What is scientific research?

The simplest definition of research is gathering, organizing, and implementing information in order to understand, explain, or prove a certain theory or a topic. Even though research is vital in both scientific and non-scientific fields, one of the most relevant and comprehensive types of research is scientific research. Scientific research uses a wide variety of scientific theories, models, and data collections to find explanations for why certain phenomena occur in the real world. Whether through experiments, case studies, or a focus group, scientific research can be executed in many different ways.

What are the types of scientific research?

• Quantitative research emphasizes objective measurements and the statistical, mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through measuring, counting, or manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques. Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or explaining a particular phenomenon.
• Qualitative research focuses on the quality of the data, rather than the quantity, this is a type of exploratory and descriptive research. As opposed to quantitative research, qualitative research aims to investigate the “why” and the “how” of the decision-making process. It’s achieved through organizing, interpreting, and summarizing data. In other words, qualitative research is used when you want to understand textual data, as opposed to quantitative research, which aims to test a hypothesis with the help of numerical data.
• Applied research is conducted to solve a specific problem. This type of research often takes place in the real world and is aimed at finding a practical solution to a problem. The main goal of applied research is to provide a practical solution to an already existing problem.
• Basic research is also known as theoretical or fundamental research. The main goal of basic research is to develop new, scientific theories or to alter existing ones. As opposed to applied research, which is solution-driven, basic research is theory-driven.
• Classification research aims to organize data into categories, as well as to demonstrate the difference between those relationships.