Interesting and impactful research: on phenomena, theory, and writing

Abstract

Most researchers assume that research is a quest for truth. So, the discovery of truth would automatically be impactful. However, research is impactful not if it is true, but if it refutes the assumption (belief) of its audience (Davis1971). Refuting the assumption of the audience is also what makes it interesting. The truthfulness of a proposition is of limited duration. Every proposition or theory will ultimately be proved wrong as new research emerges and knowledge accumulates. What matters is merely whether the research runs counter to what is currently assumed as true. That’s interesting. That’s impactful. Let’s consider some examples.