Introduction to Research:

Research is an essential and powerful tool in leading man towards progress.

Without systematic research there would have been very little progress.
John W. Best has rightly said, “The secret of our cultural development has been
research, pushing back the areas of ignorance by discovering new truths, which, in turn,
lead to better ways of doing things and better products.”
Scientific research leads to progress in some field of life. New products, new facts,
new concepts and new ways of doing things are being found due to ever-increasing
significant research in the physical, the biological, the social and the psychological fields.
Research today is no longer confined to the science laboratory.

Meaning of Research:

Word ‘Research’ is comprises of two words = Re+Search. It means to search

again. So research means a systematic investigation or activity to gain new knowledge
of the already existing facts.
Research is an intellectual activity. It is responsible for bringing to light new
knowledge. It is also responsible for correcting the present mistakes, removing existing
misconceptions and adding new learning to the existing fund of knowledge. Researches
are considered as a combination of those activities which are removed from day to day
life and are pursued by those persons who are gifted in intellect and sincere in pursuit of
knowledge. But it is not correct to say that the research is restricted to such type of
persons, however, it is correct to say that major contribution of research comes from
highly gifted and committed workers. Thus the research is not at all mysterious and is
carried on by hundreds of thousands of average individuals.
Research is also considered as the application of scientific method in solving the
problems. It is a systematic, formal and intensive process of carrying on the scientific
method of analysis. There are many ways of obtaining knowledge. They are intuition,
revelation, and authority, logical manipulation of basic assumptions, informed guesses,
observation, and reasoning by analogy. One of the branches of research known as
empirical research is highly goal-oriented technique.

Definitions of Research:

The following are the important definitions of research:

“Research is an endeavor / attempt to discover, develop and verify knowledge. It is an
intellectual process that has developed over hundreds of years ever changing in purpose
and form and always researching to truth.” J. Francis Rummel

“Research is an honest, exhaustive, intelligent searching for facts and their meanings or
implications with reference to a given problem. The product or findings of a given piece
of research should be an authentic, verifiable contribution to knowledge in the field
studied.” P.M. Cook

“Research may be defined as a method of studying problems whose solutions are to be

derived partly or wholly from facts.” W.S. Monroes

“Research is considered to be the more formal, systematic intensive process of carrying

on the scientific method of analysis. It involves a more systematic structure of
investigation, usually resulting in some sort of formal record of procedures and a report
of results or conclusion.” John W. Best

“Research comprises defining and redefining problems ,formulating hypothesis or

suggested solutions, collecting ,organizing and evaluating data, making deductions and
reaching conclusions and at last careful testing the conclusions to determine whether they
fit the formulated hypothesis.” Clifford Woody

“Research is a systematic effort to gain new knowledge.” Redman & Mori

“Social research may be defined as a scientific undertaking which by means of logical

and systematized techniques aims to discover new facts or verify and test old facts,
analyze their sequences, interrelationships and casual explanation which were derived
within an appropriate theoretical frame of reference, develop new scientific tools,
concepts and theories which would facilitate reliable and valid study of human behavior.”
P.V. Younge

Purpose of Research:
The purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through the
application of scientific procedure. The main aim of research is to find out the truth which
is hidden and which has not been discovered as yet. Though each research study has its
own specific purpose, some general objectives of research below:
(i) To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it. (Studies
with this object in view are termed as exploratory or formative research studies).
(ii) To portray accurately the characteristics of a particular individual, situation or a
group. (Studies with this object in view are known as descriptive research
studies).
(iii) To determine the frequency with which something occurs or with which it is
associated with something else. (Studies with this object in view are known as
diagnostic research studies).
(iv) To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables. (Such studies
are known as hypothesis-testing research studies).

Characteristics of Research:
Following are the characteristics of research;
(i) Research is directed toward the solution of a problem.
(ii) Research requires expertise.
(iii) Research emphasizes the development of generalizations, principles, or
theories that will be helpful in predicting future occurrences.
(iv) Research is based upon observable experience or empirical evidences.
(v) Research demands accurate observation and description.
(vi) Research involves gathering new data from primary or first-hand sources or
using existing data for a new purpose.
(vii) Research is characterized by carefully designed procedures that apply
rigorous analysis.
(viii) Research involves the quest for answers to un-solved problems.
(ix) Research strives to be objective and logical, applying every possible test to
validate the procedures employed the data collected and the conclusions
reached.
(x) Research is characterized by patient and unhurried activity.
(xi) Research is carefully recorded and collected.
(xii) Research sometimes requires courage.
References:

1. Dr. Prabhat and Meenu Mishra Pandey, Bridge Center. (2015). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: TOOLS
AND TECHNIQUES Retrieved October 14, 2019, from
http://www.euacademic.org/BookUpload/9.pdf