]]
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| [[eo:Scienca esploro]]
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| [[fa:پژوهش]]
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| [[fr:Recherche scientifique]]
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| [[nl:Wetenschappelijk onderzoek]]
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| [[ru:Исследование]]
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| [[simple:Research]]
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| [[ckb:کۆڵینەوە]]
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| [[sr:Истраживање]]
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| [[sh:Istraživanje]]
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| [[su:Panalungtikan]]
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| [[th:การวิจัย]]
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