Research purposes

Research involves systematic investigation of phenomena, the purpose of which could be for:

1. Information gathering and/or
1. Exploratory: e.g., discovering, uncovering, exploring
2. Descriptive: e.g., gathering info, describing, summarizing
2. Theory testing
1. Explanatory: e.g., testing and understanding causal relations
2. Predictive: e.g., predicting what might happen in various scenarios

Examples of research studies with these different purposes can be found in this practice quiz.

## Discussion questions[edit | edit source]

* How can research help to alleviate poverty on Earth?
* How can I gain an understanding on why research is nessesary

## See also[edit | edit source]

* Research method
* Research question
* Research proposal
* Research types
* Survey research (Lecture)

## External links[edit | edit source]

* Purposes of survey research (Slides 34-46)
* The purposes of research