Research

Research is a method of gathering information about a certain topic. The word originates from the obsolete French word “recercher”, which means “to look closely”, and the Old French word “recherchier”, which means “to search”. Though the meaning of research varies, it generally means “to enhance knowledge and theoretical understanding”.

There are two methods that may be required to do research. One is the “Scientific method”. It It comprises of techniques which are used for investigating certain happenings, for getting new knowledge, or even correcting previously acquired knowledge. The steps of this method follow a certain order, although it may vary, depending on the field of inquiry. The steps are usually part of most formal researches, both basic and applied.

The other process is the “Historical method”. It comprises of techniques and guidelines by which historians use historical sources and other evidences to research and then to write history. The question of the nature, and indeed the possibility, of sound historical method is raised in the philosophy of history, as a question of epistemology. Three guidelines comprise this method: “External Criticism”, “Internal Criticism”, and “Synthesis.”