What is the purpose of identifying the type of research in conducting a certain study?

What are the main types of qualitative approaches to research?

While there are many different investigations that can be done, a study with a qualitative approach generally can be described with the characteristics of one of the following three types:

Historical research describes past events, problems, issues and facts.  Data are gathered from written or oral descriptions of past events, artifacts, etc.  It describes “what was” in an attempt to recreate the past.  It is different from a report in that it involves interpretation of events and its influence on the present.  It answers the question: “What was the situation?” 

Examples of Historical Research:

  • A study of the factors leading to the historical development and growth of cooperative learning
  • A study of the effects of the historical decisions of the United States Supreme Court on American prisons
  • A study of the evolution of print journalism in the United States through a study of collections of newspapers
  • A study of the historical trends in public laws by looking recorded at a local courthouse

Ethnographic research develops in-depth analytical descriptions of current systems, processes, and phenomena and/or understandings of the shared beliefs and practices of a particular group or culture.  This type of design collects extensive narrative data (non-numerical data) based on many variables over an extended period of time in a natural setting within a specific context. The background, development, current conditions, and environmental interaction of one or more individuals, groups, communities, businesses or institutions is observed, recorded, and analyzed for patterns in relation to internal and external influences.  It is a complete description of present phenomena.

One specific form of ethnographic research is called a case study.  It is a detailed examination of a single group, individual, situation, or site. 

A meta-analysis is another specific form.  It is a statistical method which accumulates experimental and correlational results across independent studies.  It is an analysis of analyses.

Examples of Ethnographic Research:

  • A case study of parental involvement at a specific magnet school
  • A multi-case study of children of drug addicts who excel despite early childhoods in poor environments
  • The study of the nature of problems teachers encounter when they begin to use a constructivist approach to instruction after having taught using a very traditional approach for ten years
  • A psychological case study with extensive notes based on observations of and interviews with immigrant workers
  • A study of primate behavior in the wild measuring the amount of time an animal engaged in a specific behavior

Narrative research focuses on studying a single person and gathering data through the collection of stories that are used to construct a narrative about the individual’s experience and the meanings he/she attributes to them.

Examples of Narrative Research:

  • A study of the experiences of an autistic student who has moved from a self-contained program to an inclusion setting
  • A study of the experiences of a high school track star who has been moved on to a championship-winning university track team

Published on June 20, 2019 by Shona McCombes. Revised on July 20, 2022.

When you start planning a research project, developing research questions and creating a research design, you will have to make various decisions about the type of research you want to do.

There are many ways to categorize different types of research. The words you use to describe your research depend on your discipline and field. In general, though, the form your research design takes will be shaped by:

  • The type of knowledge you aim to produce
  • The type of data you will collect and analyze
  • The sampling methods, timescale and location of the research

This article takes a look at some common distinctions made between different types of research and outlines the key differences between them.

Types of research aims

The first thing to consider is what kind of knowledge your research aims to contribute.

Type of researchWhat’s the difference?What to consider
Basic vs. appliedBasic research aims to develop knowledge, theories and predictions, while applied research aims to develop techniques, products and procedures. Do you want to expand scientific understanding or solve a practical problem?
Exploratory vs. explanatoryExploratory research aims to explore the main aspects of an under-researched problem, while explanatory research aims to explain the causes and consequences of a well-defined problem. How much is already known about your research problem? Are you conducting initial research on a newly-identified issue, or seeking precise conclusions about an established issue?
Inductive vs. deductiveInductive research aims to develop a theory, while deductive research aims to test a theory. Is there already some theory on your research problem that you can use to develop hypotheses, or do you want to propose new theories based on your findings?

Types of research data

The next thing to consider is what type of data you will collect. Each kind of data is associated with a range of specific research methods and procedures.

Type of researchWhat’s the difference?What to consider
Primary vs secondaryPrimary data is collected directly by the researcher (e.g. through interviews or experiments), while secondary data has already been collected by someone else (e.g. in government surveys or scientific publications). How much data is already available on your topic? Do you want to collect original data or analyze existing data (e.g. through a literature review)?
Qualitative vs quantitativeQualitative research methods focus on words and meanings, while quantitative research methods focus on numbers and statistics. Is your research more concerned with measuring something or interpreting something? You can also create a mixed methods research design that has elements of both.
Descriptive vs experimentalDescriptive research gathers data without controlling any variables, while experimental research manipulates and controls variables to determine cause and effect. Do you want to identify characteristics, patterns and correlations or test causal relationships between variables?

Types of sampling, timescale and location

Finally, you have to consider three closely related questions: how will you select the subjects or participants of the research? When and how often will you collect data from your subjects? And where will the research take place?

Type of researchWhat’s the difference?What to consider
Probability vs non-probability samplingProbability sampling allows you to generalize your findings to a broader population, while non-probability sampling allows you to draw conclusions only about the specific subjects of the research. Do you want to produce generalizable knowledge that applies to many contexts or detailed knowledge about a specific context (e.g. in a case study)?
Cross-sectional vs longitudinalCross-sectional studies gather data at a single point in time, while longitudinal studies gather data at several points in time. Is your research question focused on understanding the current situation or tracking changes over time?
Field vs laboratoryField research takes place in a natural or real-world setting, while laboratory research takes place in a controlled and constructed setting. Do you want to find out how something occurs in the real world or draw firm conclusions about cause and effect? Laboratory experiments have higher internal validity but lower external validity.
Fixed vs flexibleIn a fixed research design the subjects, timescale and location are set before data collection begins, while in a flexible design these aspects may develop through the data collection process. Do you want to test hypotheses and establish generalizable facts, or explore concepts and develop understanding? For measuring, testing and making generalizations, a fixed research design has higher validity and reliability.

Choosing between all these different research types is part of the process of creating your research design, which determines exactly how the research will be conducted. But the type of research is only the first step: next, you have to make more concrete decisions about your research methods and the details of the study.

Read more about creating a research design

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What is the purpose of doing research to identify?

The purpose of research is therefore to find out what is known, what is not and what we can develop further. In this way, scientists can develop new theories, ideas and products that shape our society and our everyday lives.

What are the types of research by its purpose?

The types of research by purpose fall into three categories such as Basic, Applied and Action Research. Research is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and experiment; the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding solutions to a problem.