Chapter 1 – Types of Research

To better understand research, it helps to become familiar with the main classifications of research types. However, even before examining the types of research, it is important to see a bigger picture: why do scientists conduct research? How does it help improve our understanding of the world, and ultimately, people’s lives? The chapter starts by answering these questions, which helps set the foundation for discussing pure (or basic) and applied research, as well as finer distinctions within pure research (exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory studies) and variations in applied research (evaluation studies, action research, and translational research). Using examples and excerpts from research articles, this chapter illustrates these and other research types; explains the differences between empirical and non-empirical articles; draws distinctions between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies; and introduces experimental, survey, and field research. This chapter includes a diagram illustrating how different types of research relate to each other. Exercises at the end of the chapter ask students to assess their familiarity with different types of research and detect them when reading articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals.