Summary

The purpose of research is to enhance society by advancing knowledge through the development of
scientific theories, concepts and ideas. A research purpose is met through forming hypotheses,
collecting data, analysing results, forming conclusions, implementing findings into real-life applications
and forming new research questions.

What is Research

Simply put, research is the process of discovering new knowledge. This knowledge can be either the
development of new concepts or the advancement of existing knowledge and theories, leading to a new
understanding that was not previously known.

As a more formal definition of research, the following has been extracted from the Code of Federal
Regulations:

“Research is a systematic investigation (i.e. the gathering and analysis of information) designed to
develop or contribute to generalisable knowledge”

While research can be carried out by anyone and in any field, most research is usually done to broaden
knowledge in the physical, biological, and social worlds. This can range from learning why certain
materials behave the way they do, to asking why certain people are more resilient than others when
faced with the same challenges.

The use of ‘systematic investigation’ in the formal definition represents how research is normally
conducted – a hypothesis is formed, appropriate research methods are designed, data is collected and
analysed, and research results are summarised into one or more ‘research conclusions’. These research
conclusions are then shared with the rest of the scientific community to add to the existing knowledge
and serve as evidence to form additional questions that can be investigated. It is this cyclical process
that enables scientific research to make continuous progress over the years; the true purpose of
research.