Many times I have seen these words "research" and "survey" in newspapers. Like a research shows that... or a study shows that... or a survey conclude that...
From these statements it is not clear that what is the difference between the words research,study and survey.
Previously I was thinking that research is a scientific word where as survey is a non-scientific word. Also I thought that survey is done over a large group whereas research is done over a small group.
Please help me in understanding the basic difference between these words.
Best Answer
Scientific research typically involves experimentation, although there are other kinds of academic research that do not involve experiments, which involve the analysis of primary sources and consultation of secondary sources.
A study is scientific research focused on a particular hypothesis, or a particular relationship (e.g. obesity and poverty); in non-scientific contexts, it can be the exploration of a particular subject (the causes of a civil war, say, or the literary works of an author).
A survey typically involves the posing of questions to a population of respondents whose size is statistically significant. Surveys are often used in the social sciences.