Table of Contents
Research plays a key role in helping academic institutions grow and improve. It benefits students, supports society, and contributes to the progress of the institution. As a college student, you most likely have a lot of coursework, incomplete assignments, and academic research to conduct. As a part of research, you need to gather information and data to support your arguments and evidence. However, the question is “How to conduct academic research for your assignments and research papers?”
In this blog of All Assignment Help, we will tell you the standard ways to conduct academic research. We will also draw your attention to the importance of academic research, its types, and methods.
What is Academic Research?
Academic research is the process of collecting and assessing social or scientific data to provide a solution. It is sometimes referred to as scientific research or fundamental research. It is used by researchers and students to generate effective research and reliable results.
Also, it is a methodical approach to analyzing a problem or circumstance to discover information that can solve the problem. This mostly focuses on scientific advancements, exploring many facets of life to get a deeper understanding of the selected subject.
Conducting academic research is not a cakewalk. It requires assessing reliable sources to find accurate and updated information. Unfortunately, there are multiple online platforms that provide misleading or false information. To avoid falling into the trap of such unreliable sources, you can consider using an academic research paper writing service. These services connect you with experts who can guide you through the research process and help you access only trustworthy and credible information relevant to your topic.
Read Here: How to Identify Your Research Problems?
Types of Academic Research
Academic research provides the foundation for advancement in many different fields. Whether you are studying humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, or practical disciplines, research is essential for expanding knowledge, generating innovation, and influencing practice and policy. The major types of academic research you will encounter during your academic career are:
Basic Research
Also referred to as fundamental or pure research, this type of research aims to increase knowledge without considering immediate applications. This is motivated by curiosity and a desire to find out unknown areas in a range of different sectors.
Applied Research
This focuses on real-world problems and attempts to build new technologies or processes or discover solutions. Applied research fills the link between theoretical understanding and real-world implementation.
Exploratory Research
This particular type of research looks into a problem or circumstance that isn’t well defined. It facilitates the development of hypotheses and an understanding of the underlying problems. This kind of research is naturally qualitative, but it can be used in an exploratory study with a sizable sample.
Descriptive Research
This involves defining the traits or purposes of a certain phenomenon. It is used to give an accurate representation of people, events, or circumstances. Descriptive research highlights the characteristics it shares without looking into the deeper causes of phenomena.
Explanatory Research
This type of research looks for cause-and-effect links in an attempt to explain why a certain event occurred. For example, it can explore why some students perform better in online courses than others. Here, you can explain about online class help services that offer assistance in enhancing the overall performance of students in their online coursework.
There are several types of research, based on each one’s perspective and goal. However, when discussing academic research, the primary goal is to generate new results for the scientific community.
Why is Academic Research Important?
The fundamental purpose of academic research is to prove a theory and the development of knowledge. It is important for anybody who appreciates learning whether or not they belong to a research group. Let’s see the top 3 importance of academic research:
Facilitates Learning
Academic research conducted by students is important not just for students, but also for the entire scholastic world. Research allows understanding of a specific problem through different angles that were never identified or talked much about. While conducting the research, a scholar goes beyond personal experience and collects evidence based on facts and rationality. That is how academic research papers open the gates for further discourse and discussions.
Draws Attention to the Problems
Academic research does not always, but often, highlight problems that are prevalent in society. These problems could be related to cultural norms, health, education, certain practices, etc. For example, psychological research or studies on mental health may lead to new findings and cure ongoing mental disorders. Similarly, to understand the psyche of people during colonial times, one can read the research articles of Edward Said and Frantz Fanon. This way, academic research sheds light on various problems of society.
Promotes Personal Growth of Students
Academic research helps students in their personal growth as well. Research helps in the development of skills. You will learn how to identify a problem and reach a possible solution or develop a point of view on a specific topic. Students develop multiple skills through academic research, which includes analytical skills by analyzing a large piece of data, how to pose questions, and form a focus by paying complete attention to key issues.
Academic research involves applying innovative methodologies, exploring uncharted areas of life, and deepening our understanding of the world around us. However, students often cannot handle this journey alone. They might need guidance and support in overcoming challenges and finding effective solutions. This is where hiring a research paper help expert can make a significant difference. Getting help from a research expert allows students to gain valuable insights and assistance throughout their academic research journey.
Features of a Good Academic Research
Selecting a topic, gathering information, and compiling it on paper are only a small part of academic research. There are some requirements that must be fulfilled for the research to be considered excellent. A few characteristics of good research include:
- The most important aspect of good research is that it is founded on the topic problem question. Use the FINER criteria (Feasible, Interesting, Novelty, Ethical, and Relevant) while formulating the research topic questions.
- Every research must use an appropriate and methodical approach. If you lack the knowledge of academic research methods and approach, you can consider hiring a research assignment helper online for additional guidance and assistance.
- It is essential to acknowledge earlier research to uncover fresh information. Using previous research, publications, and journals will help you choose the path of the study.
- Good research must be representative and applicable, which means that the data set should accurately reflect a wider population with little change.
- The research must be strongly distinguished by external validation, which acknowledges its validity and makes it suitable for further use.
Academic study is primarily an attempt to solve a problem; you seek to understand how something functions or why something occurred. However, the procedure continues even after the problem has been resolved. Academic research is usually presented through an academic paper. If the paper is good, it can be published in professional journals.
Types of Academic Research Methods
There are many different kinds of academic research methodologies. However, the basic categories of research methodologies consist of:
- Quantitative Research: It is a research method that validates theories using numerical data.
- Qualitative Research: Qualitative research is the study that uses behavior analysis to understand human behavior.
- Empirical Research: Research based on observations, interviews, and experiments is known as empirical research.
- Historical Research: Historical research is the study of the past via the use of historical records.
- Documentary Research: Finding relevant data through research in databases, libraries, archives, and specialized collections is known as documentary research.
- Experimental Research: Research that uses tests and experiments to understand phenomena is known as experimental research.
- Conceptual Research: Conceptual research is a research investigation of phenomena using concepts and theories.
- Comparative Research: Comparative research is the study that analyzes several aspects to better understand phenomena.
- Analytical Research: Analytical research is defined as research that uses data and information analysis to understand complicated events.
The academic research method you select will depend on the goal and the resources at your disposal. For example, you could think about focus groups or interviews if you wish to get qualitative data about customer thoughts. Moreover, it is important to take the time to choose the best research method to accomplish your goals in any situation.
Also Read: Guidelines to Conduct Effective Academic Research Using the Internet
How To Conduct Academic Research?
The research process can be conducted in many ways. You will eventually find a method that suits you best as you have more experience with assignments related to research. Here are some fundamental procedures for conducting academic research:
Specify the Research Question
Any research work must begin with a precise formulation of its research question or hypothesis. Your research will have direction and purpose if your question is clear. Therefore, it should be relevant to your subject of study, easily quantifiable, and specific. Spend time developing your question since it will direct your data gathering, analysis, and literature review.
Conduct Literature Review
It is necessary to assess the content of current literature on the topic before beginning data collection. This enables you to place your study within the larger academic framework, identify gaps in the literature, and understand the current status of research. Use resources such as PubMed, JSTOR, and Google Scholar to find relevant books, papers, and articles. Organize your findings according to topic and assess the quality and applicability of each source.
Pick the Right Research Methodology
Selecting the right research method is important for getting accurate and trustworthy results. Your research topic, the type of data you have, and the objectives of your study will all influence your decision. Common methods include quantitative methods (such as surveys and experiments) for testing hypotheses and measuring variables and qualitative methods (such as focus groups and interviews) for investigating complicated phenomena.
Create a Research Plan
A properly organized research plan describes the steps you will follow to finish your research. This includes outlining your timetable, resources, and collection techniques. Think about potential challenges and prepare for unforeseen circumstances. Moreover, you can maintain organization and make sure that your research goes smoothly with an organized plan.
Gather and Analyze Data
Data collection is the foundation of your research. Hence, you must stick to ethical standards and ensure the reliability of your data, whether you are running assessments, carrying out surveys, assessing data that already exists, or writing an argumentative research paper. Use the proper statistical or qualitative methods to evaluate your data after it has been gathered.
Analyze the Results
Understanding the data in accordance with your research topic and the body of previous literature is necessary for analysis. Check your data for trends, patterns, and connections, then think about the implications of each. However, don’t generalize your findings too broadly and be aware of the limitations of your research.
Compile and Present Your Research
The last stage is to effectively present your results. Sharing your research findings with the academic community requires you to write a concise and clear report. Make sure your work is well-structured, with a compelling introduction, literature review, methods, findings, discussion, and conclusion. Furthermore, you should also stick to the formatting requirements of the publication or institution you are targeting. Lastly, don’t forget to properly credit your sources to prevent plagiarism.
These are the basic steps to conduct the academic research. However, students are usually busy as they have so much to do, such as jobs, online coursework, exams, and so on. These busy students can go for external help to get help with their research papers, online coursework, and online exams. There are websites available online where you can place your request like, can you write my research paper for me, or will you take my online exam for me?, etc. You will get an immediate response within a few seconds, and you are good to go to ace your academic journey.
Conclusion
Academic research is necessary whether you are a student or a professional. It is important to collect and assess a range of information sources to do accurate research. After that, you analyze the information you have collected to answer a question or make a conclusion. However, it is impossible to overestimate the importance of academic research in identifying solutions and expanding our collective knowledge as we keep facing difficult worldwide problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What contents are required in a research paper?
Your research’s context or background knowledge; the overall subject being studied; the particular subject you’re researching; the primary inquiries or issue statement that your study attempts to solve; What has been discovered thus far concerning this issue, what earlier studies have done or demonstrated
What is a dissertation’s intended use?
In most cases, a dissertation allows students to respond to a question or proposition they have chosen with their results. Students’ ability to conduct independent research is to be tested as part of the assignment, and the results will be utilized to decide their final grade.
How do a research paper and a thesis differ from one another?
Students must cite prior research to support their findings in their research and dissertation papers. But, to support a claim, thesis papers frequently draw on previously published research.