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Different Kinds of Research

Human beings like to categorize things. We don't like amorphous groupings of ideas floating around.
It just makes things difficult to comprehend. I'm not going to shock anyone when I say that one thing
that is divided into categories is research. One way to make research topics more manageable is
dividing the topics by asking the question, 'What will this be used for?'
Applied research is one type of research that is used to answer a specific question that has direct
applications to the world. This is the type of research that solves a problem. We will look at an
example later.
Basic research is another type of research, and it is driven purely by curiosity and a desire to expand
our knowledge. This type of research tends not to be directly applicable to the real world in a direct
way, but enhances our understanding of the world around us. So, the real difference between the two
types of research is what they will be used for. Will the research be used to help us understand a real
world problem and solve it, or will the research further our general information?

Applied Research
As mentioned before, applied research is something that we can use. Here is a simple question: 'How
should a student study?' There are many ways to go about answering this question, and the ones we
will look at have a direct and applicable finding. For example, what can research tell us about how a
student studies?
Most people like to study in their bedroom, laying on their bed in some weird posture. They collect all
their notes and spread them haphazardly across the bed. Just reading is boring, so they may have the
radio on. Some people have both the radio and the television on. Then, people have to talk to their
friends so their phone isn't far off. And, pets are usually somewhere in the paperwork. However,
research has found that a quiet room, without music, animals or television, improves concentration.
Sitting like you will take the test creates a state of consciousness similar to taking the test. And,
instead of taking all the notes and trying to cram before the test, it should be spaced out. When proper
study habits are applied, they can increase scores on tests and allow a person to retain the information
longer. In other words, we researched the best way to study and will now apply our findings - this is
applied research.

Basic Research
We have an idea of what applied research does, but how does basic research fit into the broader world
of research? If it costs money, time and other precious resources, but does not have a direct
application, then why bother? Because basic research feeds applied research, and applied research
feeds basic research. Basic research is a little less direct than applied research, so we will look at two
different examples.

An introduction to research methods

Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing
your research methods is an integral part of your research design. When planning your
methods, there are two key decisions you will make.

First, decide how you will collect data. Your methods depend on what type of data you
need to answer your research question:

 Qualitative vs. quantitative: Will your data take the form of words or numbers?
 Primary vs. secondary: Will you collect original data yourself, or will you use data that
has already been collected by someone else?
 Descriptive vs. experimental: Will you take measurements of something as it is, or will
you perform an experiment?

Second, decide how you will analyze the data.

 For quantitative data, you can use statistical analysis methods to test relationships
between variables.
 For qualitative data, you can use methods such as thematic analysis to interpret patterns
and meanings in the data.

Table of contents

1. Methods for collecting data

2. Examples of data collection methods
3. Methods for analyzing data
4. Examples of data analysis methods
5. Frequently asked questions about research methods

Methods for collecting data

Data is the information that you collect for the purposes of answering your research
question. The data collection methods you use depend on the type of data you need.

Qualitative vs. quantitative data

Your choice of qualitative or quantitative data collection depends on the type of
knowledge you want to develop.

For questions about ideas, experiences and meanings, or to study something that can’t be
described numerically, collect qualitative data.
If you want to develop a more mechanistic understanding of a topic, or your research
involves hypothesis testing, collect quantitative data.

 Pros  Cons

Qualitative  Flexible – you can often adjust your methods as you  Can’t be analyzed statistically or genera
go to develop new knowledge. to broader populations.
 Can be conducted with small samples.  Difficult to standardize research.

Quantitativ  Can be used to systematically describe large  Requires statistical training to analyze d
e collections of things.  Requires larger samples.
 Generates reproducible knowledge.

You can also take a mixed methods approach, where you use both qualitative and
quantitative research methods.

Primary vs. secondary data

Primary data is any original information that you collect for the purposes of answering
your research question (e.g. through surveys, observations and experiments). Secondary
data is information that has already been collected by other researchers (e.g. in a
government census or previous scientific studies).

If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to collect primary
data. But if you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical trends, or
identify patterns on a large scale, secondary data might be a better choice.

 Pros  Cons

Primary  Can be collected to answer your specific research  More expensive and time-consumin
question. collect.
 You have control over the sampling and measurement  Requires training in data colle
methods. methods.

Secondar  Easier and faster to access.  No control over how data was generate
y  You can collect data that spans longer timescales and  Requires extra processing to make s
broader geographical locations. works for your analysis.

Descriptive vs. experimental data

In descriptive research, you collect data about your study subject without intervening.
The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method.

In experimental research, you systematically intervene in a process and measure the

outcome. The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design.
To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent variable,
precisely measure your dependent variable, and control for confounding variables. If it’s
practically and ethically possible, this method is the best choice for answering questions
about cause and effect.

 Pros  Cons

Descriptive  Allows you to describe your research subject  No control over confounding variables.
without influencing it.  Can’t establish cause and effect relationsh
 Accessible – you can gather more data on a larger
scale.

Experimenta  More control over confounding variables.  You might influence your research subje
l  Can establish cause and effect relationships. unexpected ways.
 Usually requires more expertise and reso
to collect data.

Examples of data collection methods

Research methods for collecting data

Research method Primary or Qualitative or When to use

secondary? quantitative?

Experiment Primary Quantitative To test cause-and-effect relationships.

Survey Primary Quantitative To understand general characteristics of a population.

Interview/focus Primary Qualitative To gain more in-depth understanding of a topic.

group

Observation Primary Either To understand how something occurs in its natural setting.

Literature review Secondary Either To situate your research in an existing body of work, or to eva
trends within a research topic.

Case study Either Either To gain an in-depth understanding of a specific group or conte
when you don’t have the resources for a large study.

Methods for analyzing data

Your data analysis methods will depend on the type of data you collect and how you
prepare it for analysis.

Data can often be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, survey
responses could be analyzed qualitatively by studying the meanings of responses or
quantitatively by studying the frequencies of responses.

Qualitative analysis methods

Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and experiences. You can use it
to interpret data that was collected:

 From open-ended survey and interview questions, literature reviews, case studies, and
other sources that use text rather than numbers.
 Using non-probability sampling methods.

Qualitative analysis tends to be quite flexible and relies on the researcher’s judgement, so
you have to reflect carefully on your choices and assumptions.

Quantitative analysis methods

Quantitative analysis uses numbers and statistics to understand frequencies, averages
and correlations (in descriptive studies) or cause-and-effect relationships (in
experiments).

You can use quantitative analysis to interpret data that was collected either:

 During an experiment.
 Using probability sampling methods.

Because the data is collected and analyzed in a statistically valid way, the results of
quantitative analysis can be easily standardized and shared among researchers.

Examples of data analysis methods

Research methods for analyzing data

Research Qualitative or When to use

method quantitative?

Statistical Quantitative To analyze data collected in a statistically valid manner (e.g. from experim
analysis surveys, and observations).

Meta-analysis Quantitative To statistically analyze the results of a large collection of studies.

Research methods for analyzing data

Research Qualitative or When to use

method quantitative?

Can only be applied to studies that collected data in a statistically valid manner.
Thematic Qualitative To analyze data collected from interviews, focus groups or textual sources.
analysis
To understand general themes in the data and how they are communicated.
Content Either To analyze large volumes of textual or visual data collected from surveys, liter
analysis reviews, or other sources.

Can be quantitative (i.e. frequencies of words) or qualitative (i.e. meanings of wo

What are the types of research?

Following are the types of research methods:

Basic research: A basic research definition is data collected to enhance

knowledge. The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It is a non-
commercial research that doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing anything.
For example: an experiment to determine a simple fact.

Applied research: Applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life

problems. This type refers to the study that helps solve practical problems using
scientific methods. Studies play an important role in solving issues that impact
the overall well-being of humans. For example: finding a specific cure for a
disease.

Problem oriented research: As the name suggests, problem-oriented research

is conducted to understand the exact nature of a problem to find out relevant
solutions. The term “problem” refers to multiple choices or issues when
analyzing a situation.

For example, revenue of a car company has decreased by 12% in the last year.
The following could be the probable causes: there is no optimum production,
poor quality of a product, no advertising, or economic conditions.
 Problem solving research: This type of research is conducted by companies to
understand and resolve their own problems. The problem-solving method uses
applied research to find solutions to the existing problems.

Online surveys, questionnaires, and polls are preferable data collection tools

used in quantitative research. There are various methods of deploying surveys
or questionnaires.

Online surveys allow survey creators to reach large amounts of people or

smaller focus groups for different types of research that meet different goals.
Survey respondents can receive surveys on mobile phones, in emails, or can
simply use the internet to access surveys.

Learn more: What is Quantitative Research?

What Is the Purpose of Research?

There are three purposes of research:

1. Exploratory: As the name suggests, exploratory research is conducted

to explore a group of questions. The answers and analytics may not offer a
final conclusion to the perceived problem. It is conducted to handle new
problem areas which haven’t been explored before. This exploratory process
lays the foundation for more conclusive research and data collection.
2. Descriptive: Descriptive research focuses on expanding knowledge on
current issues through a process of data collection. Descriptive studies are
used to describe the behavior of a sample population. In a descriptive study,
only one variable is required to conduct the study. The three main purposes
of descriptive research 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 huge sum of money from
the company profit.
3. Explanatory:Explanatory research or causal research is conducted to
understand the impact of certain changes in existing standard procedures.
Conducting experiments is the most popular form of casual research. For
example, a study conducted to understand the effect of rebranding on
customer loyalty.
To understand the characteristic of research design using research purpose here
is a comparative analysis:
 Exploratory Research Descriptive Research Explanatory Re

Research approach used Unstructured Structured Highly structured

Research conducted
Asking research questions Asking research questions By using research
through

When is it conducted? Early stages of decision making Later stages of decision making Later stages of de

Learn More: Primary Research – Examples, Methods and Purpose

Research method is defined as the tools or instruments used to accomplish the

goals and attributes of a study. Think of the methodology as a systematic
process in which the tools or instruments will be employed. There is no use of a
tool if it is not being used efficiently.

Research 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 appropriate conclusions.

When it comes to customers and market studies, the more thorough your
questions, the better. By thoroughly collecting data from customers through
surveys and questionnaires, you get important insights into brand perception
and product needs. You can use this data to make smart decisions about your
marketing strategies to position your business effectively.
Types of research methods and research example

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. Participants are asked open-ended questions. The responses collected
are essentially non-numerical. This method not only helps a researcher
understand what participants think but also why they think in a particular way.

Types of qualitative methods include:

 One-to-one Interview: This interview is conducted with one participant

at a given point in time. One-to-one interviews need a researcher to prepare
questions in advance. The researcher asks only the most important questions
to the participant. This type of interview lasts anywhere between 20 minutes
to half an hour. During this time the researcher collects as many meaningful
answers as possible from the participants to draw inferences.
 Focus Groups: Focus groups are small groups comprising of around 6-10
participants who are usually experts in the subject matter. A moderator is
assigned to a focus group who facilitates the discussion amongst the group
members. A moderator’s experience in conducting the focus group plays an
important role. An experienced moderator can probe the participants by
asking the correct questions that will help them collect a sizable amount of
information related to the research.
 Ethnographic Research: Ethnographic research is an in-depth form of
research where people are observed in their natural environment without This
method is demanding due to the necessity of a researcher entering a natural
environment of other people. Geographic locations can be a constraint as
well. Instead of conducting interviews, a researcher experiences the normal
setting and daily life of a group of people.
 Text Analysis: Text analysis is a little different from other qualitative
methods as it is used to analyze social constructs by decoding words through
any available form of documentation. The researcher studies and understands
the context in which the documents are written and then tries to draw
meaningful inferences from it. Researchers today follow activities on a social
media platform to try and understand patterns of thoughts.
 Case Study: Case study research is used to study an organization or an
entity. This method is one of the most valuable options for modern This type
of research is used in fields like the education sector, philosophical studies,
and psychological studies. This method involves a deep dive into ongoing
research and collecting data.
Quantitative Research Methods

Quantitative methods deal with numbers and measurable forms. It uses a

systematic way of investigating events or data. It is used to answer questions in
terms of justifying relationships with measurable variables to either explain,
predict, or control a phenomenon.

There are three methods that are often used by researchers:

 Survey Research — The ultimate goal of survey research is to learn

about a large population by deploying a survey. Today, online surveys are
popular as they are convenient and can be sent in an email or made available
on the internet. In this method, a researcher designs a survey with the most
relevant survey questions and distributes the survey. Once the researcher
receives responses, they summarize them to tabulate meaningful findings and
data.
 Descriptive Research — Descriptive research is a method which
identifies the characteristics of an observed phenomenon and collects more
information. This method is designed to depict the participants in a very
systematic and accurate manner. In simple words, descriptive research is all
about describing the phenomenon, observing it, and drawing conclusions
from it.
 Correlational Research— Correlational research examines the
relationship between two or more variables. Consider a researcher is studying
a correlation between cancer and married Married women have a negative
correlation with cancer. In this example, there are two variables: cancer and
married women. When we say negative correlation, it means women who are
married are less likely to develop cancer. However, it doesn’t mean that
marriage directly avoids cancer.