kinds of researches

Kinds of researches

The main aim of research is to contribute new knowledge such as new facts, generalizations, techniques, equipment, procedures, new substances or solutions to certain problems. There are two types of research that one may undertake:

a) Pure research is conducted with no immediate objective in mind although the results may lead to solutions of problems in other fields, which at that time has an immediate purpose. Problems in pure science require more time and better qualities of the mind. Some examples are researches on the structure of the nucleus, mass-energy relationship, recombinant DNA, structure of the atom, etc.
b) Applied research is conducted with an immediate purpose in mind. The results will have immediate applications. It requires less time and concentrates on a scientific problem. Some examples are developing a new packaging material; studying the effect of temperature on a certain process, developing a biodegradable plastic, etc.

Because of the limitations of time and available resources and the fact that. the level of your knowledge and skills is not yet comparable to those of an experienced scientist, it is advisable for you to work on very simple problems first. At the beginning, your teacher will assign you to investigate a problem in a highly structured manner. Try to follow these and learn from the experience. You will then be given a semi-structured problem, wherein you are expected to make your own experimental design, execute the study, and make your final report. At the end, given a problem situation, you are expected to be able to pose your own research question(s), propose hypothesis(es), design and execute your experiments and make your final report.