ABSTRACT
Research is a response to a challenge. It is undertaken in an attempt to solve a problem. We undertake research everyday whether in our personal lives, as students or as part of out professional career. We may need to find the best route to travel from Southampton to Birmingham or the cheapest food market. Natural scientists may undertake research with the view of developing more efficient means for generating electric power or methods for increasing farm productivity. As social scientists we are concerned with identifying the causes of unemployment, poverty and drug abuse and for designing policies which seek to alleviate these social problems and improve the quality of life. Whatever the nature of the problem, the challenge and response process is similar. There is a problem. We may have a vision as to how to deal with that problem and this might take the form of some conjectures or prior theories as to the best way to proceed. That is, we may have some idea as to the cheapest shop or about the chemical makeup of farm soil or the causes of unemployment. Information is gathered, prices are compared, experiments or interviews are undertaken. Conclusions are drawn and decisions taken.
