Perception of a research problem in security sciences

Abstract

The aim of the article is to explain selected concepts used in security research, in particular: scientific problem, research problem and research questions. In the literature on the subject and in the process of reviewing promotional works, there are inaccuracies and too much freedom in the interpretation of these concepts, hence, in the authors' opinion, they require their re-explanation. The article is of a review nature, therefore, to prepare it, the authors used the method of researching selected contents of the literature on the subject and dialectics, which were sufficient to explain the issues under consideration. As a result of the discourse during seminars at the Centre for Research Methodology in Security Sciences at the WSB University and the comparison of the cognitive positions of many philosophers of science, it was assumed that the research process is initiated by the identification of a scientific problem and its clarification by the researcher into the research process as a research problem. In the literature on the subject and in promotional works, one can sometimes see a rather arbitrary approach to the process of organizing and conducting research in security sciences. Arbitrary transfer of selected fragments from various cognitive theories to the field of security sciences without adapting them to the research problem, purpose and subject of research causes a certain methodological chaos. Many authors, despite recognizing the primacy of the scientific problem and the resulting research problem, suggest that the research process is initiated by a research goal that is, in fact, secondary to the adopted research problem.

Keywords

• scientific method
• research methodology
• research question
• research problem
• science problem