Types of Research: Definitions

and Examples

What are types of research?

Types of research are the different methodologies used to conduct
research. Based on research goals, timelines and purposes, different
types of research are better suited for certain studies. The first part of
designing research is to determine what you want to study and what
your goals are. For example, you may simply want to learn more about a
topic, or you may want to try to determine how a new policy will affect
lower-level employees at your company.
1. Fundamental research
Fundamental, or basic, research is designed to help researchers better
understand certain phenomena in the world; it looks at how things
work. This research attempts to broaden your understanding and
expand scientific theories and explanations. For example, fundamental
research could include a company's study of how different product
placements affect product sales. This study provides information and is
knowledge-based.
2. Applied research
Applied research is designed to identify solutions to specific problems
or find answers to specific questions. The research is meant to offer
knowledge that is applicable and implementable. For instance, applied
research may include a study on ways to increase student involvement
in the classroom. This research focuses on a defined problem and is
solution-based.
3. Qualitative research
Qualitative research involves non-numerical data, such as opinions and
literature. Examples of qualitative data may include:
• Focus groups
• Surveys
• Participant comments
• Observations
• Interviews
Businesses often use qualitative research to determine consumer opinions
and reactions. For instance, a marketing organization may present a new
commercial to a focus group before airing it publicly to receive feedback.
The company collects nonnumerical data—the opinions of the focus group
participants—to make decisions.
4. Quantitative research
Quantitative research depends on numerical data, such as statistics and
measurements. For example, a car manufacturer may compare the
number of sales of red sedans compared to white sedans. The research
uses objective data—the sales figures for red and white sedans—to
draw conclusions.
5. Mixed research
Mixed research includes both qualitative and quantitative data.
Consider the car manufacturer comparing sedan sales. The company
could also ask car buyers to complete a survey after buying a red or
white sedan that asks how much the color impacted their decision and
other opinion-based questions.
6. Exploratory research
Exploratory research is designed to examine what is already known about a
topic and what additional information may be relevant. It rarely answers a
specific question, but rather presents the foundational knowledge of a
subject as a precursor to additional research. Often, exploratory research
applies to lesser known issues and phenomena.
For instance, you may consider what is currently known about the success
of year-long maternity and paternity leave programs. This research can
include gathering all relevant information and compiling it together in an
accessible format that has not been available previously. Your research may
reveal gaps in information, leading to additional studies in the future.
7. Longitudinal research
Longitudinal research focuses on how certain measurements change
over time without manipulating any variables. For instance, a
researcher may examine if and how employee satisfaction changes in
the same employees after one year, three years and five years with the
same company.
8. Cross-sectional research
Cross-sectional research studies a group or subgroup at one point in time.
Participants are generally chosen based on certain shared characteristics,
such as age, gender or income, and researchers examine the similarities and
differences within groups and between groups. The group is often used as a
representation of a larger population. Similar to longitudinal research,
researchers observe participants without altering variables.
For example, a company may research the sales techniques of its top 10% of
salespeople and compare them to the techniques used by its bottom 10% of
salespeople. This can help provide the company insights into the most
successful and least successful sales methods.
9. Field research
Field research takes place wherever the participants or subjects are, or
"on location." This type of research requires onsite observation and
data collection. For instance, a manufacturing plant may hire an
environmental engineering firm to test the air quality at the plant to
ensure it complies with all health and safety requirements. The
researchers would travel to the plant to collect samples.
10. Laboratory research
Laboratory research takes place in a controlled laboratory setting rather
than in the field. Often, the study demands strict adherence to certain
conditions, such as elimination of variables or timing conditions.
Laboratory research includes chemical experimentation and
pharmacological research.
11. Fixed research
Fixed research involves experiment procedures that are determined
ahead of time, such as how often testing will take place, where testing
will take place, number of subjects and types of subjects. The research
depends on precise conditions and compliance with predetermined
protocols to reduce variables. Generally, fixed research is more reliable
and replicable than flexible research.
Experimentation is often fixed research. For example, a researcher may
test how different labels affect consumers' ratings of a sports drink. The
researcher must try to control all other variables that may affect how the
participants rate the drink, except the label. Participants are given the
same drink with different labels at the same time and take a survey
about taste and overall impressions. The timing of giving each drink and
the subsequent surveys are critical to the validity of the study.
12. Flexible research
Flexible research allows procedures to change throughout the course of
the experiment. The different types of flexible research include:
• Case studies: Case studies are in-depth analyses and observations
about a specific individual or subject.
• Ethnographic studies: Ethnographic studies are in-depth analyses and
observations about a group of people.
• Grounded theory studies: Grounded theory studies are designed to
develop theories based on carefully collected and analyzed data.
13. Action research
Action research refers to the process of examining your actions, assessing
their effectiveness in bringing about the desired outcome and choosing a
course of action based on your results. Action research is typically used in
educational settings for teachers and principals to perform a type of self-
assessment and course correction.
For instance, a teacher may collect data about their methods of teaching
fifth-grade math. At the end of the first school quarter, the teacher may
discover only a third of the students demonstrated proficiency in the
concepts. As a result, the teacher implements new methods in her fifth-
grade math class for the second quarter.
14. Policy research
Policy research is designed to examine the effects of current government or
social policies or predict the potential effects of proposed policies as those
effects relate to the distribution or redistribution of resources. Policy
researchers often work within government agencies and conduct the
following types of studies:
• Cost analysis
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Program evaluation
• Needs analysis
15. Classification research
Classification research seeks to identify and classify individual elements
of a group into larger groups or subgroups. For example, biologists
research animals and place them in defined categories based on shared
characteristics, such as:
• Body segmentation
• Type of habitat
• Reproductive methods
• Diet
16. Comparative research
Comparative research is designed to identify similarities and differences
between two individuals, subjects or groups. For instance, an owner
may review new hire training documentation and discover that new
employees are receiving much of the same training at orientation and
their initial departmental training. The owner may decide to
incorporate all of the similar training into orientation documents to
allow more time for department-specific training.
17. Causal research
Causal research, also called explanatory research, seeks to determine
cause and effect relationships between variables. This research is
designed to identify how much one variable may cause a change in the
other. Causal research is important for evaluating current processes and
procedures and determining if and how changes should take place.
For instance, a business may study employee retention rates before and
after instituting a work-from-home policy after six months of
employment to see if this policy increases employee retention.
18. Inductive research
Inductive research, also known as theory-building research, is designed to
collect data that may help develop a new theory about a process or
phenomenon. This type of research examines observations and patterns
and offers several hypotheses to explain these patterns. Inductive research
moves from the specific to the general.
Inductive research is often the first step in theory generation and may lead
to additional research, such as deductive research, to further test possible
hypotheses.
For example, researchers may observe that the year 12 international
corporations enacted in-house carbon emissions standards, worldwide
emissions declined. The researchers may theorize that worldwide
emissions can be reduced significantly if international corporations impose
in-house emissions standards.
19. Deductive research
Deductive, or theory-testing, research is the opposite of inductive
research and moves from the broad to the specific. Researchers choose
a hypothesis and test its accuracy through experimentation or
observation.
******Consider the previous example of emissions standards in
international corporations. The deductive approach to this hypothesis is
conducting research that compares global emissions levels before and
after international companies enact emissions standards.