Making Sense of Research Edition: 1

The word “research” has its origins in old French in the 16th century. The word rechercher meant (and still means) “to search for”. Nowadays we would say that research, and specifically “scientific” or “scholarly” research, is the search for truth, or the pursuit of or quest for credible knowledge. It is precisely because research has become such a complex and multidimensional endeavour that we need to “make sense of” it. Making sense of research thus unpacks research as a technical and methodical process which starts with framing interesting questions and culminates in credible findings. (Johann Mouton)