undertake a research

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "undertake a research" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression is "undertake research" without the article "a." Example: "The team decided to undertake research on the effects of climate change on local ecosystems."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

The following commentary illustrates this position: It is not unusual for researchers to undertake a research project only because there is a group of students available — this becomes their cohort — and a new course is given to them.

Advances in Health Sciences Education

Consequently, the organisation could decide to invest in structures that facilitate the formation of collaborative partnerships with researchers (e.g., they develop clear guidelines on how to commission researchers to undertake a research project), so that priority research projects can be conducted to inform policy [ 21, 26].

Health Research Policy and Systems

It was Kahan who persuaded Jean to undertake a research project investigating the variations in the numbers of children in care in local authorities in England and Wales.

The Guardian

His first political project was to undertake a research effort for Beatrice and Sidney Webb (the Fabians who later founded the London School of Economics) which became the influential book "International Government" (1916), read attentively by those responsible for the League of Nations.

The New Yorker

Dr. Kennell, who died on Aug. 27 at 91, liked to say that it was the full-throated complaints about this state of affairs by his patients that led him to undertake a research project in the 1960s that helped change the world on which most newborns now open their eyes.

The New York Times - Health

After graduating with her BSc., Kaileh wanted to undertake a research degree--a masters or Ph.D.--in molecular biology.

Science Magazine

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

In my opinion there are certain questions that researchers should ask themselves before undertaking a research project, for example: 'What is the state of knowledge of the subject I want to study?' 'Why is it important to undertake this research?' 'What new knowledge will this provide?' For several researchers the posing of these questions already constitutes a challenge.

Advances in Health Sciences Education

For those undertaking a research project, statistical literacy is required to interact with other researchers and statisticians, so as to best design and undertake the project.

Australian Critical Care

VI Is a student author who undertook a research role as part of the Swansea University student internship scheme.

International Journal for Educational Integrity

In this frame, in order to support both operators and decision-makers, RSE undertook a research activity concerning the evaluation of the wind repowering potential in Italy.

Renewable Energy

The South Africa National Road Agency Limited together with the CSIR are undertaking a research and development project to support the revision of the South African mechanistic-empirical pavement design method.

Construction and Building Materials

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When referring to research activities, it's generally more grammatically sound to use "undertake research" or "conduct research" without the article "a" before "research". The term "research" is usually treated as an uncountable noun in this context.

Common error

A common mistake is including the article "a" before the word "research" when using "undertake". This is incorrect because "research" functions as an uncountable noun. Always say "undertake research".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "undertake a research" aims to express the action of starting or engaging in a research activity. However, as Ludwig AI indicates, it's grammatically questionable because "research" is typically used as an uncountable noun, making the article "a" inappropriate.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

17%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

While the phrase "undertake a research" appears in various sources, it is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The correct phrasing, as noted by Ludwig AI, is "undertake research" without the article "a", as "research" functions as an uncountable noun. Alternatives like "conduct research" or "carry out research" are grammatically sound options. Although present in news, science and formal publications, it's advisable to avoid using "undertake a research" in formal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

conduct research

This alternative replaces "undertake a research" with a more standard and grammatically correct phrase.

carry out research

Similar to "conduct research", this option offers a grammatically sound substitute using different action verbs.

perform research

This uses "perform" in place of "undertake", maintaining a formal tone and grammatical correctness.

engage in research

This phrasing emphasizes active participation in the research process.

initiate a research project

This alternative specifies a research project and uses "initiate" to mean starting the project.

begin research

This is a simpler, more direct way to express starting research activities.

pursue a research study

Here, "pursue" suggests following through with a research study.

launch a research investigation

This conveys the start of a detailed and formal inquiry.

undertake a study

This simplifies the phrase while keeping the core meaning and correcting the grammatical error related to the word "research".

embark on research

This alternative uses a more evocative verb, "embark", to describe starting research.

FAQs

What is the correct way to use "undertake" with "research"?

The correct phrasing is to say "undertake research" without the article "a". For example, "The scientists will undertake research on climate change."

Is it grammatically correct to say "undertake a research"?

No, it is not grammatically correct. The word "research" is generally used as an uncountable noun in this context, so the article "a" should be omitted. Use the phrasing "undertake research" instead.

What can I say instead of "undertake a research"?

You can use alternatives like "conduct research", "carry out research", or "perform research".

Which is correct, "undertake research" or "undertake a research"?

"Undertake research" is the correct form. The phrasing "undertake a research" is grammatically incorrect because the word "research" functions as an uncountable noun and does not require the article "a".