by Research – History
The old French phrase “recerchier,” which means to search and search again, is where the word “research” came from. It basically indicates going back and looking for something again, which implies that the initial search wasn’t thorough and complete and that there’s still space for improvement.
In common language, the term “research” refers to the search for knowledge. It might be described as a systematic and scientific search for relevant data regarding a particular subject or field. In actuality, research is a form of scientific investigation.
Research – definition of research
Research is an activity that helps us discover new information, helps us confirm what is already known, and prompts us to ask questions about concepts that are challenging for us to understand in light of the evidence that is now available. Research discovers new information for the benefit of society.
Why do we do research?
It’s possible that there are a lot of causes for research. For instance, it can assist the researcher in looking into a current issue or scenario (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). Fundamentally, the goal of the research is to offer fixes for issues. Research findings may include, but are not limited to, new knowledge and improved insights into a situation that would not have been possible otherwise.
Definition of research according to different authors,
Gratton & Jones, (2009), define research as ‘Research is a systematic process of discovery and advancement of human knowledge.
According to Clifford Woody, ‘research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulation of hypothesis; collection, organizing and evaluation of data; and reaching conclusions. Here, it is highlighted that every research must be methodical and rational in order to provide the desired results.
Theodorson and Theodorson (1969) define research as ‘research refers to any honest attempt to study a problem systematically or to add to man’s knowledge of a problem’.
Saunders et al. (2007) stated that ‘research is something that people undertake to find out things in a systematic way, thereby increasing their knowledge.
“The manipulation of things, concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, correct or verify knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in the construction of theory or in the practice of an art.” by D. Slesinger and M. Stephenson in the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences Research.
Martyn Shuttle worth offers a broad definition of research, saying that “In the broadest sense of the word, the definition of research includes any gathering of data, information, and facts for the advancement of knowledge.”
Creswell offers the following definition of research: “Research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue”. It consists of three steps: Pose a question, collect data to answer the question, and present an answer to the question.
References:
Gratton, C. & Jones, I. (2009) Research Methods for Sports Studies, 2nd edition, London: Routledge
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students, 4th edition, UK: Pearson Education Limited
Kabir, S.M.S. (2016). Introduction to research. ISBN – 978-984-33-9565-8
