A definition

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Daan Andriessen (2014), lecturer Methodology of Practical Research at the Hogeschool Utrecht, has defined research for professional higher education professionals as follows: Methodically answering questions that leads to relevant knowledge.

Methodical?
As a(n upcoming) professional you cannot just provide answers off the cuff. You want to offer a good solution. Your customers and colleagues trust your judgment and depend on you. You, therefore, want to tackle questions properly, so that you are certain enough of the resulting answer. Would you dare to bet your smart phone on your answer? Or your reputation as a professional?

Relevant?
Relevant means that it helps you in your work, for example to solve that problem for your customer or to improve your own way of working. This is the main difference with university research, where it is enough that research yields any new knowledge. We want knowledge that benefits us immediately.