Two Types of Research Purpose

All research has a purpose, whether stated or not. One way of classifying research is to look at its type of purpose: is it applied or pure information that is being sought.

• Pure Research is research which is undertaken to find information for which there is no current direct application to which the results are to be applied.

• Applied Research is research undertaken to find information for which there is some direct application or situation to which the results are to be applied. Sometimes this type of research uses pure research as a jumping-off place, or incorporates its findings as part of the applied research project.

  Classifying research according to its purpose is closely related to the practice of classifying it according to its underlying problem. In the former case, the classification focuses on the ultimate use of the results. In the latter case, the classification focuses on the type of research itself. In fact, the two are closely intertwined. Viewing ones research project from both points of view has value.

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