What is research? A conceptual understanding

Abstract

The global knowledge economy is not unaffected by the concepts of supply and demand. The ability to supply research findings is core business among knowledge producers such as universities and research centres. In fact, research outputs are a measure of evaluation. Rapid improvement in information technology has provided wider access to data to the extent that almost anyone with a mouse and internet access becomes a quasi-researcher. So what then is research and what is it that brings reliability and validity to research? These are the questions the following piece seeks to answer.