According to the Australian Research Council, research is defined 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. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it is new and creative.”
Furthermore, research is performed using the “Scientific Method”. The scientific method involves a combination of observation, skepticism, interpretation of such observations and development of hypotheses. From this, such hypothesis can be tested, and experimental designs can be formulated and conducted, alongside data recording, analysis of results, and a discussion of their significance and implications. Following this, particular experimental designs can be replicated and/or expanded upon to research different avenues, and ultimately add to a growing body of evidence. From this, scientists are able to gain a better overall understanding of various concepts and theories, as they have access to an evidence base.
As you can infer… conducting research is a very specific and comprehensive thing to do, and the truth is 99.9% of us have probably never done ACTUAL research in our lives!
Therefore, instead of saying “I’ve done research”, try saying :
▪️I read about this online
▪️I read about this in a textbook
▪️I learnt this during a university course
▪️I watched a documentary on this
▪️I listened to a podcast on this topic
▪️I had a discussion with someone about this
▪️I watched a YouTube video on this topic
All of these above points are still valid for learning more about a certain topic and expanding your knowledge, but they shouldn’t be confused with research.