What is Research and How Does it Relate to Cooking?

[symbolipoint]

My second attempt.

Somebody asked, "What is Research"?
Would someone here with physical science Phd tell the meaning of "Research"? My own way to give a meaning is to compare with cooking food; but that it is just far more precise.

I used copy&paste to put in the title.

 

[Tom.G]

Not sure Mr. Google has a Phd, but here is their take on it.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=define:+research

noun
the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

verb
investigate systematically.

 

[Baluncore]

Somebody asked, "What is Research"?

Research is only a word, its meaning is context dependent.
Who asked, where?

 

[Vanadium 50]

I predict this will come down to "I know it when I see it".

If I took the latest issue of PRL and attempted to replicate all the results, people would call this "research". If I took an issue from 50 years ago and did the same thing, people wouldn't.

So there is a line, and I am sure different people draw it in different places.

 

[Haborix]

That's why it is much better to be a social scientist. You can attempt to replicate any result from yesterday to 100 years ago, get the opposite result, and get it published. Et voila, research!

 

[symbolipoint]

The reason for the question and suggestion some members try to give an answer is because, some students, maybe many students, who are interested in a science would have some courses, do some laboratory exercises, but never yet participated in research; so telling them what is research and what Research means could be helpful. I myself was that way.

 

[Vanadium 50]

it is much better to be a social scientist.

If you have to call it "science" it probably isn't.

• Information science
• Political science.
• Library science.

 

[symbolipoint]

If you have to call it "science" it probably isn't.

• Information science
• Political science.
• Library science.

That is a very good point. Those could be called "strategies".

But better, Information management is a strategy or set of strategies; Library or Collections management is a strategy or a set of strategies; but Political Science really is a social science.

Computer Science seemed to be called "Data Processing", some decades ago.

 

[symbolipoint]

My own fault starting a drift. Back to What is Research.