Research seeks answers to previously unanswered questions and contributes to the body of knowledge in a discipline. It can be applied to create practical solutions and products, such as designing a new mobile app interface or optimizing a manufacturing process. Other research is more basic, like exploring the molecular structure of a protein to advance scientific understanding—regardless of whether it ultimately leads to a new medication.
Research begins with a question or hypothesis, which acts as a guide through the rest of the study. It guides your data collection methods, helps you identify relationships between variables, and helps you make conclusions at the end of the study.
There are different types of research methodologies, which include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches. Each type of approach offers a different perspective on the research problem and should be selected depending on your goals.
Quantitative research focuses on quantifying data and generalizing results, using structured methods and statistical analysis. Qualitative research provides a more detailed description and interpretation of observations, using subjective analysis with a smaller sample size. Mixed method research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to offer the best of both worlds.
Regardless of the research methodology you choose, it is critical to ensure that your methods are valid and reliable. To do this, you should clearly document every step of your research—from how you chose participants to how you analyzed your data—and share these documents publicly through open repositories. You should also consider implementing practices, such as pre-registration and archiving, to further facilitate independent validation of your work.
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