Types of research

The types of investigation are the different approaches and modalities that we can use to carry out an investigation. As the main tool to expand knowledge, research is used for the purpose of describing, discovering, or making predictions about phenomena, events, relationships, among others.

The different types of investigations depend on the type of question or problem to be solved.

Types of research	Name	Examples
According to the purpose	Basic	Research to determine the radius of the proton.
Applied	The study on the immune response against a certain pathogen.
According to the result	Correlational	The correlation between smoking mothers and children with asthma.
Descriptive	The description of a case of Progeria, children who age in an accelerated way.
According to the main source	Observational	The study of gorilla behavior in the Borneo rainforest.
Experimental	The effect of a compound X on blood glucose levels.
Documentary film	The study of fatal accidents and their causes in oil companies from 2010 to 2020.
According to the research method	Quantitative	The study of the effect of alcohol on the blood pressure of adults between 30 and 60 years.
Qualitative	The study of the satisfaction levels of users of a cable television service.
Mixed	The evaluation of the state of well-being and physical activity of the employees of a company.
According to the study time	Cross	Investigating the length of the incubation period of a viral disease.
Longitudinal	The 10-year study of cardiovascular risk factors in a specific population.
According to the academic area	Scientific	Research on the protein that serves as a proton input into a cell.
Social	The impact of social isolation on the economy.
Journalistic	The journalistic investigation on corruption in the "Panama papers".
Criminal	The search for a serial killer.
According to the disciplines involved	Interdisciplinary	Biological anthropology.
Multidisciplinary	Effect of parasites on the state of allergies in minors.
Transdisciplinary	Orthodontics in adults

Types of research according to purpose

Basic or fundamental research

Basic research is directed at inquire about abstract or intricate subjects, whose depth and results do not seem to have applications of immediate importance for society. For example, studying elementary particles like neutrinos and antineutrinos in physics.

Applied research

In applied research, the main purpose is look for solutions that have an applicability in the short or medium term. For example, studying the immune response against a pathogen to produce a vaccine that can protect against infection.

Types of research according to the results

Correlational research

In this research the goal is determine if two or more variables are related. A variable is a characteristic of interest that can change between individuals, such as weight, temperature, state of health, and many others..

However, correlational research does not allow to determine the causes with respect to the correlations. For example, there is a correlation between children with asthma and mothers who smoked during pregnancy; However, this does not mean that asthma in children is caused by their parents' smoking..

Descriptive research

Descriptive research seeks define, classify or categorize a phenomenon. It is a type of non-experimental research, where the researcher has no control over the events, variables or environments of the study. In addition, it does not explain why this phenomenon occurs..

Within descriptive research we can have different classes:

• Study of cases): the detailed description of a person or a few people is made. For example, when investigating a rare disease in a person.
• Naturalistic observation: observation of organisms in their natural environment without the researcher interfering or establishing any interaction. For example, Jane Goodall's research on chimpanzees since the 1970s.
• Survey studies- Approach a large number of people and ask them about their opinions, attitudes, or behaviors. For example, product marketing studies where a large group of people are surveyed about it..
• Focus groups: they are structured and organized groups to discuss a topic during a specific time. For example, groups of teachers to analyze the teaching strategies of the mathematics curriculum in high school.

Types of research according to the method

Quantitative investigation

It is research that uses data that can be statistically measured and analyzed. For example, to determine which genes are related to a disease, genetic tests are done on patients and their healthy relatives to determine where the differences or mutations lie..

Qualitative research

It is research that does not involve numerical measurements. Qualitative studies are carried out through interviews or observations. For example, marketing studies for the degree of acceptance of a certain brand of toothpaste.

Mixed investigation

When quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in an investigation, we speak of mixed investigation. An example is the study carried out by Thøgersen-Ntoumani and Fox to investigate the physical activity and the state of well-being of the employees of a company. The quantitative part consisted of the measurement of physical activity while the qualitative analysis was carried out through interviews..

You may also be interested in Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research.

Types of research according to the study time of the object

Cross-sectional research

Cross-sectional research is the I study in a certain period of time of a phenomenon. It is characterized by showing "like a photograph" the state of the phenomenon. For example, if you want to answer the question of how health services are used during an epidemic in a region, a cross-sectional investigation is designed.

Longitudinal investigation

A longitudinal investigation spans a long period of time with the intention of studying a case or a group of cases. For this, multiple measurements are taken for each participant and then the evolution is compared.

For example, the ROOTS study lasted 10 years from 2005 to 2015 evaluating the mental health of more than 1000 adolescents, from 14 to 17 years of age..

Types of research according to sources

Observational research

The research is based on the observations made by the researcher, without intervening in what you are observing. For example, anthropologists to study the customs and traditions of a certain population are based on what they can observe of their behavior.

Experimental research

In experimental research variables are manipulated and results are compared with controls appropriate. In this type of study, the researcher modifies in a controlled way the conditions that can affect a given phenomenon, and from there he draws his conclusions..

For example, to determine the effect of a compound on blood glucose levels, said compound is administered in different concentrations to a group of individuals. Blood glucose results are compared to individuals who did not receive the compound.

Documentary research

Documentary research bases its conclusions on the basis of documents, They can be printed or audiovisual. For example, to analyze the causes of fatalities in oil companies, records of such events are used by companies..

You may be interested in knowing more about research methods.

Types of research according to the academic area

Scientific investigation

Scientific research addresses topics associated with natural sciences, such as physics, biology, chemistry, among others, where the scientific method is applied, objective systematic procedure that consists of testing the hypotheses that can explain a certain observed phenomenon.

For example, insects or other animals that feed on sucking the blood of other animals must have some mechanism to prevent clotting. This observation has led to hundreds of studies looking at the saliva of these bloodsuckers for compounds that can be used as anticoagulants..

Social investigation

Social science research is typically based on the observation of the behaviors of human populations. The social sciences include sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, education, among others. They generally rely on qualitative or mixed methods, case studies, and documentation..

Investigation criminal

Criminalistics carries out actions to uncover the background to a crime or crime. For example, the investigation of corporate or "white collar" crimes, crimes generally committed by people of high socioeconomic status, who act illegally to obtain economic and / or social benefits..

Journalistic investigation

Within journalism, investigations are also carried out that seek to discover information that is not in view of the general public..

For example, journalist Brian Deer in 2004 highlighted work failures that linked the measles, rubella, and mumps vaccine to autism..

Types of research according to the disciplines involved

Interdisciplinary research

Interdisciplinary research merges the knowledge of one discipline to obtain knowledge in a different discipline. Fusion can be seen in some cases as a new discipline. For example, biological anthropology that studies the human being as a biological entity.

Multidisciplinary research

In multidisciplinary research, various disciplines are complemented that contribute with their particular knowledge in solving a problem. For example, to discover the reasons why older male adults had a higher mortality rate from a certain disease, immunologists, geriatricians, geneticists, hematologists, and bioinformaticians came together..

Transdisciplinary research

In transdisciplinary research, collaboration between disciplines is established in such a way that new models and innovations are created to solve a common problem. For example, in the investigation of the relationship between cancer and energy, biology, genetics and genomics of energy balance are combined with the contribution of psychology, nutrition and oncology.

You may also like:

• Difference between inductive and deductive method.
• Research techniques
• Methods and techniques of investigation

References

Brainard, C. (2013) Sticking with the truth: how 'balanced' coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism. Columbia Journalism Review. https://archives.cjr.org/feature/sticking_with_the_truth.php

Lewis, G., Jones, P.B., Goodyer, I.M. (2016) The ROOTS stuy: a 10-year review of findings on adolescent depression, and recommendations for future longitudinal research. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 51: 161-170. DOI: 10.1007 / s00127-015-1150-y.

Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., Fox, K.R. (2005) Physical activity and mental well-being typologies in corporate employees: a mixed methods approach. Work & Stress 19: 50-67. DOI: 10.1080 / 02678370500084409

Ylikoski, P., Zahle, J. (2019) Case study research in the social sciences. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, DOI: 10.1016 / j.shpsa.2019.10.003