Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences

Abstract

Research is defined by the Australian Research Council as "the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies, inventions and understandings." Research is thus the foundation for knowledge. It produces evidence and informs actions that can provide wider benefit to a society. The knowledge that researchers cultivate from a piece of research can be adopted for social and health programs that can improve the health and well-being of the individuals, their communities, and the societies in which they live. As we have witnessed, in all corners of the globe, research has become an endeavor that most of us in the health and social sciences cannot avoid.