The aim of academic research is to acquire the knowledge you need so that you can say something with confidence and conviction about the subject in question. The method used to acquire the knowledge may differ, but the strict adherence to the truth is the foundation of what makes academic research important and the baseline of all advances made in our understanding of the world. Research into the world of physics, biology, economics, and culture translates into insights that have been a catalyst for changes in our society and discoveries that improved our quality of life. The point is you simply cannot succeed in school without some keen research skills.
Businesses have different motivations than academic scholars. They have more immediate needs. It is through research that companies make decisions revolving around improving a company’s productivity, developing new products, identifying customer needs, adapting new technologies, and detecting what the competition might be doing. How else can an organization survive or excel? The bottom line is that employers value employees who have good research skills. No matter what career path you follow at some point your research skills will come in handy.
Apart from work related inquiries, you may not realize how much of a role research plays in your life. Your favourite browser is your go-to source when you need an answer to a question. Likely you use basic research skills when you compare pricing and ratings before you make a purchase. You check flyers for deals, ask friends for an opinion on the top-rated restaurants or resort vacations. You sort through recipes when you plan a meal, explore the latest technology, or delve for details on a company you might want to hire for contract work.
You do know how to research some things. However, beyond the initial results found through Bing or Google, do you know how to find good verifiable information?
In other words, can you translate your research into relibable intelligence that can be used to help your employer or your clients to make crucial decisions?
Since we live in an information-rich world, the scope and quality of your research does matter, personally and professionaly.
Personally, it matters, if you want to understand the world around you. One of the primary aims of developoing research skills is to improve your critical and independent thinking to understand what you read or hear. In view of the fact you are inundated with news and advertisements that are bursting with claims, controversies, allegations, or requests that can have an impact on your life, do you have the research skills to determine which statements are true and which sources can be trusted? Let's face it not everyone or every business is ethical. Do you accept any and all information at face value or do you know how to identify the primary sources of authority or locate new or hidden information so that you can acquire a deeper understanding of all sides of an argument?
Professionally, quality research matters to the business you work for or clients you represent. An organization values strengths and unique insights gained through good research because it helps them make better decisions, reduce risks, and increase their chances of success. Established businesses use research to determine whether they can succeed in a new geographic region. Organizations can use research results to assess competitors, select a marketing approach for a product, spot new trends, evaluate consumer demand, communicate with consumers, measure reputation or gauge departmental performance.
Research actually involves several important proficiencies that are valuable in other areas of your career.
1. Are you open towards new ideas, open-minded, objective, and motivated? Researchers have all four attributes. Research is not simply used to verify what the researcher may already think or know. Where answers are not obvious a researcher’s job is to discover a solution or recognize what facts contribute to the solution . Therefore, a researcher must always open to surprising or divergent data.
2. Are you able to identify and use new tools or research techniques to obtain intelligence? As not all research is internet or client based, a researcher must be able to track competitors, design and carry out studies, surveys, focus groups, and interviews. Researches also build prototypes, conduct experiments or consult government reports or empirical evidence.
3. Do you easily recognize when new lines of inquiry reveal themselves? Research often generates new questions or ideas which can lead to additional research.
4. Do you pay close attention to detail? A good researcher examines supporting records, identifies source documentation, or scrutinizes and understands what is contributed by others.
5. Are you good at taking notes and keeping track of all information sources? Good researchers are able to cite sources of primary evidence.
6. Are you methodical in analyzing information, absorbing it and filtering it for usefulness? A good researcher knows how to exercise caution about the quality or relevance of the information and also verify the integrity of information that will contribute something new and authoritative to the subject area.
7. Are you meticulous about accuracy?
8. Are you good at organizing the facts? Researchers not only evaluate facts they prioritize details along with relevant supporting arguments?
9. Do you have the patience to spend time reading, listening and observing to gather credible information? Research is a slow and laborious process and the direction of any type of research may change a number of times before the researcher feels confident about being on the right track. Therefore research involves incredible focus and patience.
10. Do you consistently do the research and supporting work in a timely manner? Attention management skills help researchers to:
11. Have you displayed capability in gathering intelligence and using it to form an effective solution or authoritative opinion?
12. How are you problem solving skills? Researchers often have to make sense of complex challenges or handle difficult situations. They must know how to break down questions or problems into more decisive parts, critically think about each element and determine an effective solution.
13. How well do you communicate? When it comes to research skills, it’s not just about gathering data and making sense of it, but also about how a researcher explains it. Researchers have to effectively communicate their new findings and demonstrate value in a clear and concise manner. They are selective in choosing a presentation style or writing style that suits the type of research as well as the intended audience.
14. Are you willing and capable of assuming the responsibility of adhering to applicable policies and procedures during the investigation process? The fundamentals of research involves rules and procedures, code of conduct and ethics. Researchers are accountable for their objectivity, diligence, and credibility. When most people think of research ethics, they think about issues that arise when scientific research involves human or animal subjects. While these issues are indeed a key part of research ethics, there are also other issues about standards of research conduct that apply in business.
Good ethical research leads to effective collaboration and better outcomes. Employers need to trust the research. They rely on it to make decisions that affect their reputation, relationship with clients, and staying in business. When you conduct research on behalf of clients, the integrity of the business could be called into questioned and it could face legal liability if the research and intelligence is falsified, sloppy, misrepresented, crossed boundaries of non-disclosure, confidentiality, or plagiarized the work of others.
Sometimes as a researcher you might have to push through the boundaries of your comfort zone or have the moral courage to face a difficult situation. There can be discouraging moments too, due to the nature of the research problem or the non-cooperation of other participants in the study.
When it comes to practicing your research skills, remember there is limitless knowledge out there for you to discover. Whatever you undertake to explore, aim for real understanding. Here are some practice ideas that will lead to mastering your research skills:
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