research
[noun]
Synonyms:
- investigation, analysis, examination, exploration, probe, study
[verb]
Synonyms:
- investigate, analyse, examine, explore, probe, study

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English Thesaurus: research, work, study, experiment, take, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. re‧search¹ S2 W1 AC /rɪˈsɜːtʃ, ˈriːsɜːtʃ $ -ɜːr-/ noun [uncountable] (also researches [plural] formal)
[Word Family: noun: search, research, researcher; verb: search, research; adverb: searchingly; adjective: searching]
[Word Family: noun: research, researcher; verb: research]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Old French; Origin: recerche, from recerchier 'to find out about something thoroughly', from cerchier; ⇒ search²]

1. serious study of a subject, in order to discover new facts or test new ideas
research into/on
research into the causes of cancer
Gould was helped in his researches by local naturalists.

2. the activity of finding information about something that you are interested in or need to know about:
It’s a good idea to do some research before you buy a house.
⇒ investigation
⇒ market research

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. re‧search² AC /rɪˈsɜːtʃ $ -ɜːr-/ verb [intransitive and transitive]
[Word Family: noun: search, research, researcher; verb: search, research; adverb: searchingly; adjective: searching]
[Word Family: noun: research, researcher; verb: research]

1. to study a subject in detail, especially in order to discover new facts or test new ideas ⇒ investigate:
He’s been researching material for a documentary.
research into
Ten years ago I began researching into the role of women in trade unions.

REGISTER
In everyday English, people often use the expression do research rather than the verb to research:
She’s been doing some research into the history of the area.

2. to get all the necessary facts and information for something:
This book has been very well researched.
—researcher noun [countable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

research
noun
ADJ. detailed, in-depth, painstaking | extensive He has carried out extensive research into renewable energy sources.
basic | original | further | ground-breaking, pioneering pioneering research into skin disease
collaborative | empirical | academic, clinical, historical, medical, military, scientific, social, space | AIDS, cancer, etc. | animal calling for a ban on animal research
market
QUANT. piece a startling piece of historical research
VERB + RESEARCH carry out, conduct, do, undertake She's doing research on Czech music between the wars.
be based on One paper based on research conducted at Oxford suggested that the drug may cause brain damage.
RESEARCH + VERB demonstrate sth, indicate sth, prove sth, reveal sth, show sth, suggest sth What have their researches shown?
produce sth, yield sth Recent research on deaf children has produced some interesting findings about their speech.
RESEARCH + NOUN degree | effort, programme, project, work directing the group's research effort
methods | findings, results | purposes Copies of the tape can be made for research purposes.
centre, institute, laboratory | assistant, group, student, team, worker | grant
PREP. ~ in Most research in the field has concentrated on the effects on children.
~ into/on They are carrying out research into the natural flow patterns of water.
PHRASES an area of research, research and development spending on military research and development

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

research
verb
ADV. carefully, exhaustively, extensively, fully, meticulously, properly, thoroughly, well | poorly The book has been poorly researched.
PREP. for She is currently researching for her next novel.
into I spent two years carefully researching into his background.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

research

do/carry out research (also conduct research formal)
The research was carried out by a team of scientists at Edinburgh University.
Little research has been conducted into the subject.
undertake research formal (=start or do research)
They are planning to undertake research into the genetic causes of the disease.
scientific research
Our conclusions are based on scientific research.
medical research
The charity raises money for medical research.
historical research
This is a fascinating piece of historical research.
basic research (=the most important or most necessary area of research)
He wants to conduct basic research into the nature of human cells.
extensive research (=research that examines a lot of information and details)
Extensive research has proved the theory wrong.
painstaking research (=very careful and thorough research)
She spent years carrying out painstaking historical research.
pioneering research (=research that produces completely new information)
Watson did pioneering research on the long-term effects of dieting.
a research project/programme
The research project will be funded by the Medical Research Council.
research findings (=what is discovered by a piece of research)
He will present his research findings at the conference.
research work
Doctor Fox received world-wide acclaim for her research work on breast cancer.
a research team
The professor will head a research team working on the effects of climatic change on agriculture.
a research student
He supervised many research students.
a research grant (=money for doing research)
Have you applied for a research grant?
an area/field of research
This is a very exciting area of research.
a piece of research
A recent piece of research shows why marriages break up.
a body of research (=results from several pieces of research)
There is a large body of research which indicates that passive smoking causes cancer.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

research
noun
1.
BAD: I'm doing a research into the causes of child abuse.
GOOD: I'm doing research into the causes of child abuse.
BAD: The government invests a lot of money in scientific researches.
GOOD: The government invests a lot of money in scientific research.

Usage Note:
Research is usually an uncountable noun: 'A team of American scientists is carrying out research into the effects of acid rain.'
Researches (plural) is also used, especially in formal styles of British English and usually refers to a series of related studies by a particular person or team: 'His researches go back to the 1950s.' 'Their more recent researches point to a decline in the mortality rate.' The more usual word for this meaning, especially in American English, is studies .

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2.
BAD: The project involves research of major lung diseases.
GOOD: The project involves research into major lung diseases.

Usage Note:
research into/on sth : 'We need more research into public attitudes to nuclear power.' 'To date, there has been very little research done on the subject.'
research on sb : 'It's a review of recent research on East Anglian fishermen.' 'She wishes to pursue her research on Edward VI.'

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3.
BAD: Where is he making his research?
GOOD: Where is he doing his research?

Usage Note:
do/carry out/conduct/be engaged in research : 'We have received a small grant to conduct research into housing design for older women.'
DO · HAVE · MAKE · TAKE
Many phrases begin with a very common very such as do, make, have, or take : ‘I felt very nervous about taking the test but, after having a long talk with Mrs Fisher, I decided I would just do my best and try not to make too many silly mistakes .’ These verbs can be combined with some nouns but not with others and since they do not have a clear meaning of their own, choosing the right combination can be a problem. Phrases which tend to cause difficulty are shown below.
HAVE
have a bath (or esp. AmE take ) ‘She’s probably upstairs having a bath.’
Have (your) breakfast ‘We usually have breakfast in the kitchen.’
Have (your) dinner ‘We had dinner and then went for a walk.’
Have a drink ‘I’ll collapse if I don’t have a drink soon.’
Have (an) experience ‘He has no experience of running a large company.’
Have fun ‘You can’t stop people from having fun.’
Have a holiday ‘It’s almost a year since we had a real holiday.’
Have an interview ‘I’ve had six interviews but no one has offered me a job.’
Have a lesson ‘Every morning we have three fifty-minute lessons.’
Have (your) lunch ‘Isn’t it about time we had lunch?’
Have an operation ‘Before I had the operation I could hardly walk.’
Have a party ‘On Saturday we’re having a party.’
Have a picnic ‘If it’s sunny we could have a picnic.’
Have a shower (or esp. AmE take) ‘It only takes me a minute to have a shower.’
TAKE
Take/do an examination ‘Why do we have to take so many tests?’
Take (your) medicine ‘Don’t forget to take your medicine.’
Take a pill ‘He refuses to take sleeping pills.’
Take/do a test ‘The last test I took was a disaster.’
MAKE
Make an effort ‘I had to make a big effort not to laugh.’
Make a journey ‘It was the first journey he’d made all on his own.’
Make a mistake ‘He has made a serious mistake.’
Make a noise ‘How can one small child make so much noise?’
Make progress ‘I made very little progress at the start of the course.’
DO
Do your best ‘Don’t worry, Tim. Just do your best.’
Do (or cause) damage ‘The storm did a lot of damage to the crops.’
Do an exercise ‘Have you done your exercises today?’
Do an experiment ‘To do this experiment, you’ll need two eggs.’
Do (sb) good ‘The holiday has done him a lot of good.’
Do harm ‘A scandal would do his reputation a lot of harm.’
Do your homework ‘Have you done your homework yet?’
Do a job ‘I’ve got one or two jobs to do this evening.’
Do the/some shopping ‘Jake has gone into town to do some shopping.’
Do research ‘We need to do a lot more research.’
Do things ‘We’ve done lots of different things today.’
Do your training ‘Where did you do your training?’
Note also: do something/anything etc: ‘I can’t come now – I’m doing something.’ ‘He hasn’t done anything wrong.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

research noun [uncountable] careful detailed work that is done in order to find out more about a subject, especially as a part of a scientific or academic project:
Billions of dollars have been spent on research into the causes and treatment of cancer.
The University has for a long time been a leading centre for research in this field.
work noun [uncountable] the studies that have been done on a particular subject:
Faraday is famous for his work on electricity.
A lot of work has been done on hydrogen-powered cars.
Their work had an enormous influence on the study of genetics.
study noun [countable] a piece of work in which someone examines a particular subject in order to find out more about it, and writes about what they have found:
The study showed that 25 percent of adults do not eat breakfast at all, compared with 14 percent in 1961.
Recent studies suggest that our sense of smell is closely linked with the part of the brain that deals with memory.
experiment noun [countable] a scientific test in order to find out what happens when you do something:
They carried out a series of experiments (=they did a series of experiments) in order to try to prove their theory.
Experiments have shown that there is an increased risk of some forms of cancer.
take verb [transitive] to study a subject that you have chosen at school, college etc:
What classes are you taking next semester?
In my final year, I decided to take English and economics.
do verb [transitive] British English informal to study a particular subject at school or university:
I can’t decide whether to do German or Spanish next year.
Did you do computing at school?
major in something phrasal verb American English to study something as your main subject at a college or university:
Diane majored in psychology at the University of Washington.
revise verb [intransitive] British English to study to prepare for an examination:
It’s best to start revising early.
He’s revising for his final exams.
cram verb [intransitive] informal to study very hard and try to learn a lot of information just before an examination:
Everyone’s cramming for their final exams.
do research to study something in a very detailed way, especially in order to discover new information about it:
He does research at Oxford University.
I’m doing research into second language learning.
It’s difficult to do research on humans.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲