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Research
For the suburb of Melbourne, Australia, see Research, Victoria.
Research is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviors, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories. The term “research” is also used to describe the collection of information about a particular subject.
The word “research” derives from the Middle French (see French language) and the literal meaning is “to investigate thoroughly”.
Basic & Applied Research
Generally, one can distinguish between basic research and applied research.
Basic Research (also called fundamental or pure research) has as its primary objective the advancement of knowledge and the theoretical understanding of the relations among variables (see statistics). It is exploratory and often driven by the researcher’s curiosity, interest or hunch. It is conducted without a practical end in mind although it can have unexpected results that point to practical applications. The terms “basic” or “fundamental” research indicate that, through theory generation, basic research provides the foundation for further, often applied research. Because there is no guarantee of short-term practical gain, researchers often find it difficult to obtain funding for basic research.
Basic research asks questions such as:
- At what point in human history did logical thought arise?
- Are living organisms the rule or the exception?
- What is the mind-body connection?
- What is the specific genetic code of the oceanic whitetip?
Applied Research is done to solve specific, practical questions; its primary aim is not to gain knowledge for its own sake. It can be exploratory but often it is not. It is almost always done on the basis of basic research. Often the research is carried out by academic or industrial institutions. More often an academic instituion such as a university will have a specific applied research programme funded by a industrial partner. Common areas of applied research include electronics, informatics, process engineering and applied science.
Applied research asks questions such as:
- How can Canada’s wheat crops be protected from grasshoppers?
- What is the most efficient and effective vaccine against influenza?
- How can communication among workers in large companies be improved?
- How can the Great Lakes be protected against the effects of greenhouse gas?
There are many instances when the distinction between basic and applied research is not clear. It is not unusual for researchers to present their project in such a light as to “slot” it into either applied or basic research, depending on the requirements of the funding sources. The question of genetic codes is a good example. Unravelling it for the sake of knowledge alone would be basic research – but what, for example, if knowledge of it also has the benefit of making it possible to alter the code so as to make a plant commercially viable? Some say that the difference between basic and applied research lies in the time span between research and reasonably foreseeable practical applications.
Thomas Kuhn, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, traces an interesting history and analysis of the enterprise of research.
Research process
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 definitions
- Gathering of data
- Analysis of data
- Conclusion, revisting of hypothesis
See also
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Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
Conducts contract research and development. San Antonio, Texas.
http://www.swri.org/
Santa Fe Institute
Private, non-profit, multidisciplinary research and education center that pursues emerging science, largely on a theoretical level. Topics include artificial life forms and evolutionary complexity.
http://www.santafe.edu/
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
IIASA is a non-governmental research organization located in Austria. International teams of experts from various disciplines conduct scientific studies on environmental, economic, technological and social issues in the context of human dimensions of global change.
http://www.iiasa.ac.at/
Research Triangle Institute
Research Triangle Institute conducts contract research that responds to priorities in medicine and pharmaceuticals, public health, advanced technologies, environmental protection, and public policies. RTI, an independent nonprofit organization, performs research for government, industry and other clients throughout the United States and abroad.
http://www.rti.org
The Rowland Institute for Science
A private, nonprofit organization with a broad charter to conduct advanced scientific research founded in 1980 by Edwin Herbert Land, and endowed by Land and his family.
http://www.rowland.org/
SRI International
An independent nonprofit R+D organization, creating innovative technology and business solutions for government agencies, commercial businesses and foundations for over 50 years.
http://www.sri.com/
Vestlandsforsking
Independent research institute, part of Norway's national research system. Key research areas are in the fields of information technology, environmental research and society and industry. Primarily in Norsk, with a few English pages.
http://www.vestforsk.no
CLRC
The Central Laboratory of the Research Councils is one of Europe's largest mulitidisciplinary research organisations.
http://www.cclrc.ac.uk/
Max Planck Society
Max Planck Institutes carry on basic research in service to the general public in the areas of natural science, social science and the arts and humanities.
http://www.mpg.de/english/
Materials and Environmental Mechanics
Research interests of the Materials and Environmental Mechanics Research Group of the "Soils, Solids, Structures" Laboratory in Grenoble, France.
http://www.3s.hmg.inpg.fr/mme/index.html
Weizmann Institute of Science
An international center of scientific research and graduate study located in Rehovot, Israel.
http://www.weizmann.ac.il/
Tureck Bach Research Foundation
Interdisciplinary research with an annual symposium featuring internationally distinguished creative minds in the sciences, humanities and arts.
http://www.connectedglobe.com/tbrf/
Carnegie Institution of Washington
A non-profit scientific research organization specializing in the physical and biological sciences.
http://www.carnegieinstitution.org
Western Research Institute (WRI)
Technology development center in Laramie, Wyoming, serving private clients, industry, and government with expertise in energy, environment, and highway materials.
http://wri.uwyo.edu/
The BioComposites Centre
Principal research areas including services offered to panel board producers and to the pulp and paper industry.
http://www.bc.bangor.ac.uk/
Center for Research in Scientific Computation at NCSU
Specializes in computational science, engineering and applied mathematics. At North Carolina State University.
http://www2.ncsu.edu/math/CRSC/
International Academy of Noosphere: Baltic Branch
Supports sustainable world development through mathematical modeling and programming. Offers for sale, Maple software and books in the fields of mathematics, statistics, computer science, cybernetics, and computer algebra systems. Page includes mission statement, list of staff, history, and list of publications.
http://www.geocities.com/intl_academy_noosphere/
UKAEA
Links to the science and technology research centres operated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
http://www.harwell.org.uk/
Paul Scherrer Institut
A multi-disciplinary research centre for natural sciences and technology.
http://www.psi.ch/index_e.shtml
The Scripps Research Institute
Private, non-profit research organization engaged in basic biomedical science. The eight scientific departments study all areas of modern biomedical research and synthetic bioorganic chemistry. Based in La Jolla, CA, USA.
http://www.scripps.edu/
French Institute of Pondicherry
A multidisciplinary research institute focussing on South east Asia: conducts active research in ecological, social and Indian studies, in colloboration with various Indian and foreign research institutions with the primary objective of promoting Indo-french cooperation in science and culture.
http://www.ifpindia.org/
Institut Jean-Nicod, Paris
An interdisciplinary lab at the interface between the humanities, the social sciences and the cognitive sciences.
http://www.institutnicod.org
Centro de Estudios CientÃficos / Center for Scientific Studies
A private, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, development and diffusion of scientific research. Valdivia, Chile.
http://www.cecs.cl/
Rudjer Boskovic Institute
Scientific research centre located in Zagreb, Croatia.
http://www.irb.hr/
Archive of Starlab Research Laboratories
A privately funded, 'blue sky' research institute in Brussels, Belgium, now closed. Archives of research material and links to researchers.
http://www.space-time.info/StarlabArchive.html
Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA)
A division of New Mexico Tech, the Institute is a cooperative venture among academia, industry and government, dedicated to studying the behavior, vulnerabilities and predictability of complex systems. News, research and education information.
http://www.icasa.nmt.edu/
OFFIS Research Institute
Oldenberg, Germany. Research and development in embedded systems, healthcare information and communication systems.
http://www.offis.de/index_e.php
Science and Technology Center in Ukraine
Supports research and development activities for peaceful applications by Ukrainian, Georgian, and Uzbekistani scientists and engineers, formerly involved with development of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
http://www.stcu.int/
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