What is the 4 types of research?

It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Nội dung chính Show

What is Research?
What are the characteristics of research?
What is the purpose of research?
Types of research methods and Examples
Qualitative methods
Quantitative methods
8 tips for conducting accurate research
What are the 4 process of research?
What are the 4 types of qualitative research?
What are the 4 types of research PDF?
What are research types?

According to the oxford dictionary, Research is defined as the systematic investigation into a subject area or the study of materials in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Research is also often said to be an endeavor to discover new or collate old knowledge through scientific study subjected to a rigorous and critical investigation
Usually a research is commissioned or carried out where there is a burning question or a problem that needs to be resolved or answered. It could be a question we think we have an answer to already but lack evidence/facts or that the answer is obvious i.e. common sense but which requires rigorous scientific scrutiny to validate our thinking or else our 'knowledge ' remains a guesstimate or an intuition …show more content…
In addition to formulating the question, the following steps are equally important in planning the research: a) How will the question be answered b) Has this question been asked before C) how do we know it’s been answered and finally d) presenting the research findings
Types/Methods of Research
There are basically 4 main types of research and researches are classified in many different ways based on the proposed methodology to be deployed for the study, the knowledge it seeks to generate, the targeted audience for the end result and the research question to be answered.
The four types of research, which is often times referred to as research methods are as follows:
1. Basic Research: This type of research is conducted mainly for knowledge enhancement; this is a research that does not have any immediate commercial or financial potential. The primary objectives of this type of research could for documentation of processes, discovery and validation of best practices, which is mainly, used in research and development (R&D) departments of organization as evidence of their product impact or usefulness. This usually used by cooperate entities, development agencies and government agencies in improving their products and …show more content…
Quantitative Research: While the 2 types of research above focuses mainly on the end usage of the knowledge generated by the research, Quantitative research on the other hand aims to measure the quantity of information and compares it with past records available at the time of the study, then makes projections for the future. This type of research entails the collecting, collating and conversion of data or information into numerical form so that statistical calculations can be made and conclusions drawn from such data analysis.
4. Qualitative Research: This type of research has been referred to action oriented research or advocacy type research in recent times. Qualitative research presents a non-quantitative type of data analysis. This type of research focuses on collecting, analyzing and interpreting data by observing what people do and say. Qualitative research as can be seen is principally participatory in nature and gives meanings or characteristics to data, it is the most subjective of the 4 types and uses very different methods of collecting information mainly in-depth interviews and focus groups discussions.

The search for knowledge is closely linked to the object of study; that is, to the reconstruction of the facts that will provide an explanation to an observed event and that at first sight can be considered as a problem. It is very human to seek answers and satisfy our curiosity. Let’s talk about research.

Content Index

What is Research?
What are the characteristics of research?
What is the purpose of research?
1. Comparative analysis chart
Types of research methods and example
1. Qualitative methods
2. Quantitative methods
8 tips for conducting accurate research

What is Research?

Research is the careful consideration of study regarding a particular concern or problem using scientific methods. According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.”

Inductive methods analyze an observed event, while deductive methods verify the observed event. Inductive approaches are associated with qualitative research, and deductive methods are more commonly associated with quantitative analysis.

Research is conducted with a purpose to:

Identify potential and new customers
Understand existing customers
Set pragmatic goals
Develop productive market strategies
Address business challenges
Put together a business expansion plan
Identify new business opportunities

What are the characteristics of research?

Good research follows a systematic approach to capture accurate data. Researchers need to practice ethics and a code of conduct while making observations or drawing conclusions.
The analysis is based on logical reasoning and involves both inductive and deductive methods.
Real-time data and knowledge is derived from actual observations in natural settings.
There is an in-depth analysis of all data collected so that there are no anomalies associated with it.
It creates a path for generating new questions. Existing data helps create more research opportunities.
It is analytical and uses all the available data so that there is no ambiguity in inference.
Accuracy is one of the most critical aspects of research. The information must be accurate and correct. For example, laboratories provide a controlled environment to collect data. Accuracy is measured in the instruments used, the calibrations of instruments or tools, and the experiment’s final result.

What is the purpose of research?

There are three main purposes:

Exploratory: As the name suggests, researchers conduct exploratory studies to explore a group of questions. The answers and analytics may not offer a conclusion to the perceived problem. It is undertaken to handle new problem areas that haven’t been explored before. This exploratory process lays the foundation for more conclusive data collection and analysis.
Descriptive: It focuses on expanding knowledge on current issues through a process of data collection. Descriptive research describe the behavior of a sample population. Only one variable is required to conduct the study. The three primary purposes of descriptive studies are describing, explaining, and validating the findings. For example, a study conducted to know if top-level management leaders in the 21st century possess the moral right to receive a considerable sum of money from the company profit.
Explanatory: Causal or explanatory research is conducted to understand the impact of specific changes in existing standard procedures. Running experiments is the most popular form. For example, a study that is conducted to understand the effect of rebranding on customer loyalty.

Here is a comparative analysis chart for better understanding:

Exploratory ResearchDescriptive ResearchExplanatory ResearchApproach usedUnstructuredStructuredHighly structuredConducted throughAsking questionsAsking questionsBy using hypotheses.TimeEarly stages of decision makingLater stages of decision makingLater stages of decision making

It begins by asking the right questions and choosing an appropriate method to investigate the problem. After collecting answers to your questions, you can analyze the findings or observations to draw reasonable conclusions.

When it comes to customers and market studies, the more thorough your questions, the better the analysis. You get essential insights into brand perception and product needs by thoroughly collecting customer data through surveys and questionnaires. You can use this data to make smart decisions about your marketing strategies to position your business effectively.

To make sense of your study and get insights faster, it helps to use a research repository as a single source of truth in your organization and manage your research data in one centralized repository.

Types of research methods and Examples

Research methods are broadly classified as Qualitative and Quantitative.

Both methods have distinctive properties and data collection methods.

Qualitative methods

Qualitative research is a method that collects data using conversational methods, usually open-ended questions. The responses collected are essentially non-numerical. This method helps a researcher understand what participants think and why they think in a particular way.

Types of qualitative methods include:

One-to-one Interview
Focus Groups
Ethnographic studies
Text Analysis
Case Study

Quantitative methods

Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. It uses a systematic way of investigating events or data. It answers questions to justify relationships with measurable variables to either explain, predict, or control a phenomenon.

Types of quantitative methods include:

Survey research
Descriptive research
Correlational research

Remember, it is only valuable and useful when it is valid, accurate, and reliable. Incorrect results can lead to customer churn and a decrease in sales.

It is essential to ensure that your data is:

Valid – founded, logical, rigorous, and impartial.
Accurate – free of errors and including required details.
Reliable – other people who investigate in the same way can produce similar results.
Timely – current and collected within an appropriate time frame.
Complete – includes all the data you need to support your business decisions.

Gather insights

8 tips for conducting accurate research

Identify the main trends and issues, opportunities, and problems you observe. Write a sentence describing each one.
Keep track of the frequency with which each of the main findings appears.
Make a list of your findings from the most common to the least common.
Evaluate a list of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats identified in a SWOT analysis.
Prepare conclusions and recommendations about your study.
Act on your strategies
Look for gaps in the information, and consider doing additional inquiry if necessary
Plan to review the results and consider efficient methods to analyze and interpret results.

Review your goals before making any conclusions about your study. Remember how the process you have completed and the data you have gathered help answer your questions. Ask yourself if what your analysis revealed facilitates the identification of your conclusions and recommendations.

What are the 4 process of research?

Research is a dynamic process that can be organized into four stages: Exploring, Investigating, Processing, and Creating.

What are the 4 types of qualitative research?

Qualitative research focuses on gaining insight and understanding about an individual's perception of events and circumstances. Six common types of qualitative research are phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded theory, historical, case study, and action research.