A research specialist is someone who specializes in researching a specific topic and has a strong aptitude for it. A general research specialist may have a general aptitude for conducting any type of research, which means he or she could conduct research in a variety of areas, such as market research, academic research, or intelligence research. Because the Internet contains a vast amount of information, a research specialist’s primary source of research information is usually the Internet. He or she gathers data from reputable sources like government agencies, academic institutions, and online journals.
A business corporation must conduct market research as a basic requirement. All businesses that sell goods and services must gather information about the market in which they operate. A market research specialist is hired to gather qualitative and quantitative data about the product or service in question’s potential market opportunities. Conducting surveys and engaging in discussions with potential customers in order to gather consumer opinions are examples of qualitative information. Quantitative data could be presented in the form of a statistical analysis of the business sector.
An academic research specialist is someone who conducts research as part of their job as a research professor. This type of researcher usually conducts research based on previously published peer-reviewed work, such as the use of data from peer-reviewed journal articles and completed theses, for example. An academic research specialist’s research typically includes both qualitative and quantitative research data. If the research is scientific and/or mathematical in nature, quantitative research will predominate, which could take the form of mathematical equations, for example.
An intelligence research specialist is another type of researcher. This type of researcher usually works for government or military agencies and conducts research for them. The research is usually quantitative in nature, and it may include statistical data and other relevant factual data relevant to the subject area. Many governments and non-governmental organizations in developing countries have a dedicated website where researchers can obtain statistical data. This is beneficial to researchers because it provides a centralized repository from which statistical data can be extracted, potentially speeding up the overall process of conducting intelligence research.