‘Research’ is a term loosely used in everyday speech to describe a multitudeof activities, such as collecting masses of information, delving into esoterictheories, and producing wonderful new products. It is important that astudent or practitioner embarking on a programme of academic or practicalresearch has a clear idea of what the word ‘research’ really means, and clearsaway any misconceptions which might exist owing to its common use in otherfields.
It is, therefore, worth looking at a few of the ways that the word is usedin common language to describe activities, often called research, which arenotresearch in its real meaning, and also at some of the emotive languagethat surrounds the term.
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