Types of research: application perspective

A research endeavour from the perspective of its application, there are two broad categories:
pure research and applied research.

Pure research involves developing and testing theories and hypotheses that are intellectually
challenging to the researcher but may or may not have practical application at the present time
or in the future.Thus such work often involves the testing of hypotheses containing very abstract
and specialised concepts.
Pure research is also concerned with the development, examination, verification and refinement
of research methods, procedures, techniques and tools that form the body of research
methodology. Examples of pure research include developing a sampling tech- nique that can be
applied to a particular situation; developing a methodology to assess the validity of a procedure;
developing an instrument, say, to measure the stress level in people; and finding the best way of
measuring people’s attitudes. The knowledge pro- duced through pure research is sought in
order to add to the existing body of knowledge of research methods.

Most of the research in the social sciences is applied. In other words, the research tech- niques,
procedures and methods that form the body of research methodology are applied to the
collection of information about various aspects of a situation, issue, problem or phenomenon so
that the information gathered can be used in other ways – such as for policy formulation and
enhancement of understanding of a phenomenon.
It is sometimes believed that applied research is more valuable than basic research
because an applied study seems to concern more relevant problems and to tackle
them directly.For example,Analyzing what type of prompts will inspire people to volunteer their
time to charities.
Investigating if background music in a work environment can contribute to greater productivity.

ANALYTICAL RESEARCH
is primarily concerned with testing hypothesis and specifying and interpreting relationships, by
analyzing the facts or information already available.analytical research tells us why something is
true.You need critical thinking skills and careful assessment of the facts. For example, people
might use analytical research to find the missing link in a study. It offers new ideas about your
data. Thus, it helps prove or disprove hypothesis.Students, psychologists, marketers, and more
find analytical research useful. In a company, it helps figure out which ad campaigns work best.
Meanwhile, in medicine, it finds out whether a given treatment works well.
Cognetica.com

CONCEPTUAL RESEARCH
Conceptual research is defined as a methodology wherein research is conducted by observing
and analyzing already present information on a given topic. Conceptual research doesn’t involve
conducting any practical experiments. It is related to abstract concepts or ideas. Philosophers
have long used conceptual research to develop new theories or interpret existing theories in a
different light.The most famous example of a conceptual research is Sir Issac Newton. He
observed his surroundings to conceptualize and develop theories about gravitation and motion.

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
The word empirical describes any information gained by experience, observation, or experiment.
One of the central tenets of the scientific method is that evidence must be empirical, i.e. based on
evidence observable to the senses.Empirical research is appropriate when proof is sought that
certain variables affect other variables in some way. Evidence gathered through experiments or
empirical studies is today considered to be the most powerful support possible for a given
hypothesis.

DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH

Diagnostic study is similar to descriptive study with a different focus. It is directed at discovering
what is happening, why it is happening and what can be done. It aims at identifying the causes of
the problem and the possible solutions for it. More directly concerned with causal relationships
and with implications for action.

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-applied-research-2794820
https://www.reference.com/business-finance/analytical-research-94534a536bf46028
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.questionpro.com/blog/conceptual-research/
https://explorable.com/empirical-research

Fig The Empirical Research Cycle

Source:Questionpro.com

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/empirical-research/
Khushi
If you examine a research study from the perspective of its objectives, broadly a research
endeavor can be classified as descriptive, correlational, explanatory or exploratory.

A research study classified as a descriptive study attempts to describe systematically a

situation, problem, phenomenon, service or programme, or provides information about, say, the
living conditions of a community, or describes attitudes towards an issue. For example, it may
attempt to describe the types of service provided by an organization, the administrative structure
of an organization, the living conditions of Aboriginal people in the outback, the needs of a
community, what it means to go through a divorce, how a child feels living in a house with
domestic violence, or the attitudes of employees towards management. The main purpose of such
studies is to describe what is prevalent with respect to the issue/ problem under study.

The main emphasis in a correlational study is to discover or establish the existence of a

relationship/association/interdependence between two or more aspects of a situation. What Is the
impact of an advertising campaign on the sale of a product? What is the relationship between
stressful living and the incidence of heart attack? What is the relationship between fertility and
mortality? What is the relationship between technology and unemployment? What is the effect of
a health service on the control of a disease, or the home environment on educational
achievement? These studies examine whether there is a relationship between two or more aspects
of a situation or phenomenon and, therefore, are called correlational studies.

Explanatory research attempts to clarify why and how there is a relationship between two
aspects of a situation or phenomenon. With this method, the researcher gets a general idea and
uses research as a tool to guide them quicker to the issues that might be addressed in the future.
Its goal is to find the why and what for an object of study.This type of research attempts to
explain, for example, why stressful living results in heart attacks; why a decline in mortality is
followed by a fertility decline; or how the home environment affects children’s level of academic
achievement.

The fourth type of research, from the viewpoint of the objectives of a study, is called
exploratory research. This is when a study is undertaken with the objective either to explore an
area where little is known or to investigate the possibilities of undertaking a particular research
study. When a study is carried out to determine its feasibility it is also called a feasibility study or
a pilot study. It is usually carried out when a researcher wants to explore areas about which s/he
has little or no knowledge. A small-scale study is undertaken to decide if it is worth carrying out
a detailed investigation. On the basis of the assessment made during the exploratory study, a full
study may eventuate. Exploratory studies are also conducted to develop, refine and/or test
measurement tools and procedures. Table 1.1 shows the types of research study from the
viewpoint of objectives.

One time research

One time research is a kind of research that is carried over a single time period.For example
population research..
Dhruvi

INTRODUCTION:
The word research is composed of two syllables, re and search. The dictionary defines the
former as a prefix meaning again, anew or over again and the latter as a verb meaning to
examine closely and carefully, to test and try, or to probe. Together they form a noun describing
a careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to
establish facts or principles. (Grinnell 1993: 4) Grinnell further adds: ‘research is a structured
inquiry that utilises acceptable scientific methodology to solve problems and creates new
knowledge that is generally applicable.

TYPES OF RESEARCH:
The classification of the types of a study on the basis of these perspectives is not mutually
exclusive: that is, a research study classified from the viewpoint of ‘application’ can also be
classified from the perspectives of ‘objectives’ and ‘enquiry mode’ employed. For example, a
research project may be classified as pure or applied research (from the perspective of
application), as descriptive, correlational, explanatory or exploratory (from the perspective of
objectives) and as qualitative or quantitative (from the perspective of the enquiry mode
employed).

Types of research: mode of enquiry perspective

The structured approach to enquiry is usually classified as quantitative research and unstructured
as qualitative research. In the structured approach everything that forms the research process –
objectives, design, sample, and the questions that you plan to ask of respondents – is
predetermined. The unstructured approach, by contrast, allows flexibility in all these aspects of
the process. The structured approach is more appropriate to determine the extent of a problem,
issue or phenomenon, whereas the unstructured approach is predominantly used to explore its
nature, in other words, variation/diversity per se in a phenomenon, issue, problem or attitude
towards an issue.

Quantitative Research is employed for measuring the quantity or amount of a particular

phenomena by the use of statistical analysis.The data are collected and presented in the form of
numbers-average scores for different groups on some task, percentages of people who do one
thing or another, graphs and tables of data, and so on.For example,On the other hand, to find out
how many people have a particular perspective, how many people have a particular problem, or
how many people hold a particular view, you need to have a structured approach to enquiry.

Qualitative Research is a non-quantitative type of analysis which is aimed at finding out the
quality of a particular phenomenon.Qualitative research is not easily classified, but it often
includes studies that collect interview information, either from individuals or groups; it
sometimes involves detailed case studies; or it sometimes involves carefully designed
observational studies.For example, if you want to research the different perspectives of an issue,
the problems experienced by people living in a community or the different views people hold
towards an issue, then these are better explored using unstructured enquiries.

QUALITATIVE& QUANTITATIVE- C.JAMES GOODWIN PG 89

Historical Research – It is the study of past records and other information sources, with a view
to find the origin and development of a phenomenon and to discover the trends in the past, in
order to understand the present and to anticipate the future.It utilizes historical sources like
documents, remains, etc. to study events or ideas of the past, including the philosophy of persons
and groups at any remote point of time.For example, the documented expedition of Spanish
explorer Hernando DeSoto who discovered the Mississippi river. Historical research uncovered
this story based on primary historical data – in this case, records from the members of the
expedition, as well as documents and letters from the Spanish archives.
eg source- https://www.clinfowiki.org/wiki/index.php/Historical_research

Experimental Research – It is designed to assess the effect of one particular variable on a

phenomenon by keeping the other variables constant or controlled. For example, researchers
could perform a study to look at whether sleep deprivation impairs performance on a driving test.
The experimenter could control for other variables that might influence the outcome, but then
vary the amount of sleep that participants get the night before a driving test.
Eg source-https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-experimental-psychology-2795784

Longitudinal Research – Research carried on over several time periods.Longitudinal studies are
designed to chart and monitor change over time. These studies typically gather a set of data at the
study’s beginning and then repeatedly gather data on the same topic throughout the course of the
study.-https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/longitudinal-research .For example, the
Harvard Study of Adult Development, has been collecting data on the physical and mental health
of a group of Boston men for over 80 years.
Eg
s-https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/longitudinal-study/#:~:text=What%20is%20an%
20example%20of,example%20of%20a%20longitudinal%20study.

RANJIT (2011) PG-11,13 & KOTHARI PG-3,4

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