Research is a human activity based on intellectual investigation and aimed at discovering, interpreting, and revising human knowledge on different aspects of the world. Research can use the scientific method, but need not do so.
Scientific research relies on the application of scientific methods based on scientific paradigm. This research provides scientific information and theories for the explanation of the nature and properties of humans and the whole Universe. It makes practical applications possible. Scientific research is funded by public authorities, by charitable organisations and by private groups, including many companies. Scientific research is the subject of different classifications. Historical research is embodied in the historical method.
The term research is also used to describe an entire collection of information about a particular subject.

Basic research
The goal of the research process is to produce new knowledge, which takes three main forms:
As discussed in the previous section, these forms are not clear-cut. Research can also fall into two distinct types, Primary research and Secondary research. Research methods used by scholars include:
Research is often conducted using the hourglass model. The hourglass model starts with a broad spectrum for research, focusing in on the required information through the methodology of the project (like the neck of the hourglass), then expands the research in the form of discussion and results.

Exploratory research, which structures and identifies new problems
Constructive research, which develops solutions to a problem
Empirical research, which tests the feasibility of a solution using empirical evidence
Action research
Cartography
Case study
Classification
Experience and intuition
Experiments
Interviews
Mathematical models
Participant observation
Simulation
Statistical analysis
Statistical surveys
Content or Textual Analysis
Ethnography Research methods

Research processes

Main article: Scientific method Scientific

Main article: Historical method Historical
Academic publishing describes a system that is necessary in order for academic scholars to peer review the work and make it available for a wider audience. The 'system', which is probably disorganised enough not to merit the title, varies widely by field, and is also always changing, if often slowly. Most academic work is published in journal article or book form. In publishing, STM publishing is an abbreviation for academic publications in science, technology, and medicine.
Most established academic fields have their own journals and other outlets for publication, though many academic journals are somewhat interdisciplinary, and publish work from several distinct fields or subfields. The kinds of publications that are accepted as contributions of knowledge or research vary greatly between fields.
Academic publishing is undergoing major changes, emerging from the transition from the print to the electronic format. Business models are different in the electronic environment. Since about the early 1990s, licensing of electronic resources, particularly journals, has been very common. Presently, a major trend, particularly with respect to scholarly journals, is open access. There are two main forms of open access: open access publishing, in which the articles or the whole journal is freely available from the time of publication, and self-archiving, where the author makes a copy of their own work freely available on the web.