Research

- the systematic, rigorous investigation of a situation or problem in order to generate new

knowledge or validate existing knowledge. Research in health care takes place in a variety of
areas and has many potential benefits; the areas include professional practice, environmental
issues affecting health, vitality, treatments, theory development, health care economics, and
many others. Health care research can be conducted by one group of professionals for
generation of knowledge specific to that group, or by a diverse group of researchers
collaborating on a given health care problem.

Applied research - scientific investigations conducted to answer specific clinical questions

or solve practice-related problems.

Basic research - scientific investigation that involves the generation of new knowledge or
development of new theories; its results often cannot be applied directly to specific clinical
situations.

Correlational research - the systematic investigation of relationships among two or

more variables, without necessarily determining cause and effect.

Descriptive research - research that provides an accurate portrayal of characteristics of a

particular individual, situation, or group. These studies are a means of discovering new meaning,
describing what exists, determining the frequency with which something occurs, and
categorizing information.

Ethnographic research - the investigation of a culture through an in-depth study of the

members of the culture; it involves the systematic collection, description, and analysis of data for
development of theories of cultural behavior.

Experimental research - objective, systematic, controlled investigation for the purpose

of predicting and controlling phenomena and examining probability and causality among
selected variables.

Exploratory research - studies that are merely formative, for the purpose of gaining new
insights, discovering new ideas, and increasing knowledge of phenomena.

Grounded theory research - a research approach designed to discover what problems

exist in a given social environment and how the persons involved handle them; it involves
formulation, testing, and reformulation of propositions until a theory is developed.

Historical research research involving analysis of events that occurred in the remote or
recent past.

Phenomenological research - an inductive, descriptive research approach developed

from phenomenological philosophy; its aim is to describe an experience as it is actually lived by
the person.

Qualitative research - research dealing with phenomena that are difficult or impossible
to Quantify mathematically, such as beliefs, meanings, attributes, and symbols; it may involve
content analysis.

quantitative research - research involving formal, objective information about the world,
with mathematical quantification; it can be used to describe test relationships and to examine
cause and effect relationships.

Question:
What are the characteristics, processes, and ethics of research?

Ethics:
Ethics is a philosophical discipline which involves the study of right and wrong. Some questions
that arise in ethics are: where do our ideas about right and wrong come from; how do we use
concepts of right and wrong in society; and what is the difference between ethics and morals?

Answer and Explanation:

The use of an agreed-upon code of ethics in research is crucial so that people attempting to use
that research later (for example, to compare to other research or to devise new studies) will be
able not only to situate the research in its field, but also understand the general parameters
within which the research was conducted. Ethics norms permit researchers to have a sense of
how a study was conducted and whether or not its conclusions hold water.

When it comes to particular disciplines, such as medicine, psychology, or sociology, the term
ethics takes on a less philosophical and more practical meaning of a system of norms that govern
acceptable practice. These norms are intended to lend validity to the practice (in the non-
practitioner's eyes), diminish the possibility of errors, and clear the way for the enhancement of
knowledge. Even more particular practices apply to studies using human subjects, when
unethical practices, especially during research like clinical trials or the testing of new
medications, could have catastrophic consequences.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the seven guiding principles for ethical research
are as follows: "Social and clinical value"; "scientific validity"; "fair subject selection"; "favorable
risk-benefit ratio"; "independent review"; "informed consent"; and "respect for potential and
enrolled subjects."