There is No Hope of Doing Perfect Research (Griffiths p97, 1998). Do you agree?

By dryadz26, 26th Jan 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/s1ogzz3o/
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A research is conducted to prove or disprove a previously done research. In some instances a new research modifies and improves the old research and helps enhance our knowledge.If a research was considered to be perfect then the researchers would stop investigating that particular field of research and hence our knowledge about it would be limited.

An Essay that examines all aspects of a research to reach a conclusion

There is No Hope of Doing Perfect Research (Griffiths p97, 1998). Do you agree?

It is generally known and believed by many that there is no hope of conducting a perfect research as proposed by Griffith (1998, p97). In order to agree or disagree with this statement it is necessary to evaluate the statement as a whole so as to know why it is believed that a research cannot be perfect?.
Research is defined as a “diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications etc.” In much simpler words it means “to search and to search for again" ("Dictionary.com"). There are two types of researches: basic and scientific. A basic research is conducted in order to satisfy one’s curiosity and to understand how stuff works. A scientific research, however, is conducted on a much larger scale in order to benefit the entire country .
When conducting a research numerous factors come into play. These include:
environmental changes, social or peer pressure and cultural norms, the researcher or subject’s bias and trial and error while conducting the research. These factors effect the ongoing research and may lead to inaccuracy in results. Even if the researcher tries to control the variables that may affect the outcome of the research it is possible that the results may vary when the subjects are interviewed in a different setting. So the presence of a researcher also effects the outcome of the research. The researcher or subject’s bias also leads to inaccurate results. A subject being interviewed may not answer the questions truthfully or choose answers that are more socially acceptable. The researcher himself maybe biased about his research and may vary the results in order to achieve the desired outcome.
Knowing that error is an integral aspect of a research, in this instance it is safe to presume that there is no hope of conducting a perfect research but let us presume otherwise. What if a researcher manages to control all the variables that may effect his research and claims that he has carried out a perfect research and obtained verifiably accurate results? .What would happen then?.
If researchers conducting researches in different fields believed that they have carried out a perfect research and have managed to produce a perfect product without a flaw in it and without there being any room for improvement the result of it would be as such: we would still be watching the first of its kind television, using the earliest of computers, driving the cars people before our time used to drive. In other words we would not be moving forward and our knowledge would be limited. If for example the researchers had decided that an earlier version of a cell phone was a perfect product, you could make calls with it and there was no need to further research in this area or to try to improve this product. If researchers had not tried to improve it a person stuck in an elevator would not have been able to call for help. Furthermore we would not
have experienced or enjoyed the conveniences modern cell phones provide us with which the earlier version of this product lacked.
This does not necessarily mean that a research carried out to make a certain product in the first place was not perfect. It just means that with time opinions of people change. There is need for progress, a need to address the limitations and to overcome those limitations further research has to be carried out.
Sometimes contradicting opinions of researchers leads one to believe that “there is no hope of doing a perfect research” (Griffiths, 1998, p97). In citing a source (History.com), a research done by Tombaugh on February 18, 1930 led to the discovery of Pluto, the ninth planet in our solar system but in 2006 the International Astronomical Union contradicted this theory and suggested that Pluto should not be considered as a planet.
In the medical field the need to search and research again is of utmost importance. In 2009 a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded that drinking coffee reduced the risk of having type 2 diabetes (USAtoday.com). Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of Medicine and Science at the American Diabetes Association pointed out the limitations in this study and suggested that results of the research may be different as "This was done in cells, not in animals or people”. Fonseca was of the view that it was too soon to suggest that consumption of coffee can reduce risk of diabetes. (Gordon).If further research was not carried out than those at risk of having Type 2 diabetes would have been drinking lots of coffee which may have proven to be more harmful than beneficial to their health, clearly there is a need for further research in this area.
In conclusion, research is an ongoing process. Sometimes it is conducted to prove or
disprove a previously done research. In some instances a new research modifies and improves the old research and helps enhance our knowledge. Like Griffiths, I agree with the statement that there is no hope of doing a perfect research. There is however, always room for more improvement.

Works cited

Ann. "There is No Hope of Doing Perfect Research (Griffiths,1998 p97). Do You Agree?." ‹Hubpages.com. /›. N.p., 31 1 2011. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <‹http://www.hubpages.com/>.

Gordon, Serena. "Can coffee really thwart type 2 diabetes?." Health day USA TODAY, 2012. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <‹http://www.usatoday.com/>.

“Pluto Discovered.” ‹http://History.com/>. A&E Television Networks, 18 February 1930. Web. 31 January 2011.

"Research." ‹http://Dictionary.com/>. HarperCollins Publishers, 2009 . Web. 22 Jan 2012. <‹http://www.dictionary.com/>.