Research Definition and 998 Threads

Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of information to increase understanding of a topic or issue. A research project may be an expansion on past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole.
The primary purposes of basic research (as opposed to applied research) are documentation, discovery, interpretation, and the research and development (R&D) of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches to research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, economic, social, business, marketing, practitioner research, life, technological, etc. The scientific study of research practices is known as meta-research.

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  1. V

    Dealing with Unexpected Absences in a Research Lab: What Should I Do?

    I am an undergraduate student that started working in a research lab this semester and started out as a volunteer. It's my first research experience in a lab outside of the classroom and at this point, I have no idea how things are going. I work for the postdoc in the lab and have so far been...
  2. R

    Undergraduate Research in Science/Physics Education

    I am a physics undergraduate student and have a passion for education research. I have spoken to some professors I know that work in that field and have some possible undergraduate research opportunities lined up, but I was wondering if anybody knew of any other undergraduate research...
  3. M

    I'm Looking for a Summer Physics Research Internship

    The difficulty is that I am graduating from high school this year and most internships are either for undergraduates or high school students. I am not really sure which I am considered and I prefer to be in a program in which I am neither underqualified nor overqualified. I am a prospective...
  4. K

    I'm a freshman with sophomore knowledge. Should I join research?

    I'm a pHysics major freshman and I know lots of college physics and math, lots of which I don't get to skip in college.
  5. R

    Are National Security Agencies Hiding Cryptography Advancements?

    "Underground" research Reading some passages of the book by Simon Singh (The Code Book) about the shadowy works in cryptography by some mathematicians (only made know recently) and speculations about today advancements possibly made by national agencies. I've been wondering to what extent...
  6. T

    Which grad school spec for fusion research

    is nuclear physics or plasma physics a better grad concentration for current/future fusion research? thx
  7. S

    Details of research on using electricty from Lightening of the sky

    is it possible to harness the lightning to get electricity.
  8. J

    Engineering Engineer major doing physics research

    hello all, i am wondering if a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, or mechatronics engineer have the credentials to do physics research? i want to go into 1 of the 3(leaning more towards mechanical or mechatronics) so i want to know if it is possible to research in ANY area of physics...
  9. K

    Should You Join Undergraduate Research in Freshman or Sophomore Year?

    Is it a good idea to join undergraduate research in freshman year or sophomore year and why?
  10. B

    When to ask professors about undergrad summer research opportunities

    How far in advance should I contact professors about available summer research opportunities? For example, should I wait until a few weeks before summer begins? Right now seems like it'd be way too early. Thanks.
  11. Doofy

    Physics How easy/common is it to move from one branch of physics research to another?

    I'm currently a phd student and am doing high energy particle physics. I am unsure about what I will do when I graduate, but I suspect I willl apply for postdoc positions. What I'm wondering is, let's say I do decide to stay in physics. Am I completely limited to a career in HEP physics, or...
  12. P

    Is Elementary Particles important for research in Solid State?

    Hi, So here is the contents of this Elementary Particles course: introduction to families of particles , relativistic kinematics applied to reaction cross-sections and decay rates; symmetries and conservation laws, isospin, strangeness, charm, beauty; parity and CP violation in weak...
  13. B

    Research Plan w/o giving away ideas

    Can anyone offer advice on how to write a research plan for an academic position (in physics) that is competent and believable without giving away the farm and all your ideas? It seems to me these two things are mutually exclusive. A committee will not be convinced without a believable plan...
  14. L

    What Are the Best Summer Research Opportunities for a Physics Student?

    I'm currently looking at research opportunities for next summer. I was wondering if people here could give some recommendations? I'm interested in particle physics, geophysics (mostly solid Earth and mantle dynamics sort of stuff), quantum physics, astronomy (including instrumentation) and...
  15. I

    Research problem-photoresist thickness

    Greetings PF.In my lab, we are having trouble making correct photoresist films(over 100 microns, SU-8 photoresist). They typically are not hardening enough before exposure. We want to solve this problem quickly as this is starting to interfere with the project. I'm trying to find solutions to...
  16. E

    What are the chances of me being able to do research and how can I improve them?

    My goal is to be able to get a Phd in physics and do research, particularly in theoretical physics. Most of the posts I've seen so far have been very depressing on this subject. I am in my sophomore year of high school, straight A's all honors core classes (or ap if available). I've talked...
  17. N

    First person in research proposals

    Writing a research proposal for a postdoc fellowship... I'm not sure how personal to make it. I want to convince the reviewers that it's *me* who has the expertise to do this project, but I'm uncomfortable with too much first person (especially when it's "I" instead of "we"). For example...
  18. L

    B.S. in physics. Interested in biochemistry/genetics research

    I'm a first time poster, long-time lurker on these forums, and I'm seeking advice on how best to prepare myself to be a strong candidate for graduate studies in biochemistry. Here goes, another person putting their life story in a thread hoping for answers. Bear with me if you're interested...
  19. T

    Programs Research topics appropriate for a beginning mathematics major?

    Okay, so, I'm about 2 semesters from completing my AA degree and I decided a couple semesters ago that I really want to be a math major. I am not a traditional student exactly - I was homeschooled and my math education was not strong, so I ended up placing into Intermediate Algebra in my first...
  20. D

    Courses Avg course load while doing research

    For those of you who have done undergraduate research at your home institution during the fall or spring semester, what was your average number of credits taken during that (or those) semester(s). I had read somewhere that the time commitment for undergrads was generally 10-20 hrs, depending on...
  21. A

    Physics Research in mechanics for a physics graduate possible?

    I am deeply interested in classical (Newtonian) mechanics (gyroscopes, spinning tops, toys) and want to pursue a career in research in this field. What are the possible options? Also, can anyone suggest me all possible branches in applied physics related to mechanics?
  22. C

    Undergrad Research Opportunities - Ideas Needed

    I am in my second year of my undergraduate studies and I am involved in a research society. Does anybody know of/can recommend any projects that I could do ?(either individually or part of a group). I am not sure of all the apparatus/instrumentation that the university has, so any ideas would...
  23. F

    Schools Graduate school without ANY research experience

    Hello, By next summer I'll have completed my bachelor's degree in geophysics at the University of Zagreb (Croatia). My GPA is perfect (5.0/5.0, although i know that a good gpa from a globally unknown university doesn't stand for much), my GRE's are great (General test, quant-170, verbal-160)...
  24. M

    Physics Plasma Physics Research Potential

    I'm currently in my final year of an aircraft propulsion PhD and have become passionate about plasma physics, due to its fluid like similarities. I find engineering too-well-defined for my liking and would like to research in a less well defined field, i.e. physics. I am considering taking a...
  25. bleist88

    Available Astronomy Research Topics?

    My astronomy lab group is planning a research project. We will have access to a .6 m reflecting telescope in the northern hemisphere as well as I believe a .6 or larger reflector in Australia remotely. We are curious how likely or practical it would be to be able to find research subjects...
  26. S

    Learning Materials for Speech, Music, and Acoustics Research

    I am interested in starting to research into the acoustics of speech and music. In particular I want to analyze the spectral profile of human voice in hopes of finding relationships between it and music. A possible future direction for this research is to improve synthetic speech to mimic...
  27. T

    Importance of undergrad research

    Alright, so I have a question that's really been bothering me. Suppose you're an undergrad, and you've done research for a year or two. And you've been fairly successful under two groups so you know what research is like. Then what is the point of being pushed ("encouraged") to do MORE...
  28. P

    Help Acquiring a Research Paper From ScienceDirect

    Can someone help me get the research paper from here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319999000087 I tried asking my teacher and even the deputy head but they couldn't help me. I hope someone from here can.
  29. N

    Thinking of withdrawing from a class and not accepting a research position

    Is it really that bad to withdraw from a class? I am taking 18 credits and I am taking the following classes: Computer Based Experimentation Classical Mechanics Multivariable Calculus Linear Algebra Computing for math & science Students in Transition Seminar I'm going to drop 1 class, computer...
  30. T

    Looking for undergrad communication research topics

    Hi, I'm a junior year electrical engineering student with communication major. Within 3 or 4 months i'll have to select a research topic. Can anyone help me with some latest topics? It is bad luck for me, I'm not adroit with circuits.:mad: Actually, I'm very much interested in physics and from...
  31. V

    Advice for starting out in research

    Starting this next week, I will be involved with volunteering as an undergraduate student in a biomedical research facility. I will be helping out the postdoc around the lab on a project that he is currently working on and I will be primarily involved with helping out with basic tasks around the...
  32. D

    Math To what degree can mathematicians research physics and vice versa

    indeed, this is the question: "to what degree can mathematicians research physics and vice versa ?" also, say you're in the analysis department of math for instance, to what degree is your research confined to the branch of analysis? thanks
  33. D

    Research Opportunities for Post-Undergrad Students

    Hi, What research internships are there out there for students between undergrad and grad school. This upcoming summer I'll have graduated from undergrad and will (hopefully) be going to grad school in the fall. But I want to be doing some research this upcoming summer. I'm not...
  34. M

    Physics What are my chances of getting a job in actual physics research?

    I'm looking at universities to go to next September. I'm still quite torn between theoretical physics and particle physics. In an absolutely ideal world, my plan is to do my masters, then a PhD and my dream job would be a university professor, or at least working in physics research. I know...
  35. S

    Interesting Aerodynamics Research topics

    Hi everyone, first off i'd like to thank you all for maintaining this awesome forum, seems really cool :D I wasn't sure whether this should be in the homework forums or not, but since I'm not asking for any solution of some sorts, i decided to post here. I'm a senior high school student...
  36. S

    Programming for research physics

    I'm applying for some REU's later on this year and I'm wondering whether knowing a programming language is necessary, and if so what book(s) I should get to learn. Also if anyone else has done an REU, is there any other skills or outside school actives I could do to increase my chances of being...
  37. A

    Is Undergraduate Research Crucial for Aspiring Physicists?

    hello everyone, How much important is doing undergraduate research during summer ? I'm a physics student of the second year, and next summer I could ask for doing research at LIGO or SURF. I'd like to ask you: Is this highly evaluated in the curriculum ? Is it important for my future work as a...
  38. S

    Archimedes Research: Explore Math History's Greatest Mind

    Hello everyone, I'm beginning a research project for a Math History class on Archimedes. Since technically it is a math class, I have to demonstrate and explain some of his math. Naturally, I can't explain and go into detail on everything the man did, and having only about a month to prepare...
  39. K

    Switching research groups without burning bridges?

    I'm currently a third year undergraduate doing semiconductor research for about one semester and a summer and I absolutely hate it! My professor doesn't have that many grad students and his lab is severely under funded. I don't have my own mentor/grad student and I've been blindly doing a...
  40. C

    Sophomore in Undergraduate Research

    I just finished my first 2 years of college and completed all the lower division classes. I spent 2 quarters part-time researching and a summer full time researching for my professor (who is a theorist) in solid state physics. The work I done was mostly calculation through programming and I...
  41. Arsenic&Lace

    How does mathematics research look for physics graduate?

    I'm interested in mathematical or theoretical physics (and, I am quite aware of how daunting it is to obtain a career in this field). I'm curious, if I do research with the mathematics department, does this look good? Currently I might have a project in dynamical systems, although I could...
  42. jbrussell93

    How can I find a lab/field that I truly enjoy working in?

    Freshman year, I knew that I wanted to get involved with research but had so many interests that I thought I could just pick any lab and be happy. I started working in a neurobiology research lab in January of this year and continued through the summer until now. I'm planning on continuing in...
  43. M

    Meeting with a Professor for Undergrad Research Tomorrow.

    Hey everyone, Tomorrow I'll be meeting with an undergraduate professor (does work in Astrophysics/Astronomy) to discuss work as an undergrad for the quarter. I know it'll mostly be grunt work and I'm not harboring any illusions on that but, I have no idea what she'll ask me during this...
  44. P

    Will my research help me to get into grad school

    Hi Guys, I have a BSc in physical sciences and an equivalent in mechanical engineering and I am going to apply to grad school for a masters in aerospace engineering. Problem is, where I am from, aerospace engineering is like way off the map, Both the institutions I study do not offer it...
  45. B

    Math research ideas for high school student?

    So I've been accepted into a research program at my school, and I'm to come up with a research topic to work on over the school year. My mathematics is limited to geometry, though after this year will encompass trig and pre-calc. Anyway, I'm interested in pure mathematics, but obviously my...
  46. H

    Medical Tracking Research as a Layman (Help Appreciated)

    A recent abstract discusses the first report ever of the remission of an autoimmune disease from which I suffer, ankylosing spondylitis. As a layman without access to subscriptions to professional journals, I was wondering if there might be any posters who are aware of the best internet sites...
  47. S

    Schools Ranking US Universities according to their physics research

    Hello I have asked similar questions in the past but am having a lot of trouble with this!: I am welcoming all advice on finding good official ranking tables of US Universities according to the quality and volume (and perhaps other metrics as well!) of their scientific research. For...
  48. C

    Courses 3 year research vs. 2 year pure coursework MS

    I'm currently doing a MS in physics. The way I'm progressing, it looks to me that I'd probably have to take 3 years to finish the thesis. This is because I'm having to take extra classes since I didn't have a critical 1 year class (E and M) during undergrad; I didn't major in physics. I'll be...
  49. E

    Programs Doubting to go for PhD after real research experience

    Dear all, I've just finished my second real lab experience (after my bachelors thesis). I spent 3 weeks in ISOLDE working on the beamline that would collect the data for my master thesis. The experiment was a huge success. I enjoyed it a lot, but at some point I just felt like I was...
  50. B

    Applied Physics/Engineering for Research

    Hello. I am a senior in high school who is looking for some guidance deciding on what would best suit my interests. I would like to work with a national lab or something along those lines in the future. I think that construction of particle accelerators, laser experimentation and electronics...
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