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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