Types or Classification of Research |Basic or fundamental or pure and Applied or Technological research

Type of Research:

What types of research is there?

Or, describe the classification of research.    

Research can be undertaken for two different purposes. One is to solve the currently existing problem by applying the result of research finding. The other is to add or contribute to the general body of knowledge in a particular area of interest to the researcher. The first one is known as applied research and latter one is basic or fundamental research.

So, we can classify research broadly in two categories.   

1.      Basic or fundamental or pure research.2.      Applied or Technological research.

1. Basic or fundamental or pure research:

It means adding something new to the existing knowledge. But this addition should be fundamental. There will be no copy or plagiarism. For example, you are reading 5 or 50 books and writing a new book by bringing information from these books then this will not be considered as a pure research or any research finding. But when you generate something new idea by reading some books then it will be known as research finding. For example, there is lot of article about capital budgeting in different books. By reading all of those if you can generate a new idea about capital budgeting which will add something new to the existing knowledge, and then it will be a pure research.

The main purpose of conducting pure research is to generate more knowledge and understanding of the phenomena that occur and to build theories bases on the research result. Such theories are then used in subsequent research by researchers as a foundation for further study of the phenomena.

2. Applied or technological research:

Applied or technological research is also known as problem solution research. This research relates to the finding of solution of a particular problem arisen immediately. For an instance, if any new virus attacks computer program and somebody finds the antivirus of it then it will be an applied research. The result of this research is applied to solve the immediate problems.

Most organization are interested in applied research and would pay researcher and consultant to study a problem of concern to them in order to find solution that can be implemented to rectify the problem solution.
Research for AIDS, Dengue fever, Cancer, Swine flu etc. can be conducted as applied research.
 

Differences between Applied research and Pure research.

What is the difference between applied research and pure research?

To the advancement of human knowledge both basic and applied research are important but the process of work is slight different and they differ in the end goal in slight.
The main distinction between applied and pure/basic research is that the former is specifically aimed at solving a current problem where as the latter has the more general objective generating knowledge and understanding of phenomena and problems that occur in various organizational settings.
For example, a neurologist studies the brain to learn about its general workings is doing pure research. When a neurologist is trying to find out the cause of Alzheimer's disease, is known as applied research.
Often, applied research is based on basic research. For example, a researcher can use the knowledge of research finding on general working of brain to do research to find out the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.
So a new concept is needed to do pure research and applied research is concerned to solute a particular problem. For example, when as a student of finance you will does research about the speculation in the market of Bangladesh then you have to find out what the causes of speculation, why it is occurred? How can it be solved? So, it will be applied research because you are dealing with a particular problem of Bangladeshi capital market and trying to get solution of it.

Despite of this distinction both types of research follow the same steps of systematic inquiry to arrive of solutions to the problems.