Discussion 1: Academic vs Applied Research
Frank Bucco
School of Business, Liberty University
DBA: Information Systems
Author Note
Frank W. Bucco
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article
should be addressed to Frank W. Bucco.
Email: [email protected]
Academic vs Applied Research
Research by definition is the investigation and study of materials and sources to establish
facts and reach new conclusions on a particular topic. The study of new materials and sources
allowed people to thrive, live longer lives, and take on challenges in the most efficient way
possible. Research is split into one of two distinct areas: academic research, also known as
scholarly research, and applied research, also known as professional research. Each of these
areas are defined differently and used for different purposes.
In academic research, questions or problems tend to be more conceptual and seek to add
to the larger body of knowledge. The solutions and findings are more theoretically focused and
are usually published for the public to see at large in scholarly journals and at conference
presentations. One research paper states that science cannot be made by one or very few scholars
and despite how small a piece of work may be, sharing knowledge with the research community
as much as possible is a duty (Merga, 2021, pg. 1486). These same findings and solutions are
then recommended for future research and go through often rigorous peer-reviewed evaluations.
On the other hand, in applied research, the problems tend to be more practical and seeks
to find solutions to those problems in a given organization. These solutions and findings are
normally kept private and used to make internal decisions for the organization. These decisions
are then evaluated by organizational or industry standards and then shared through internal
reports. Occasionally, these thoughts are shared through industry publications or at professional
conferences.
Using Academic Research
Since academic research is focused more on the theoretical and less on the practical
application, there are certain times that this research should be used. While academic research
can be utilized in all fields from business to technology, academic research is most commonly
found in the sciences such as astronomy, physics, or medicine and are usually conducted at
universities. These fields often have a significant amount of speculation in their fields and the
solutions to these problems need large amounts of evidence to back up claims. Additionally, the
solutions found in these fields will often impact how people view the world we live. This can be
done through journals and articles that are found in libraries. However, in recent studies, social
media sites such as Twitter has been utilized. The research concluded that Twitter offers scholars
the opportunities to push out research rather than forcing people to pull the publications
themselves which results in higher citation counts (Klar, 2020, pg. 11).
Using Applied Research
Just like in academic research, applied research can be found in all fields from business to
technology. However, the core difference is that applied research is conducted behind the doors
of business and the solutions are usually kept private. The questions and problems that arise in
applied research are generally business specific and are needed to give the competitive advantage
over other businesses in the same field. The research is often reflected in reports and are kept
internal as to prevent or minimize the competition from doing or replicating the exact models
and methods the original company was doing. According to research, applied research works
better in business fields as less than 1 in 4 accountants feel that academic research will have a
future impact in the development and improvement of the profession and only 17 percent of
accountants indicated that they would like better access to research (Fraser, 2020, pg. 136-137)
Personal Perspective
On a personal perspective, there is definitive value in both academic and applied
research. Both are fascinating areas of research and are given equal weight in terms of personal
interest. As someone who has high interest in teaching, researching, and consulting other
businesses, there is a higher calling to do both academic and applied research. The academic
research will allow new methods of conducting business to come to the forefront while the
applied research will be able to put those new theories to the test and ensure that they are not
merely theoretical. The applied research while consulting on other firms will help industries
adapt to the academic research with the hope of changing business for the better. As Provers 25:2
states, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out”
(ESV, Proverbs 25:2). The universe is a large place with so much to explore and God gives each
of us talents to explore that universe in their own unique way.
Reference
Crossway. (2016). English Standard Version.
Fraser, K., Deng, X., Bruno, F., & Rashid, T. A. (2020). Should academic research be relevant
and useful to practitioners? the contrasting difference between three applied disciplines.
Studies in Higher Education, 45(1), 129–144.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1539958
Klar, S., Krupnikov, Y., Ryan, J. B., Searles, K., & Shmargad, Y. (2020). Using social media to
promote academic research: Identifying the benefits of Twitter for sharing academic
work. PLOS ONE, 15(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229446
Merga, M., & Mason, S. (2020). Early career researchers’ perceptions of the benefits and
challenges of sharing research with academic and non-academic end-users. Higher
Education Research & Development, 40(7), 1482–1496.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1815662
