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There is No Hope of Doing Perfect Research, Do You Agree?

It still remains a question whether perfect research can be achieved or not. Some have

vehemently claimed that research can obtain perfection; this is amidst the strong defiance of

many who support the idea that each research bears with it a flaw. Nevertheless, the growing

interest of asserting and differing about the feasibility of a perfect research is ever active and is

gradually elevating. However, research can be considered as a cumulative enterprise – dynamic

and ever changing. In other words, it cannot be stationary or bolted for the reason that each

research is susceptible to further refinement and modification and can be added with a

supplementary piece of knowledge obtained and gleaned from recent studies. But still there are

those who strongly repudiate this idea, predicating that perfect research is doable. Be that as it

may, for us to have a clearer picture of the topic we are trying to explain, we have to at least first

know the definition of research. Research can be defined as the search for knowledge, or as any

systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new

ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method. Just by cogitating on its

definition, we can strongly concede that research is not certain with respect to time following the

idea that it continually searches for new knowledge, new ideas, new solutions, et.al, to come up

with a new result which make it boundless. I, therefore, agree that there is no hope of doing

perfect research.

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 The world is full of mysteries, conundrum and puzzles and the knowledge needed to

understand everything to come up with a perfect idea is not bestowed on us naturally. The

knowledge that we obtain is a result of several experiments and observations conducted through

a trial and error basis. The knowledge that we have for everything is accruing as a result of

various experiences and personal discoveries. In conducting a research, the knowledge first

comes from you – your own understanding about the subject, your views and your own feelings;

and because of some customary linkages, deep societal beliefs and traditional practices, we have

the inclination to distort our assessment on the research. Nonetheless, this somehow depends on

the type of research we conduct. There are researches that use instinctive opinions of people

which are very vulnerable to biases. In scientific research, however, several steps and methods

are being done to come up with a conclusion. Most of scientific research uses technical and

empirical experimentations. In this case, you cannot just rely on your own knowledge and

conjectures. This leads us to resort to laboratorial activities and various scholarly resources. We

might feel to get them in scientific books, journals, dissertations and the like. But oftentimes,

arms-length resources are mostly not updated because of the accelerated and fast development on

scientific studies relatively slanting the research a bit; as a result, we come to ask other people’s

opinions by asking them intricate questions. Seen this way, the process goes back to having

possible mistakes, inaccuracies, errors and misunderstandings. The absence of these units fades

away the quintessence of real research course.

During college, as part of my course’s requirement, I made a research about some of the

most common stressors among college students. The objective of my research is to come up with

the most accurate result that will help me procure a solution to the declining performance to most

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of my schoolmates. In the process, I used a questionnaire comprised of several cascading

questions and I distributed it randomly to the students. The fun part is that, I included a comment

box at the bottom of the sheet to have them write their comments about some factors that cause

them some degree of stress. I have found out that the highest stressor for most of them is time.

But I would have to tell you that the result did not convince me somehow. As I read on each and

every feedback of my respondents, most of them professed that they can really never tell what

their main stressor is. They said that it really depends upon several factors like mood, location

and the people involved. This led me to a conclusion that researches such as this cannot be made

certain and perfect because of varying responses of respondents with respect to the factors

mentioned above.

What is the utmost significant thing is that such research is not merely the application of

basic science but a parallel mode of investigation to continually create a better solution to any

problem. Just like science, “Science behaves like a big jig-saw puzzle” – it is composed of

overlapping, interlocking and tessellating pieces which create manifold angles of possibility and

so as research. Consider AIDS or acquired immune deficiency syndrome which had its advent in

the 80’s was incurable then. As time passed by, there were manifold researches made that helped

invent a treatment that could subdue and preclude the possible degeneration of the disease and

the study still continues until now. Everyday, scientists constantly conduct research for them to

have more clear and thorough understanding of the disease which will provide those cues on how

to improve the currently available treatment we have for the disease. It is very clear that research

is a collective and cumulative enterprise considering the fact that it evolves with the addition of

knowledge. Thus, it can be affirmed that the hope of doing perfect research is not possible as

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there are manifold recesses lulling in the vast domain of the universe. We have to remember that

we have a changing world and we cannot just create a perfect thing like research.

Reference/s:

Research. Wikipedia, the Free Online Encyclopedia. 10 September 2011

Is Perfect Research Possible?. Documents and Resources for Small Businesses and

Professionals. 10 September 2011