Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What is research?

Research has been defined in a number of ways by different scholars. In clear terms if research is defined, it means any gathering of data, information and facts for the advancement of knowledge given by Martin Shuttleworth.

There is another definition given by Creswell who states that research is a process of steps used to collect and analyze information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue. (Wikipedia)

Research, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means “studious inquiry or examination; especially: investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts or revision of accepted theories.”

The of research is ‘to search again’. The word research has evolved from the French utterance Recherché, or Recherchér, which means ‘to search closely’. Another French word Cherecher means ‘to search’ (Wikipedia).

Another definition of research given in most dictionaries is ‘scientific inquiry’. It is the search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts . It is a careful study of a subject, especially in order to discover new facts or information about it (http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/research).


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