Types of research

In science, most research can be classified into these four types:

1. Exploration

This is the most basic type of research. It simply means to describe what is there. Exploration means for example to discover new species, places, particles, chemical compounds, or anything that can exist in the world. The researcher describes the discoveries, either with words or with a drawing. Exploration can also mean classifying stars or galaxies, mapping the genome of a water flea, or produce an anatomical atlas of chimpanzees.

2. Comparison

The next step after just exploring and discovering things is to compare them. This can lead to great insights into how the world works. For example, one can identify all the plant species on the northern slope of a hill and all the plant species on the southern slope (this is exploration) and then compare the two sets of species. The researcher will find that there is a difference in the composition of species found on the two slopes. The next step is to go to another hill and do the same thing all over again. Like this a general preference for the different species will emerge. For example: pine trees prefer the cooler northern slopes while beech trees will favour the warmer southern slopes.
Comparison often involves statistics with which big amounts of data are analysed. Like this, researchers find for example that smokers have on average a shorter life than non-smokers. Or that regular physical exercise prolongs life.

3. Experiment

The experiment is the next step after comparison. With the latter, the researcher stays a mere observer of the world. But, when engaging in an experiment, the researcher artificially makes changes and then observes, what effects these changes have. Experiments can be done in the laboratory or outside. The biggest experiments involve entire forests.
To conduct a good experiment is quite tricky. The aim is to have two things that differ in only one trait. For example, there are two bottles with brine shrimp in them. Both bottles receive exactly the same amount of light. They experience also the same temperature. The only difference is that one bottle contains salt at a concentration of 3 percent and the other bottle at a concentration of 6 percent. The question could be now: In which bottle do the brine shrimp develop faster? If there is a difference in the development time, the researcher knows that this can only be due to the difference in salt concentration because everything else was kept the same.
Scientists often use experiments to prove the findings from comparative studies.

4. Application

This is the last step in science. It is to apply the knowledge learned for the benefit of humanity. This can mean to build a bridge, to navigate a space craft to Mars, or to set up a nature reserve. Sometimes, this involves the other three types of science. If for example, somebody wants to build a new rocket, new types of fuel have to be explored, then compared in their efficiency, and finally an experiment has to be done to test, whether they can actually be used to propel a rocket into space.