Bias, on the other hand, is a deliberate attempt to either conceal or highlight something
because of your vested interest. Adherence to the three criteria mentioned above enables the
process to be called ‘research’. Therefore, when you say you are undertaking a research study
to find the answer to a question, this implies that the method you are adopting fulfils these
expectations (discussed later in the chapter).
However, the degree to which these criteria are expected to be fulfilled varies from
discipline to discipline and so the meaning of ‘research’ differs from one academic discipline
to another. For example, the expectations of the research process are markedly
different between the physical and the social sciences. In the physical sciences a research
endeavour is expected to be strictly controlled at each step, whereas in the social sciences
rigid control cannot be enforced as you are studying the human rather than the
material world, and sometimes it is not even demanded.
Within the social sciences the level of control required also varies markedly from one
discipline to another, as social scientists differ over the need for the research process to
meet the above expectations. Despite these differences among disciplines, their broad
approach to enquiry is similar. The research model, the basis of this book, is based upon
this broad approach.
As a beginner in research you should understand that not all research studies are
based upon complex and technical methodologies and have to use statistics and computers.
Research can be a very simple activity designed to provide answers to very simple
questions relating to day-to-day activities. On the other hand, research procedures can
also be employed to formulate intricate theories or laws that govern our lives. The difference
between research and non-research activity is, as mentioned, in the way we find
answers to our research questions. For a process to be called research, it is important that
it meets certain requirements and possesses certain characteristics. To identify these
requirements and characteristics let us examine some definitions of research: