What is Research?

Research is making logical and methodical inferences from accurate data. It, naturally, involves phases viz. hypothesis, inquiry, data collection, analysis, verification, generalization and the openings for falsification. The rules and phases may vary from discipline to discipline, even within the braches of the same discipline. However, the general pattern is more or less the same.

Research in any discipline requires some kind of analysis, interpretation and an opinion from the researcher. Thus it can be said to be

• A search for truth
• Based on empirical or observable data
• Scientific study in order to establish facts.
• The goal is Theory Building
• Universal applicability
• Researcher is a beggar par excellence!
• It should be verifiable
  
  Research can be classified as theoretical, applied and action oriented. It can be descriptive or analytic/conceptual or empirical/ quantitative or qualitative. Research must follow some scientific methods like identifying the problem, naming the problem, formulating hypothesis, searching for evidence, testing hypothesis and generalization. A hypothesis is a prediction of a relationship between one or more factors and the problem under study that can be tested. It is a tentative statement showing the relationship between two or more variables, the reliability and validity of which is to be tested and verified. A variable is an empirical property that takes two or more values. Anything that can vary can be considered a variable. In short research is a scientific procedure to test and verify the hypothesis using modern techniques.
  Steps in Research work:

• Choose the topic
• Narrow down the topic
• Formulate a genuine question which your data will address
• Frame work your research
• Search for references and select bibliography
• Prepare notes
• Prepare bibliography cards for the notes
• Categorize your notes
• Test hypothesis
• Building a theory
• Verify that all of your data directly relate to your thesis
• Write a detailed outline
• Learn the rules for using quotation
• Learn the rules for using footnotes
• Learn to write a bibliography
• Show credits to other writers and researchers you are using as source.
• Edit your first draft: repositioning sentences and paragraphs, adding and deleting material to improve your thesis
• Complete the final copy of the research paper