What is research? Why do we conduct it?

An important question about discovering some new knowledge is What is Research? Why do we do Research? The answer of What is research and how it is conducted is explained below.

What is Research

Research is an inquiry. It is a process of discovering some new knowledge, that involves multiple elements such as theory development and testing, empirical inquiry, and sharing the generated knowledge with others such as experts and colleagues. A short description of the elements of theory is:

The theory is a set of ideas and perceptions that helps people to understand complex concepts and the relationships among these concepts. To develop and/or test a theory, researchers conduct empirical inquiries, collect and analyze relevant data, and discuss the findings from empirical results. Once theories have been through the research process, it is necessary to share the results of the studies with others such as researchers (related to the study) present papers at conferences, and publish reports in journals and other publications.

There are two ways to use the results of a study:

1. The results may contribute to researchers’ general understanding of the topic they have researched i.e. studied and may contribute to, understanding how the economy works, why price inflation happens, which factors increase a candidate’s chances of winning an election, etc. The generalizations of results that researchers draw from their studies on these issues can be shared with other researchers and the general public to advance society for the understanding of the topic.
2. The results of a study may contribute to solving particular problems in a nation, state, or community. For example, a study on the healthcare needs of the elderly in a community may discover that their primary need is finding vehicles for transportation when they want to visit their doctors. The leaders of the community (such as the mayor, and city council) may use this information from the healthcare study, to allocate some money for the transportation needs of the elderly in the next year’s budget.

Therefore, research is a tool that builds blocks of knowledge that in turn contribute to the development of science.

Why conduct research?

• To understand a phenomenon, situation, or behavior under study.
• To test existing theories and to develop new theories based on existing ones.
• To answer different questions of “how”, “what”, “which”, “when” and “why” about a phenomenon, behavior, or situation.
• Research-related activities contribute to forming (making) new knowledge and expanding the existing knowledge base.

High-Quality Research

Nowadays one can collect/ gather information about almost anything from the Internet Just do a Google search. But a question is, does every Google search good research? Not quite! Do remember, though you will find some of the information, it may or may not be valid or high-quality information. A lot of the information available on the Internet is good and useful, but some are not. There may be misinformation too on the Internet. The information you find on the internet may be someone’s pure opinion, have some fabrication in it, or be based on some unsystematic research or unauthentic information. In short, the information may be valid (objective, true).

Therefore, a high-quality research project:

• is based on the scholarly work that has been already done by others in the field,
• can be replicated/ reproduced,
• is a generalization to other settings,
• is based on some logical rationale and tied to other existing theory;
• is doable and can be done practically, i.e. when deciding the scope of research. A researcher should consider the availability of time and resources,
• generates some new questions,
• is incremental,
• is an apolitical (politically neutral) activity that should be undertaken for the betterment of society.

Two Types/ Purposes

Typically, there are two types/purposes: Basic Research and Applied Research

1. To find out about truths regarding human behaviors, societies, economy, etc., or to understand them better. This type is called basic research.
2. To answer practical questions and support making informed decisions. This type is called applied research.

Note that, most of the public administration and public policy research projects are of the second kind.

Learn about Qualitative vs Quantitative Research

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