Trends in Data Acquisition and Knowledge Development

Abstract

Abstract Research is “a systematic process by which investigators gather information, organize it in a meaningful way, and analyze and interpret it” (Asmus & Radocy, 1992, p. 141). While this definition does not indicate why investigators gather and work with information, a clue is in “a meaningful way”— the research process should be meaningful. Organizing, analyzing, and interpreting is a process of developing knowledge. Another way to express this is to say that research is a systematic process of data acquisition and knowledge development. The terms “data acquisition” and “knowledge development” resonate clearly with the current computer lexicon (Knowledge Discovery in Databases or KDD). This is intentional because technology is one of the most influential forces affecting research in the past 30 years. I have selected these terms to serve as “lenses” with which to examine trends in research. A trend is direction of movement, a course, an inclination.