Do research means to carry out a study, or to look into a question and gather information. It works for academic work and for everyday preparation: before buying a phone, choosing a course or travelling to an unfamiliar city.
Want to remember do research?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
do research on/into + topic; do some/a lot of research; carry out research (formal)
- Before choosing a university, I did a lot of research on student reviews.
- Our team is doing research into how customers use the mobile app.
- Do some research before you book a hotel in a city you don't know.
What changed
First versionLast year our department did a research on remote work.
RevisionLast year our department did research on remote work.
Research is uncountable in English, like information, so it doesn't take a and is rarely used in the plural. That is why a was removed. When you mean one particular study, say a study or a research project.
In academic writing, carry out or conduct often replace do: The team carried out research into sleep and memory. Research can also be a verb: She researched the topic for months.
Your turn
For my thesis, I ___ research on how teenagers use social media.
Show the answer
did — Research goes with do, and the past form is did. A native speaker wouldn't say made research.
Describe how you looked into a question before an important purchase or decision. Say what you were choosing and where you looked for information.
Before buying a used car, I did research on different models by reading owner reviews online.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.
