INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH

Unit Objectives:

  • Understand the meaning and definitions of research.
  • Learn about the various types of research.
  • Explore the different types of literary research.
  • Grasp key research elements such as research questions, hypotheses, research design, and research ethics.
  • Learn about plagiarism and how to avoid it.

Definitions and Meaning of Research:

  • Research is a systematic investigation to discover new facts, theories, or principles.
  • It involves careful consideration and study of a subject.
  • Research can lead to the revision of existing conclusions, theories, or laws.

Aims and Objectives of Research:

  • Aims specify what research intends to achieve.
  • Objectives describe how these aims will be achieved.
  • Research aims to discover new knowledge, revise existing theories, and apply findings practically.
  • It seeks to provide logical answers to questions and establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Types of Research:

  1. Quantitative research:
    • Focuses on numerical data.
    • Used to find patterns, averages, and cause-effect relationships.
  2. Qualitative research:
    • Involves non-numerical data like text, audio, and video.
    • Aims to understand concepts, opinions, and experiences.
  3. Descriptive research:
    • Describes characteristics of a population or phenomenon.
    • Doesn't explain why a phenomenon occurs.
  4. Analytical research:
    • Involves critical evaluation of existing information.
    • Draws conclusions from available data.
  5. Fundamental research:
    • Driven by curiosity to expand knowledge.
    • Aims to improve scientific theories.
  6. Applied research:
    • Addresses practical problems.
    • Applies theoretical research to real-life situations.
  7. Action research:
    • Combines taking action with research.
    • Often used in social sciences.
  8. Exploratory research:
    • Provides a finer understanding of a problem.
    • Helps identify issues for future research.

Types of Literary Research:

  1. Bibliography and textual research:
    • Establishes authoritative texts and authenticity.
    • Prevents errors in published works.
  2. Biographical research:
    • Uncovers an author's life and times.
    • Correlates events in the author's life with their work.
  3. Theoretical research:
    • Proposes theories of literature.
    • Applies various schools of literary criticism.
  4. Interpretive research:
    • Uses literary theories to interpret and analyze works of literature.

These simplified notes summarize the key points from the provided content, making it easier to understand the essential concepts of research and literary research types.

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