Defining “Research”

What is it?

Quoted from Cambridge Dictionary website (n.d.), Research defines as a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new) information or reach a (new) understanding. This definition is a simple interpretation of research that i think most people might know about, but there is still much more to it. Research is also an thorough analysis in an orderly fashion where crucial informations are documented, processed and analysed with specific methodologies. (Hampers College, n.d.)

Now, while the definitions have been covered, I also have my own interpretation of the word research which I interpret through the course of study. Research is a process of learning and uncovering what is unknown to the human knowledge through a systematic analysis of data. It is usually a scoped study to meet certain purpose such as disentangle problems in the society or just inspecting and verifiying facts. By publishing a successful research, then certain problems in the world could now be detected or resolved which is mainly the point of doing a research.

I have a special experience of my own regarding research. It has a special place in my brain (and heart) just because it uncovers a verified truth which we have never know before. Researches regarding health and well-being are often in my top most interest just because it gives you more insight on how to live better, longer and definitely happier. Studies about technology is also gaining spotlight especially in the AI sector which is now growing rapidly. That is way research is so crucial to our lives that it will affect a lot of factors in our life.

Do we actually need research skills?

Some people might say no to this and say that it is only for Masters and PhDs. I would absolutely disagree with them just because researching skill is a basic skill that everybody should learn. Why? Because by doing a research, it actually trains your mind to do a systematic analysis of a informations and interpreting it the right way.

Nowadays, there seems to be a lot of false information spreading to individuals and some even start to believe in it. That’s where our researching skills come in. We need to distinguish which information to believe and which to ignore. The simplest thing we can do is looking up the web and comparing different sources. Thus, a conclusion of the information will be formed.

If we look at the previous process of research in a broader way, we can see that it starts with a thinking and planning process which is to know what exactly that we need to find out and where to look for the facts about it. Being objective and rational would be the best mindset while doing a study. Then, investigating the information from different sources means it is a process of analysing the data and ending it with an interpreted information which is supposed to be the truth. And one more thing people mostly forget about is sharing it, you won’t help anything just with having the information to yourself, let people know the facts and also how you came to that conclusion (just to make sure your research is believable).

Research journals

As Sukol (n.d.) stated, a research journal article is a published document which purpose is to provide recent information on specific topic that is written by academic experts. Research journal article is usually checked by other experts to be peer reviewed and then published regularly. It is a necessary form of publication to guarantee the intregity of a certain field.

This scholarly publication is mainly targeted for academic audience. It can be seen as a form of discussion between researchers as they share their findings with other researchers in the same field. It is also a helpful source of information for students in their field to know the latest and relevant research that has been going on.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a form of unethical actions by declaring other’s ideas without the appropriate acknowledgement whether it is intentional or not (Oxford Students, n.d.). This applies to all kinds of documentation material used from texts to images to program source codes used which is considered to be stolen. Having other’s work in our research must be done by giving the publisher credit correctly through cites and quotations.

Why do you avoid Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is considered unethical offence to the academic principle. All of the academic community should know this and protect their integrity by avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism will not only damage your credibility as an academic community member, it may also affect your scholar integrity. Not even mentioning the consequences an individual would take.

Avoiding plagiarism is just not about how well you paraphrase a quote, but it is the essence of academic learning itself. As an academic, you should be able to voice your own ideas and critically grasp informations to be reproduced as an acceptable cite. It is a way of learning to study the work of others, analyze and making your own conclusions from them. By assuring no plagiarism is involved, you are taking part in building a high integrity community which can be looked up to.