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. K

    Other Undergraduate research or thesis topics in electrical power

    Hi I am an electrical engineering student, would like to do research and or a thesis in electrical power engineering. However, because our university does not offer any courses on this topic, I am left alone to peruse the books and literature and find some topic of interest. do not know if this...
  2. Michael Sullivan

    Other Undergrad: What are Research Procedures supposed to be?

    I am starting some undergraduate research with Cs-137 and Co-60 gamma-ray shielding. I'm looking for gamma-ray attenuation as well as energy spectra of the gamma-rays through backscattering and a NaI scintillation counter. I wrote an abstract, designed the testing equipment and set-up and what...
  3. W

    Programs Crisis in pursuing my PhD in Physics

    I've completed a masters degree in physics and my research was on cosmological inflation, though knowing some basic GR (Hartle, Schutz, Ohanian) and cosmology (papers), I haven't had any formal course in QFT, I'm now halfway through QFT by Blundell so nothing profound there, now I wanted to get...
  4. P

    Schools Is it selfish to look for research outside of your university?

    After thinking a lot about my posts earlier about doing research elsewhere over the summer and discussing things with my professors, I wanted to thank the people here (specifically @Vanadium 50, for being straightforward) for what they said earlier as it made me reflect on my thoughts and...
  5. binbagsss

    Studying How hard is it to do original work in a summer dissertation

    ..in a taught masters (UK). My undergrad project was a literature review on general relativity The topic of my project this summer (3 months) will be modified theories of gravity & cosmology. How do you go about doing some original work at this level? - would the first step be to identify a...
  6. A

    Other Previous Research experience and contribution essay

    I'm trying to write an 1800 character (including spaces) essay that describes my previous research experience and contribution. I'm using a GRF previous research experience document as a guide line but I think it's impossible to include all of that into 1800 characters. I have provided a link...
  7. P

    New research tool or just an idea?

    Recently a Chinese article was published that claims a new LIDAR technique for atmospheric sensing. The article only consists of the Abstract with no further information. It is very brief which makes me suspect this is someones pipe dream. A link to the article is given below. The "new" concept...
  8. A

    Other Senior Quantum Mechanics Research Project

    I am going to be doing a high school senior research project on how Quantum Physics will change the world in the future. Basically my current idea is to describe what quantum mechanics is, and then give examples that I explain and I state how they will change the world and the estimated time...
  9. Stephenk53

    Other Senior research physics idea help

    I am beginning my senior research project and I am unsure of what to have for a topic. It is an English class but I plan on doing it on either STEM or history. Any ideas
  10. VuIcan

    A quick question regarding undergraduate research

    Hi there, so my friend and I recently asked our professor to allow us to do research with her, whatever that entails. She requested that we submit a CV and a short e-mail to her. This is my first time doing this sort of thing so I'm completely clueless in regards to what a professor might find...
  11. A

    Testing What Are Good Topics for a Non-Experimental Physics Research Project?

    Hello, Sorry, I'm sure this question has been asked many a time, however I could not find anything satisfying my needs. Basically, I need a research task soon, and I really don't know anywhere else to ask for advice. I have thought about this for a couple hours and researched however I could...
  12. H

    Is Most Research Math Pointless?

    I've published a dozen or so research level math papers (most with co-authors), and every single one of them is utterly pointless. I do it because that's what research mathematicians have to do in order to get and keep a professorship. Publish or perish, as the old saying goes. I believe a lot...
  13. Buzz Bloom

    New Cancer Research at Stanford

    https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2018/01/cancer-vaccine-eliminates-tumors-in-mice.html Some quotes from the report. Activating T cells in tumors eliminated even distant metastases in mice, Stanford researchers found. Lymphoma patients are being recruited to test the technique in a clinical...
  14. E

    Other Is it possible to change fields mid-project without damaging relationships?

    I am about a month off of starting my Honors year at university (essentially an extra undergrad year aimed at getting students ready for research) and since I was very eager to get into research, I went around my department 6 months ago asking for a supervisor and found a project joint by 2...
  15. N

    Other How Can an Undergrad Find a Mathematical Physics Research Project?

    Although I am an undergrad in mathematics and physics, I would place myself at a graduate level. I have gone through many textbooks on my own and currently I am studying the Landau and Lifshitz series. The reading and exercises are fun, but now I want to do something with it. More specifically...
  16. ExplosivePete

    Physics Is quantum information research well funded?

    I am applying to phd programs in physics right now. I am interested in doing research in quantum information science. I see there is a lot of interest and funding for quantum information science right now, but does anyone have any advice on whether or not this research will be well funded in the...
  17. Greg Bernhardt

    What are the constraints on research progress?

    While thinking of my previous thread here: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-is-new-math-researched.935167/ I've come up with another general question on research. My airbnb guest is obviously brilliant and goes to a big and generally respected university of Georgia Tech. I got to...
  18. J

    Good Online Database for EE Research information

    Hello All, To better qualify my question, I'm interested in finding a good online database, similar to SciFinder (which is a great resource for Chemistry researchers and engineers), but specifically aimed at EEs. With SciFinder, you can search for various topics in chemistry and it will scour...
  19. Ethan Singer

    Biochemistry Research: Is it Worth the Cost and Effort?

    So I picked up this book (Lehninger) for being too expensive, because obviously the more pricey the book is, the better it's quality in learning... stuff... and content... it probably cures cancer, who knows? Anyhow, so I am reading through the book and I come across a passage I don't fully...
  20. B

    Other Choosing My 2nd Research Internship: Impact on Grad School Applications

    I was lucky enough to score an REU last summer and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If, given the choice, should I choose the position that is similar to what I did last year or something different; i.e., which would look better for grad school applications? Also, since I got one last year, am I more...
  21. A

    Studying How to apply for a research internship for undergraduate students?

    I am an undergraduate physics student studying in UK. I hope I can continue study to PhD in the future, and I heard that I have to or better to apply a research internship in summer in order to go further study. But I have no idea how to apply and what I need to do in the internship. Since I am...
  22. klotza

    Insights New Research on Untying Knots in Polymers - Comments

    Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post New Research on Untying Knots in Polymers Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
  23. S

    Value of Education (and academic research) in Physics

    We have already seen topics on this forums discussing Physics degree as education and not job training, and that some physics graduates do get jobs but not necessarily as physicists, and that physics majors need to take a selection of practical courses to become marketable; and that internships...
  24. S

    Research Topic suggestions for "nanostructured materials for solar energy conversion"

    I have selected a topic for my research work which is "nanostructured materials for solar energy conversion" I have read many of articles, most of which are about Li batteries but I want to do something new. Anyone who's in this field suggests something new.:smile:
  25. B

    How do I write a report about my 4th year physics research?

    Hi, I am a fourth year physics student currently enrolled in a research project course with a supervisor. It's a research in optics and I need to learn about some nonlinear optics. For the report, I want to write about what I have learned during the term, for instance, Rayleigh and Raman...
  26. C

    Admissions Am I suppose to be doing research?

    I just graduated with my A.A and I'm fully committed to getting into a Physics graduate program after my bachelors. I've just recently learned that grad schools want to see research experience in addition to GRE scores and I'm a little confused about what research is. Do I just google different...
  27. BillTre

    Can spider research revolutionize the future?

    Here's an Science magazine news article on what researchers find interesting about spiders these days. Spider silk, venom genes, phylogenetics, and genome sequences. Oh My!
  28. D

    Other What are possible research questions to pursue in cosmology?

    Hi all! I am currently trying to figure out a possible original research question that I can pursue in cosmology. I don't have ready access to a particle accelerator or anything like that so I would assume that it would have to be theoretical. I am sorry to ask such a broad question, but I don't...
  29. ISamson

    International collaboration in scientific research

    Hello, I have been wondering how it is possible for us to encourage international scientific research collaboration. I mean what can governments, normal people and research groups do to encourage it? I value your thoughts. Thank you.
  30. A

    I Best way to get an overview of research happening at CERN

    I have to write a research review for my University and I want to write a review on all the current work being done at CERN. Can someone please recommend a good place to start reading papers for this purpose? I read a couple of papers that I found in google scholar but I quickly got lost. Is...
  31. Eva

    Looking for suggestions regarding a research topic

    Hi everyone! I'm looking for a reasesrch topic that is current in the world. I'd appreciate any suggestions, feedback or advice. It's for undergraduate physics club. Eva
  32. Z

    Admissions EU MSc application without prior research

    I'm right now in Senior year in a bad school ( I mean ranking 1k+, actually best in country so I have an excuse ), with good GPA ( about 3.25 equivalent ) considering applying for grad school in EU in nuclear/high energy physics. However I'm from a not so good university undergrad research isn't...
  33. S

    The reason why thise research got the Nobel prize in chemistry 07

    "for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces" i thought nobel prize was rewarded for the research which have some meaning to the chemistry. In this study i found it hard to find some meaning. what i found one was that some other techniques were developed because of doing this...
  34. jim mcnamara

    Is CRISPR Gene Editing in Human Embryos Reliable?

    Egli, D. et al. Preprint at http://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/08/28/181255 (2017). A critique of: doi:10.1038/nature.2017.22382 (dated Aug 2) Here is the more news science version of the CRISPR study: https://www.nature.com/news/crispr-fixes-disease-gene-in-viable-human-embryos-1.22382...
  35. L

    Studying Research topic related to extended bodies on GR

    I'm in a graduate course in Physics to obtain a master's degree. I have a major in mathematical physics and my main interests are General Relativity (GR), Quantum Field Theory on Curved Spacetimes (QFTCS), and usual Quantum Field Theory (QFT) itself. My interest is in the fundamental physics...
  36. PsychonautQQ

    Other So I need to do a physics research project....

    Hey PF! So I'm thinking about upgrading my physics minor to a major, the main obstruction to this is that I would need to do a research project and I'm a bit late getting on board with one of the professors and assisting in their work. So I'm trying to think of something I could do...
  37. Gjmdp

    I If AI could replace physicists why should we still research?

    I mean, probably in the future an Artificial Intelligence may solve every problem of Physics and even create a theory of everything. I feel like all the progress physicist have done in 100 years could be done in the future by a machine like in 1 second. So why should we keep on doing research at...
  38. Corpuscule

    How to search for research students?

    Hi everyone! I'm not sure if it's a good place to post it, but I'd like to ask for your advice on good ways to search for research students (interns, summer scholars, PhDs etc) other than from within my teaching classes or through research collaborators? Established academics often get emails...
  39. N

    Computational Neuroscience/BCI Research Career (Advice Needed :S )

    Hi everyone :) I am looking for some career/academic advice and didn't know where else to ask! I'm going to be doing a Master of Biomedical Science (Neuroscience) next year, here is the course outline: Yr1: - Biomedical Science Research in Context—Literature Review - Global Challenges in...
  40. saybrook1

    Physics Research Job Interview Presentation Advice

    Hello everyone! I'm soon flying out to several research facilities/companies that have invited me to give presentations, meet with staff, check out the towns etc... I have a few questions about what I should be including in the presentations. I understand that I need to include my past research...
  41. M

    Schools Best Colleges in Ohio for a physics degree?

    Currently enrolled at a regional campus to complete basic core courses for my B.S. in Physics with a research concentration. I have completed over 40 credit hours while I was also in high school, and am starting my first semester of classes toward my major. After this semester, however, that...
  42. B

    Schools Applying to Grad School with no research experience

    I'm a domestic student planning on applying to PhD programs in physics this fall but I am concerned with my lack of research experience. I realize this is an odd position to be in but I'm deeply interested in physics and think I'm an otherwise good candidate for graduate study. I'm interested in...
  43. R

    Engineering Research in Fluid Mechanics for MS

    Hi Everyone, I am currently doing undergraduate program in mechanical engineering. I want to pursue masters after my B.Tech in the field of fluid mechanics and aerospace engineering.I want to know about the prospects of this field in the future research. Thanks in advance, Ritwik Kulkarni
  44. P

    Ohio State Cellular Regeneration Research

    I've seen some popular news articles discussing cellular regeneration research carried out at the Wexner medical center in Ohio State University by Chandan K Sen and others . I was wondering if anyone had a source for more information (and more reliable than the popular press) on the topic...
  45. N

    Information transfer in space - with book research

    I'm not sure if I'm posting in the correct category. Please direct me to the correct one, if I have made a mistake. As I have mentioned in my intro, my knowledge of physics is almost non-existent. I am writing a book series, and I'm trying to base my ideas on science (more or less). This is one...
  46. Hypercube

    Other Availability of funding within different areas of physics

    Hello! I was wondering if any of you researchers on PF are willing to provide some insight in regards to how much funding is available to different areas of physics? I'm happy with just qualitative, personal experience-type answers, like which areas you think have the most, which areas have the...
  47. R

    A Computer simulation of neutrino physics research

    I am researcher in computational condensed matter physics. Now, I want to start research on neutrino physics using simulation. Please anybody guide me how to start: I mean which software to use and from where to get experimental data and then simulate. Thank you,
  48. Sai Maurice

    Engineering Nuclear physicist with nuclear engineering PhD?

    Hello Physicsforums. The title states my main question, but there is a little bit more than is revealed there. 1. Can you become a nuclear physicist with a nuclear engineering PhD? 2. If not, then can I get a PhD in nuclear physics with a double major in mechanical engineering and mathematics...
  49. A

    Schools Research sites like MIT News or Scientific American (for a high school student)

    Do you know of any good websites like MIT News or Scientific American where the cutting edge research is shared in as simple way that a high school student can understand?
  50. O

    Courses Linear Algebra vs Deterministic Operations Research for CS

    Hey all, I'm currently working on my CS degree with a mathematics minor. After this Fall, I will only have one more course to take to finish my minor. I'm debating between Linear Algebra and Deterministic Operations Research. I do have other options, but these seem to be most applicable to CS...
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