The purpose of this article, the first in our "Research Primer" series, is to create awareness of the whole research process, including what research is, how to do it, the value of funding, and the need for dissemination. This first article can be regarded as the picture on the top of a jigsaw box, which allows you to see how all the individual jigsaw pieces, each on its own of little value, come together. In a research study, the whole truly is greater than the sum of the parts.A good starting point is to understand exactly what "research" is. Two important points about research are that it is objective and involves study of a very specific issue. The word "research" has French origins and first appeared in the 16th century.1 It means the act of searching closely and carefully; both this and all subsequent definitions incorporate die main principles of systematicity and the generation of new knowledge.
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