ASSIGNMENT

“Meaning, Definition & Types of Research”

: SUBMITTED BY :
Ashish Kumar
2504
M.Lib& I.Sc. 4th semester

: SUBMITTED TO :
Dr. Nirmal Kumar Swain
Professor & Head
Dept. of Library & Information Science
Maharshi Dayanand University
Rohtak
MEANING OF RESEARCH

 It is the systematic method of finding solution to a problem

 A research is a careful investigation or inquiry, especially through the
search for new facts in any branch of knowledge.
 It is a systematized effort to gain the knowledge
 It may be for the pursuit of truth

Overall we can say that Research is a systematic, exhaustive, and intensive

investigation and study of a topic, often employing hypothesis and
experimentation, to discover new knowledge, facts, theories, principles, and laws.

DEFINITION
Many persons as well as organizations defined the process of research in their
own words and according to their own expertise, some of the definitions of
research are as follows:

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines research as "studious inquiry or

examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the
discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in
the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or
laws" 1

The Cambridge Dictionaries Online defines research as “Detailed study of a

subject in order to discover information or achieve a new understanding of it.”2

OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) defines

research as “Any creative systematic activity undertaken in order to increase the
 stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the
use of this knowledge to devise new applications." 3

Ranganathan describes research to represent a critical and exhaustive

investigation to discover new facts, to interpret them in the light of known ideas,
theories and laws, to revive the current laws and theories in the light of the
newly discovered facts to apply the conclusion to practical purpose.4

From the above given definitions we can conclude that research is:
 An intellectual activity of a high order
 An investigation of a phenomenon, event or activity
 Aims to discover data and facts and their interpretations
 To arrive at conclusions to formulate new theories and laws or revise the
already established theories and laws
 To communicate the results for peer review
 To be accepted or rejected before adding this new knowledge to the
already existing general pool of knowledge.

Types of Research:
There are various criteria over which different types of research can be
categorized, like on the basis of purpose, on the basis of use, on the basis on
method used during the process of data collection, on the basis of time span
of data collection and so on.

Here we are defining types of research on the basis of its use (which is the
most common type of categorization of the research).
On the basis of its use, Research is of following types:
1. Basic research
2. Applied research

1. Basic(Fundamental or Pure) research:

 The main purpose of basic research is to add to the existing
stock of knowledge, thus, it can be intellectually challenging.
 The knowledge produced through pure research is sought in
order to add to the existing body of research methods
 It is not likely to have any practical application at the present
or even in the near future
 Basic research lays foundation for the applied research
 Example: Einstein’s theory of relativity, contributions of
Newton etc. 5

2. Applied research:
 It is done to solve specific, practical questions being faced by
the society
 It depends on the foundation laid by the basic research
 It can be used for policy formulation, administration and
understanding a phenomenon
 It is always done according to the basic research and can be
carried out by academic or industrial institutions
 Examples of applied research can be seen in medicine,
education, business, engineering, psychology and health
 Example: Applied research to improve agricultural crop
production or applied research to treat or cure a specific
disease 6
Features of a Good Research:
A research can be said to be good one if that possess the following features:
 More objectivity and less subjectivity
 Standardization
 Reliability
 Validity
 Accuracy
 Credibility
 Systematic
 Controlled factors
 Logical

References:
 Glossary of statistical terms by OECD
 Merriam Webster dictionary online
 The Cambridge Dictionaries online
 The librarianship Studies and Information Technology – Research (May
02, 2020)
 Formplus blog on Basic Research
 Formplus blog on Applied Research

1
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/research
2
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/research
3
https://web.archive.org/web/20070219233912/http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=2312
4
https://www.librarianshipstudies.com/2017/11/research.html
5
https://www.formpl.us/blog/basic-research
6 https://www.formpl.us/blog/applied-research