Research is a process of discovery that develops new knowledge and theories, leading to a better understanding of physical or biological phenomena. It includes choosing a subject area to investigate, reviewing existing information, forming hypotheses, collecting data, analysing results, forming conclusions and applying findings to real-life applications, and informing other researchers about the findings.
Research requires a great deal of critical thinking, careful investigation and thoughtful interpretation of data. This research process fosters skills that are valued in all professional fields, and allows us to answer questions that we were previously unable to address. It is also a cyclical process, where answering one question often generates many other questions that need to be addressed.
There are different types of research: exploratory, descriptive and explanatory. Exploratory research is the first stage of a project, aiming to identify a research problem and its elements. It can include questionnaires, interviews or field observations. Descriptive research expands our understanding of a phenomenon by describing its characteristics or population. It is typically focused on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ aspects of a problem, while explanatory research seeks to understand why a particular phenomenon occurs.
Quantitative research collects and analyses numerical data using statistical analysis, which can be used to quantify variables, uncover relationships, and make generalizations across a larger population. Qualitative research gathers non-numerical data through interactions with participants, including one-to-one interviews, focus groups and ethnographic studies. It is typically used to provide a detailed description and interpretation of a particular phenomenon, and may be conducted with a smaller sample size than quantitative research.
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