MEANING OF RESEARCH

Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. Once can also define
research as
a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. In fact,
research is an art of scientific investigation. The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current
English lays down the meaning of research as “a careful investigation or inquiry specially
through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge.”1
Redman and Mory define research as a “systematized effort to gain new knowledge.”
So many people consider research as a movement, a movement from the known to
the unknown. It is actually a voyage of discovery. We all possess the vital instinct of
inquisitiveness for, when the unknown confronts us, we wonder and our inquisitiveness
makes us probe and attain full and fuller understanding of the unknown. This inquisitiveness
is the mother of all knowledge and the method, which man employs for obtaining the
knowledge of whatever the unknown, can be termed as research. Research is an academic
activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense.
According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and redefining problems,
formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organising and evaluating data;
making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to
determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. D. Slesinger and M. Stephenson in
the Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences define research as “the manipulation of things,
concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalising to extend, correct or verify knowledge,
whether that knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the practice of an art.”
Research is, thus, an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its
advancement. It is the persuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and
experiment. In short, the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of
finding solution to a problem is research. The systematic approach concerning generalisation
and the formulation of a theory is also research. As such the term ‘research’ refers to the
systematic method consisting of enunciating the problem, formulating a hypothesis,
collecting the facts or data, analysing the facts and reaching certain conclusions either in
the form of solutions(s) towards the concerned problem or in certain generalisations for
some theoretical formulation

OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH
The purpose of research is to discover answers to questions through the application of
scientific procedures. 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, we may think of research objectives as falling into a number of following broad
groupings:
1. To gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it (studies with this
object in view are termed as exploratory or formulative research studies);
2. 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);
3. 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);
4. To test a hypothesis of a causal relationship between variables (such studies are known
as hypothesis-testing research studies)

Criteria for Good research

 Accurate
Accuracy is important because without accuracy the research paper cannot be valid and
generalizable. In every step of the research the researcher has to check the accuracy. When
the researcher is reviewing literature he should write down the references along with the
literature review so that when writing those reviews he can accurately write the reference of
each review. While testing the hypothesis the researcher should write down the results of
the tests accurately so that there is no error. In research the researcher should leave no
chances of error by himself. He should ensure the accuracy of his research to 100 percent
 Research should be systematic-
Research should be systematic because if a researcher wants to do a perfect research design
or process then it will have to evaluate or obtained the necessary information from the
market in a systematic manner. It takes various steps to do a perfect or systematic research
process and all the steps of procedures are interlinked to each other.
 Research should be relevant
It should be rigorous because it helps to follow the procedures to find out the answers
related questions which are relevant and appropriate in nature. The research information
consists of two types of sciences such as physical and social sciences. These two sciences are
also varied from each other.
 Generalizability:
Research findings should be applicable beyond the specific context of the study.
Generalizability allows us to infer broader patterns or principles from our observations.

 Without Personal Bias:

Objective research avoids personal biases or preconceived notions. It relies on evidence,
data, and logical reasoning rather than subjective opinions.
 Objective:
Research aims to discover new knowledge, answer questions, and enhance understanding.
It involves systematic investigation to find solutions or insights related to a specific topic or
problem.
 Systematic:
Research follows a structured process. It involves defining and redefining problems,
formulating hypotheses, collecting and evaluating data, and drawing conclusions. Systematic
approaches lead to expected outcomes

TYPES OF RESEARCH

 Applied vs. Fundamental: Research can either be applied (or action) research or
fundamental (to basic or pure) research. Applied research aims at finding a solution for an
immediate problem facing a society or an industrial/business organisation, whereas
fundamental research is mainly concerned with generalisations and with the formulation of
a theory. “Gathering knowledge for knowledge’s sake is termed ‘pure’ or ‘basic’ research.”4
Research concerning some natural phenomenon or relating to pure mathematics are
examples of fundamental research. Similarly, research studies, concerning human behaviour
carried on with a view to make generalisations about human behaviour, are also examples of
fundamental research, but research aimed at certain conclusions (say, a solution) facing a
concrete social or business problem is an example of applied research. Research to identify
social, economic or political trends that may affect a particular institution or the copy
research (research to find out whether certain communications will be read and understood)
or the marketing research or evaluation research are examples of applied research. Thus, the
central aim of applied research is to discover a solution for some pressing practical problem,
whereas basic research is directed towards finding information that has a broad base of
applications and thus, adds to the already existing organized body of scientific knowledge

 Descriptive Research

The primary objective of descriptive research is to define the characteristics of a particular

phenomenon without necessarily investigating the causes that produce it.

In this type of research, the researcher must take particular care not to intervene in the
observed object or phenomenon, as its behaviour may change if an external factor is
involved.
For example, investigating how the public census of influential government officials differs
between urban and non-urban areas.

 Exploratory Research

Exploratory research is used for the preliminary investigation of a subject that is not yet well
understood or sufficiently researched. It serves to establish a frame of reference and a
hypothesis from which an in-depth study can be developed that will enable conclusive
results to be generated.

Because exploratory research is based on the study of little-studied phenomena, it relies less
on theory and more on the collection of data to identify patterns that explain these
phenomena.

For example, an investigation of the role social media in the perception of self-image.

 Causal research
Causal research, also called explanatory research, seeks to determine cause-and-effect
relationships between variables. It identifies how much one variable may cause a change in
the other. Causal research is important for evaluating current processes and procedures and
determining if and how changes should take place.
Causal research, also called causal study, an explanatory or analytical study, attempts to
establish causes or risk factors for certain problems.
Our concern in causal studies is to examine how one variable ‘affects’ or is ‘responsible for
changes in another variable. The first variable is the independent variable, and the latter is
the dependent variable. Causal research is also known as explanatory research. It’s a type of
research that examines if there’s a cause-and-effect relationship between two separate
events. This would occur when there is a change in one of the independent variables, which
is causing changes in the dependent variable.

You can use causal research to evaluate the effects of particular changes on existing norms,
procedures, and so on. This type of research examines a condition or a research problem to
explain the patterns of interactions between variables.

 Quantitative vs. Qualitative:

Quantitative research is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It is applicable to
phenomena that can be expressed in terms of quantity. Qualitative research, on the other
hand, is concerned with qualitative phenomenon, i.e., phenomena relating to or involving
quality or kind. For instance, when we are interested in investigating the reasons for human
behaviour (i.e., why people think or do certain things), we quite often talk of ‘Motivation
Research’, an important type of qualitative research. This type of research aims at
discovering the underlying motives and desires, using in depth interviews for the purpose.
Other techniques of such research are word association tests, sentence completion tests,
story completion tests and similar other projective techniques. Attitude or opinion research
i.e., research designed to find out how people feel or what they think about a particular
subject or institution is also qualitative research. Qualitative research is specially important
in the behavioural sciences where the aim is to discover the underlying motives of human
behaviour. Through such research we can analyse the various factors which motivate people
to behave in a particular manner or which make people like or dislike a particular thing. It
may be stated, however, that to apply qualitative research in practice is relatively a difficult
job and therefore, while doing such research, one should seek guidance from experimental
psychologists

RESEARCH PROCESS

 Choose your topic

First you have to come up with some ideas. Your thesis or dissertation topic can start out
very broad. Think about the general area or field you’re interested in—maybe you already
have specific research interests based on classes you’ve taken, or maybe you had to consider
your topic when applying to graduate school and writing a statement of purpose.
Even if you already have a good sense of your topic, you’ll need to read widely to build
background knowledge and begin narrowing down your ideas. Conduct an initial literature
review to begin gathering relevant sources. As you read, take notes and try to identify
problems, questions, debates, contradictions and gaps. Your aim is to narrow down from a
broad area of interest to a specific niche. Make sure to consider the practicalities: the
requirements of your programme, the amount of time you have to complete the research,
and how difficult it will be to access sources and data on the topic. Before moving onto the
next stage, it’s a good idea to discuss the topic with your thesis supervisor.
 Identify a problem
So you’ve settled on a topic and found a niche—but what exactly will your research
investigate, and why does it matter? To give your project focus and purpose, you have to
define a research problem. The problem might be a practical issue—for example, a process
or practice that isn’t working well, an area of concern in an organization’s performance, or a
difficulty faced by a specific group of people in society. Alternatively, you might choose to
investigate a theoretical problem—for example, an underexplored phenomenon or
relationship, a contradiction between different models or theories, or an unresolved debate
among scholars. To put the problem in context and set your objectives, you can write a
problem statement. This describes who the problem affects, why research is needed, and
how your research project will contribute to solving it.
  Formulate research questions
Next, based on the problem statement, you need to write one or more research questions.
These target exactly what you want to find out. They might focus on describing, comparing,
evaluating, or explaining the research problem.
A strong research question should be specific enough that you can answer it thoroughly
using appropriate qualitative or quantitative research methods. It should also be complex
enough to require in-depth investigation, analysis, and argument. Questions that can be
answered with “yes/no” or with easily available facts are not complex enough for a thesis or
dissertation. In some types of research, at this stage you might also have to develop a
conceptual framework and testable hypotheses.

 Create a research design

The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions. It
involves making decisions about the type of data you need, the methods you’ll use to collect
and analyze it, and the location and timescale of your research. There are often many
possible paths you can take to answering your questions. The decisions you make will partly
be based on your priorities. For example, do you want to determine causes and effects, draw
generalizable conclusions, or understand the details of a specific context?
You need to decide whether you will use primary or secondary data and qualitative or
quantitative methods. You also need to determine the specific tools, procedures, and
materials you’ll use to collect and analyze your data, as well as your criteria for selecting
participants or sources.

 Collection of Data:
The collection of data can be split into two categories:
Primary Data: It can be gathered through new experiments, surveys, group discussions,
questionnaires, etc.
Secondary Data: This type of data has already been gathered & passed by someone else
through the statistical method
 . Analysis of data:
After the data have been collected, the researcher turns to the task of analysing them. The
analysis of data requires a number of closely related operations such as establishment of
categories, the application of these categories to raw data through coding, tabulation and
then drawing statistical inferences. The unwieldy data should necessarily be condensed into
a few manageable groups and tables for further analysis. Thus, researcher should classify the
raw data into some purposeful and usable categories. Coding operation is usually done at
this stage through which the categories of data are transformed into symbols that may be
tabulated and counted. Editing is the procedure that improves the quality of the data for
coding. With coding the stage is ready for tabulation. Tabulation is a part of the technical
procedure wherein the classified data are put in the form of tables. The mechanical devices
can be made use of at this juncture. A great deal of data, specially in large inquiries, is
tabulated by computers. Computers not only save time but also make it possible to study
large number of variables affecting a problem simultaneously. Analysis work after tabulation
is generally based on the computation of various percentages, coefficients, etc., by applying
various well defined statistical formulae. In the process of analysis, relationships or
differences supporting or conflicting with original or new hypotheses should be subjected to
tests of significance to determine with what validity data can be said to indicate any
conclusion(s)
 Hypothesis-testing:
After analysing the data as stated above, the researcher is in a position to test the
hypotheses, if any, he had formulated earlier. Do the facts support the hypotheses or they
happen to be contrary? This is the usual question which should be answered while testing
hypotheses. Various tests, such as Chi square test, t-test, F-test, have been developed by
statisticians for the purpose
 Preparation of the report or the thesis:
Finally, the researcher has to prepare the report of what has been done by him

Research methodology
is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of
studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various steps that are
generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic
behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research
methods/techniques but also the methodology. Researchers not only need to know how to
develop certain indices or tests, how to calculate the mean, the mode, the median or the
standard deviation or chi-square, how to apply particular research techniques, but they also
need to know which of these methods or techniques, are relevant and which are not, and
what would they mean and indicate and why. Researchers also need to understand the
assumptions underlying various techniques and they need to know the criteria by which
they can decide that certain techniques and procedures will be applicable to certain
problems and others will not. All this means that it is necessary for the researcher to design
his methodology for his problem as the same may differ from problem to problem. For
example, an architect, who designs a building, has to consciously evaluate the basis of his
decisions, i.e., he has to evaluate why and on what basis he selects particular size, number
and location of doors, windows and ventilators, uses particular materials and not others and
the like. Similarly, in research the scientist has to expose the research decisions to evaluation
before they are implemented. He has to specify very clearly and precisely what decisions he
selects and why he selects them so that they can be evaluated by others also.