The Collaborative International Dictionary
Research \Re*search"\ (r?-s?rch"), n. [Pref. re- + search: cf OF. recerche, F. recherche.]
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Diligent inquiry or examination in seeking facts or principles; laborious or continued search after truth; as, researches of human wisdom; to research a topic in the library; medical research.
The dearest interests of parties have frequently been staked on the results of the researches of antiquaries.
--Macaulay. -
Systematic observation of phenomena for the purpose of learning new facts or testing the application of theories to known facts; -- also called scientific research. This is the research part of the phrase ``research and development'' (R&D).
Note: The distinctive characteristic of scientific research is the maintenance of records and careful control or observation of conditions under which the phenomena are studied so that others will be able to reproduce the observations. When the person conducting the research varies the conditions beforehand in order to test directly the effects of changing conditions on the results of the observation, such investigation is called experimental research or experimentation or experimental science; it is often conducted in a laboratory. If the investigation is conducted with a view to obtaining information directly useful in producing objects with commercial or practical utility, the research is called applied research. Investigation conducted for the primary purpose of discovering new facts about natural phenomena, or to elaborate or test theories about natural phenomena, is called basic research or fundamental research. Research in fields such as astronomy, in which the phenomena to be observed cannot be controlled by the experimenter, is called observational research. Epidemiological research is a type of observational research in which the researcher applies statistical methods to analyse patterns of occurrence of disease and its association with other phenomena within a population, with a view to understanding the origins or mode of transmission of the disease.
Syn: Investigation; examination; inquiry; scrutiny.
Usage examples of "fundamental research".
Backing off from fundamental research constitutes a failure of nerve, of imagination and of that vision thing that we still don't seem to have a handle on.
He catalogued and described all variations and published a text on the subject, but other doctors did not believe him, and he died without recognition for his fundamental research.
At any one time, in any one scientific discipline, there would never be enough workers on Thalassa to reach 'critical mass'--the minimum number of reacting minds needed to ignite fundamental research into some new field of knowledge.
At any one time, in any one scientific discipline, there would never be enough workers on Thalassa to reach 'critical mass' - the minimum number of reacting minds needed to ignite fundamental research into some new field of knowledge.
Such explosively driven systems are capable of producing tremendous fields and the use of these goes beyond soft weapons to serious fundamental research.
Theodor Schwann (1810-1882) and Matthias Schleiden (1804-1881) carried out the fundamental research.
During that period, fundamental research in the USSR enjoyed better funding than anywhere else in the world at any time in history.
Only here, in America, where a significant percentage of the best brains on the planet were actively engaged in fundamental research into the secrets of creation, were these intangible jewels being created in significant quantity, gushing forth, almost too fast to steal.