- What is pure research for?
- Main features
- Most characteristic elements of pure research
- Importance
- Types of pure research
- - Exploratory investigation
- - Descriptive research
- Examples
- Valid questions for a pure investigation
- Pure investigations that can be developed
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Advantage
- Disadvantages
- Themes of interest
- References
The pure research is the kind of research directed toward understanding the basic principles of the reality of the world in which we live. Its main purpose is to satisfy human curiosity and increase the bases of scientific knowledge.
Knowing the origin of the universe, knowing how neurons work, discovering how dinosaurs became extinct or deciphering the genetic code of the red weevil are examples of pure research.
This type of research is exclusively theoretical, since it only seeks to improve human understanding of certain phenomena, subjects or a particular behavior.
It differs from applied research, in that the latter bases its research on finding how to solve problems to improve the well-being of society. However, the idea of pure research is to have a better understanding of the fundamental concepts within a particular scientific field.
What is pure research for?
Pure research does not have an immediate and specific application, although its findings may serve other applicable uses later.
These investigations generally involve a high level of intellectual caliber, as well as the endorsement of a respected institution. Those who engage in these investigations place all their efforts on the formulation or reformulation of theories.
Often, these types of studies are driven by curiosity and their discoveries help to improve the innovations of applied science.
This research is organized and systematic; your goal is to find answers to the questions that surround life and the universe.
Main features
Pure research is also known as fundamental research or basic research and seeks to have a better understanding of phenomena.
Those who carry it out are not concerned with practical application, their efforts being directed towards the elaboration of theories.
Studies are essentially carried out to gain a better understanding of natural phenomena whose applications may or may not have some use in the immediate future or even after a long time. For that reason, it is fundamental in nature.
The knowledge gained from these studies expands the theoretical basis of a particular topic. Many times they are carried out by universities or other higher research centers.
Pure research involves the process of collecting and analyzing information to develop and improve theory.
In its most basic form, pure research is done only for the purpose of developing or refining theory; seeks to increase understanding of fundamental principles.
Most characteristic elements of pure research
- These studies seek to increase the knowledge of the fundamental principles.
- They are often strictly theoretical in nature.
- They offer the foundations of science.
- They are mainly academic and are conducted by universities or teaching institutes.
- They are usually a source of new scientific ideas or new perspectives on the world.
- Their studies can be exploratory, descriptive or explanatory.
- They increase the scientific knowledge base of man or the understanding of a phenomenon.
- It does not seek to solve problems.
- Your results do not have any direct or potential economic value.
- Generates new ideas, principles or theories; or simply expand knowledge.
- It does not seek to create or invent something in particular.
- It involves directly or indirectly the development of a theory.
Importance
Pure research is important because it advances fundamental knowledge about the human world.
It focuses on testing or discarding theories that explain how the world operates, why certain things happen, why social relations are in a certain way, why society changes, among other questions.
This kind of research is the source of most new scientific ideas and ways of thinking about the world.
Pure research generates new ideas, principles and theories that, although they cannot be used immediately, are the foundation of modern progress and development in different fields.
For example, today's computers would not exist without the pure research that mathematicians did a century ago, although at that time there was no practical application for that information.
Types of pure research
- Exploratory investigation
Exploratory research is the examination of a topic in an attempt to gain more knowledge about it.
With these investigations the researcher begins with a general idea and uses the investigation as a tool to identify problems that could be the focus of future studies.
In this case, a definitive answer is not sought; as its name implies, it is only intended to explore the research questions and not to offer final or conclusive solutions.
- Descriptive research
Descriptive research involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing the subject in any way.
This information can be collected through observation or case studies.
Examples
Valid questions for a pure investigation
- What effect does roasting coffee beans have in relation to their antioxidant properties?
- What makes wood so hard?
- What are protons, neutrons, and electrons made of?
- What is the genetic code of an anteater?
- How do cockroaches reproduce?
- How did the universe come to be what it is today?
Pure investigations that can be developed
- An investigation that looks at whether stress levels cause students to cheat on tests.
- A study looking at the impact of caffeine consumption on the brain.
- Research examining whether men or women are more likely to suffer from depression.
- A study exploring how attachment among children of divorced parents compares with children raised by parents who are still together.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like the rest of types of scientific research, the pure one has its pros and cons when applied in a scientific project.
Advantage
- Offers visible results and helps reduce improvement times.
- In the long term they serve as the basis for many commercial products and applied research.
- It helps to reduce costs if you find products that are defective and therefore do not contribute anything.
Disadvantages
- The quality of the investigation can be diminished if the sufficient means are not available, being generally expensive.
- It requires the involvement of all members of the organization to obtain the maximum performance with which to achieve success.
- On many occasions the final results do not have immediate or commercial benefits, since these studies are made born only of curiosity.
Themes of interest
Documentary research.
Field research.
Scientific method.
Explanatory research.
Observational study.
References
- Basic research (2010). Recovered from slideshare.com
- What is basic research? Recovered from college-college.life.knoji.com
- Explorable research. Recovered from wikipedia.org
- What is basic research? (2017). Recovered from verywell.com
- Basic research. Recovered from wikipedia.org
- Basic research and applied research. Recovered from study.com
- Basic vs applied research (2016). Recovered from slideshare.com
- Pure research. Recovered from businessdictionary.com
- Exploratory research. Recovered from study.com
- Explorable research. Recovered from study.com