In the following Integrative Seminar Lecture, I learned the difference between Research and Knowledge Sourcing.
Research is not personal but is in a group or a large scale filling up of informational gaps within a particular domain. It is a systematic study and not an ad hoc study. It includes the following steps:
- Setting up of an objective
- Information Sourcing through Universal Methodologies of Analysis- Quantitative and Qualitative.
- Conclusion of the research
- Understanding Whether the gathered information serves and fulfils the objective mentioned above.
Research can also be categorised into
Primary and Secondary Research. Primary Research includes individual surveys using the above methodologies and questions regarding the particular objectives mentioned at the beginning of the survey.
Secondary Research, on the other hand, is a published unbiased study which is documented by credible sources such as government databases and agencies that are dealing with “big data” and have credible and accurate surveys pertaining with a particular domain. For example- Bloomberg Inc. which deals with financial surveys and data.gov.in which is the Indian Government’s Database on many topics including agriculture, population census etc. Information sourcing from these agencies are both qualitative and quantitative and are conducted by experts in a particular domain.
In this context, Assumptions are not made, masses are targetted and there usually isn’t a benefit of open ended research.
We were given the brief to frame questions for interviewing a certain set of people in the location that we were appointed for our field research assignment.
We were appointed to pick an aspect and frame 3-5 questions regarding the same and were to keep in mind not to ask any sensitive questions to our audience.
Learning Portfolio 