Research can be defined to be search for knowledge or any systematic investigation to establish facts.

The primary purpose for applied research (as opposed to basic

research) is discovering, interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of
our world and the universe. Research can use the scientific method, but need not do so.

Scientific research relies on the application of the scientific method, a harnessing of curiosity. This research provides scientific information and theories for the
explanation of the nature and the properties of the world around us. It makes practical applications possible. Scientific research is funded by public authorities, by
charitable organisations and by private groups, including many companies. Scientific research can be subdivided into different classifications according to their
academic and application disciplines.

Historical research is embodied in the scientific method.

The term research is also used to describe an entire collection of information about a particular subject

Etymology

The word research derives from the French recherche, from rechercher, to search closely where "chercher" means "to search".

Scientific research

Generally, research is understood to follow a certain structural process. Though step order may vary depending on the subject matter and researcher, the following steps
are usually part of most formal research, both basic and applied:

• Formation of the topic

• Hypothesis
• Conceptual definitions
• Operational definition
• Gathering of data
• Analysis of data
• Test, revising of hypothesis
• Conclusion, iteration if necessary

A common misunderstanding is that by this method a hypothesis can be proven or tested. Generally a hypothesis is used to make predictions that can be tested by
observing the outcome of an experiment. If the outcome is inconsistent with the hypothesis, then the hypothesis is rejected. However, if the outcome is consistent with
the hypothesis, the experiment is said to support the hypothesis. This careful language is used because researchers recognize that alternative hypotheses may also be
consistent with the observations. In this sense, a hypothesis can never be proven, but rather only supported by surviving rounds of scientific testing and, eventually,
becoming widely thought of as true (or better, predictive), but this is not the same as it having been proven. A useful hypothesis allows prediction and within the
accuracy of observation of the time, the prediction will be verified. As the accuracy of observation improves with time, the hypothesis may no longer provide an
accurate prediction. In this case a new hypothesis will arise to challenge the old, and to the extent that the new hypothesis makes more accurate predictions than the old,
the new will supplant it.

Historical

The historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use historical sources and other evidence to research and then to write history. There
are various history guidelines commonly used by historians in their work, under the headings of external criticism, internal criticism, and synthesis. This includes higher
criticism and textual criticism. Though items may vary depending on the subject matter and researcher, the following concepts are usually part of most formal historical
research:

• Identification of origin date

• Evidence of localization
• Recognition of authorship
• Analysis of data
• Identification of integrity
• Attribution of credibility

Research methods

The goal of the research process is to produce new knowledge, which takes three main forms (although, as previously discussed, the boundaries between them may be
fuzzy):

• Exploratory research, which structures and identifies new problems

• Constructive research, which develops solutions to a problem
• Empirical research, which tests the feasibility of a solution using empirical evidence
Research can also fall into two distinct types:

Primary research

 Primary research (also called field research) involves the collection of data that does not already exist. This can be through numerous forms, including
questionnaires and telephone interviews amongst others. This information may be collected in things like questionnaires, magazines and interviews.

The term is widely used in market research and competitive intelligence.

• May be very expensive because many people need to be confronted.

• By the time the research is complete it may be out of date.
• People may have to be employed or avoid their primary duties for the duration of the research.
• People may not reply if emails or letters are used.

 Secondary research (also known as desk research) involves the summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing research rather than primary research,
where data is collected from, for example, research subjects or experiments.

The term is widely used in market research and in medical research. The principal methodology in medical secondary research is the systematic review,
commonly using meta-analytic statistical techniques, although other methods of synthesis, like realist reviews and meta-narrative[1] reviews, have been developed
in recent years.Secondary research can come from either internal or external sources.

In social sciences and later in other disciplines, the following two research methods can be applied, depending on the properties of the subject matter and on the
objective of the research:

• Qualitative research
• Quantitative research

Research is often conducted using the hourglass model Structure of Research[1]. The hourglass model starts with a broad spectrum for research, focusing in on the
required information through the methodology of the project (like the neck of the hourglass), then expands the research in the form of discussion and results.

Publishing

Academic publishing describes a system that is necessary in order for academic scholars to peer review the work and make it available for a wider audience. The
'system', which is probably disorganised enough not to merit the title, varies widely by field, and is also always changing, if often slowly. Most academic work is
published in journal article or book form. In publishing, STM publishing is an abbreviation for academic publications in science, technology, and medicine.

Most established academic fields have their own journals and other outlets for publication, though many academic journals are somewhat interdisciplinary, and publish
work from several distinct fields or subfields. The kinds of publications that are accepted as contributions of knowledge or research vary greatly between fields; from
the print to the electronic format. Business models are different in the electronic environment. Since about the early 1990s, licensing of electronic resources, particularly
journals, has been very common. Presently, a major trend, particularly with respect to scholarly journals, is open access. There are two main forms of open access: open
access publishing, in which the articles or the whole journal is freely available from the time of publication, and self-archiving, where the author makes a copy of their
own work freely available on the web.

Types of Research

• Applied Research seeks the specific knowledge necessary to improve the treatment of a particular disease.

• Basic Biomedical Research is conducted to increase understanding of fundamental life processes, such as discovering the molecular structure of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) — one-half of the genetic code of life — or investigating the genetics of lipid disease. The AHA funds this type of research.

• Basic Research is a synonym for fundamental research, which is the study of life processes that are universal in their application to scientific knowledge.

• Clinical Research addresses important questions of normal function and disease using human subjects.

• Directed Research is conducted by an investigator in response to an outside request to explore a specific scientific area or question. Corporate or foundation
donations tagged for research allow the AHA to sponsor such projects as the ASA-Bugher Foundation Centers for Stroke Prevention Research and the AHA-Jon
Holden DeHaan Foundation Myogenesis Research Centers.

• Fundamental Research studies life processes that are universal in their application to scientific knowledge.
 • Investigator-Initiated Research investigates a question or hypothesis that the researcher has defined. The AHA's publicly donated dollars are used to
support this type of research.

• Outcomes Research focuses upon the end results of health care, the tangible and quantifiable manifestations of disease upon patients and society and the
determinants of these outcomes.

• Population Health Research is the science and art of studying the distribution and determinants of health status as influenced by social, economic and
physical environments, human biology, health policy and services and of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health at the population levels.

• Strategically Focused Research focuses on science areas that the association has determined are important to achieving its mission and strategic objectives.

• Targeted Research is a synonym for directed research.

• Translational Research takes a result from basic or fundamental science and studies its applicability in the clinical or human situation. Another type of
translational research addresses the adoption of prevention and treatment strategies that have been demonstrated to be effective through clinical research in the
care of patients and in population-based prevention of conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

• Epidemiological research is concerned with the description of health and welfare in populations through the collection of data related to health and the
frequency, distribution and determinants of disease in populations, with the aim of improving health.

• Evaluation research is research conducted to measure the effectiveness or performance of a program, concept or campaign in achieving its objectives.

• Literature review is a critical examination, summarization, interpretation or evaluation of existing literature in order to establish current knowledge on a subject.

• Qualitative research is research undertaken to gain insights concerning attitudes, beliefs, motivations and behaviors of individuals to explore a social or human
problem and include methods such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, observation research and case studies.

• Quantitative research is research concerned with the measurement of attitudes, behaviors and perceptions and includes interviewing methods such as telephone,
intercept and door-to-door interviews as well as self-completion methods such as mail outs and online surveys.
Service or program monitoring and evaluation involves collecting and analysing a range of processes and outcome data in order to assess the performance of a
service or program and to determine if the intended or expected results have been achieved.