a former research

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a former research" is not correct in English.
The correct expression would be "former research" or "a former researcher" depending on the intended meaning. Example: "The findings of the former research conducted in the 1990s are still relevant today."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

55 human-written examples

Ms. Ahmed is a former research fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

The New York Times

Juan Banda, PhD, a former research scientist at Stanford, is the lead author.

Stanford University

Thomas Gayford is a former research assistant at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Yale University

Mr. Southern, originally from College Station, Tex., is a polymer engineer and a former research and development director at Monsanto.

The New York Times

Dr. Boisselier, a former research chemist in France, teaches chemistry at Hamilton College in upstate New York.

The New York Times

He conducted the study with Anesu Mandisodza, a former research assistant, and Princeton graduate students Amir Goren and Crystal Hall.

Princeton University

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

5 human-written examples

Now, says Mike Galsworthy, a former research-policy analyst who co-founded the group, the campaign has changed direction — to try to stop Brexit happening at all.

Nature

Rosalie is an artist, designer, and a former Research Fellow at NYU Tisch's Interactive Telecommunications Program, ITP.

Columbia University

Mr Thavro Phim, a former Research Associate at the Cambodian Genocide Program, is collaborating with Kiernan in studying the documents.

Yale University

Marina Multhaup is a former Research & Policy Fellow for the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Harvard Business Review

Anant Jhingran, a former Research Fellow at IBM, joined Apigee, a company that creates an enterprise-grade API platform, to work on this challenge.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to research conducted in the past, use the grammatically correct phrases such as "previous research" or "past research" instead of "a former research".

Common error

Avoid using "a former research" as it's grammatically incorrect. This is often misused instead of saying "previous research" or when referring to a person: "a former researcher".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a former research" incorrectly attempts to modify the noun "research" with "former" using an indefinite article. According to Ludwig AI, the correct expressions are "former research" or "a former researcher".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

39%

Academia

35%

Science

26%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "a former research" appears in various sources, it's grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI suggests using "former research" or "a former researcher" depending on the context. The phrase is often used to refer to previous studies or individuals who have conducted research. Alternatives such as "previous research" or "past research" are more grammatically sound. It's crucial to consider the intended meaning to use the appropriate and accurate expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

previous research

Replaces "former" with "previous", emphasizing the research occurred before the current time.

past research

Uses "past" instead of "former", highlighting that the research belongs to a prior period.

earlier research

Substitutes "former" with "earlier", indicating that the research took place at an earlier time.

research previously conducted

Rephrases the concept to emphasize that the research was done at an earlier point.

research from the past

Uses a more descriptive phrase to denote research conducted in an earlier time.

historical research

Implies research that is related to history or that has become part of history.

a former researcher

Changes the focus to a person who conducted research in the past.

research that was done before

Rephrases to highlight the temporal aspect of the research having been completed earlier.

the research prior to this

Positions the research in relation to a current study or context.

research conducted in the past

Elaborates on the time frame in which the research occurred.

FAQs

What is the correct way to refer to research conducted in the past?

Instead of saying "a former research", it is grammatically correct to use phrases like "previous research" or "past research".

How can I refer to someone who used to be a researcher?

To describe someone who previously worked as a researcher, use the phrase "a former researcher".

Is there a difference between "former research" and "previous research"?

While both "former research" and "previous research" can be used to describe research done in the past, "previous research" is more commonly used and generally preferred in contemporary English.

What are some alternatives to using the phrase "a former research"?

Depending on the context, you can use phrases like "earlier research", "research previously conducted", or "research from the past" instead of "a former research".