Page 59 - DLIS407_INFORMATION AND LITERATURE SURVEY IN SOCIAL SCIENCES
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Information and Literature Survey in Social Sciences




                Notes            8.1   Pure Research or Fundamental Research

                                 Pure research is undertaken for the sake of knowledge without any intention to apply it in practice,
                                 e.g., Einstein’s theory of relativity, Newton’s contributions, Ga1i1eo’s contributions, etc.
                                 Pure research is also known as basic or fundamental research. It is undertaken out of intellectual
                                 curiosity or inquisitiveness. It is not necessarily problem-oriented. It aims at extension of knowledge.
                                 It may lead to either discovery of a new theory or refinement of an existing theory. The development
                                 of various sciences owes much to pure research. The findings of pure research enrich the storehouse
                                 of knowledge that can be drawn upon in the future to formulate significant practical researches. Thus,
                                 pure research lays the foundation for applied research. The findings of pure research formed the basis
                                 for innumerable scientific and technological inventions like steam engine, machines, automobiles,
                                 electronic gadgets, electronic data processing, telecommunication, etc., which have revolutionized
                                 and enriched our human life.





                                     Caution    Fundamental  research  is  less  oriented  towards  immediate  solutions  to
                                                problems.


                                 8.2   Applied Research

                                 Applied research is designed to solve practical problems of the modern world, rather than to acquire
                                 knowledge for knowledge’s sake. One might say that the goal of the applied scientist is to improve
                                 the human condition. The primary purpose for applied research is discovering, interpreting and
                                 developing methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge on a wide variety of
                                 scientific matters of our world and the universe.
                                 For example, applied researchers may investigate ways to :
                                       y  improve agricultural crop production
                                       y  treat or cure a specific disease
                                       y  improve the energy efficiency of homes, offices, or modes of transportation




                                     Caution    Some of the important measures in applied science research are include:
                                                   1.   The use of passwords to limit access to the records.
                                                   2.   Setting up a system that tracks who has been accessing the records and
                                                       what information they examined or modified. (This is called an audit
                                                       trail. Patients know who has seen their records, and medical personnel
                                                       are made aware that their actions may be monitored.)
                                                   3.   Doctors can tag a record that they feel is particularly sensitive. If another
                                                       physician would like to see the record, then they would first contact the
                                                       primary doctor to view this information.


                                 8.3   Exploratory Research

                                 Exploratory research is preliminary study of an unfamiliar problem about which the researcher has
                                 little or no knowledge. It is similar to a doctor’s initial investigation of a patient suffering from an





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