The word ‘research’ has a certain mystique about it. To most of the people outside the research community, it represents an activity that is exclusive to an elite group of scientists. The perception of a researcher is one detached from the outer world, isolated in his laboratory or scholarly library. This was certainly the image in my mind as I embarked on my physiotherapy career. Over the years, this has not only been dispelled, I am now able to introduce myself to general public as a researcher. So I am thankful to PHYSIOTIMES for providing me with an opportunity to unravel some of the myths about research in this series of articles focused on practical research methods. In the next few issues of PHYSIOTIMES, I will be covering issues related to planning, designing, conducting and finally disseminating research.

In academic terms, 'research' is a systematic investigation of an idea, subject or topic for a specific purpose. It enables researcher to extend knowledge or explore theory, resulting in further interpretation and greater understanding of a concept.

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