And I don't say that just because Biology was my own undergrad major.

Well... maybe I'm a little biased.

"Biology has progressed tremendously due to the model that Darwin put forth. But the black boxes Darwin accepted are now being opened, and our view of the world is again being shaken."

-- Michael Behe

While not everyone who majors in Biology goes on to do research, it's important to understand the 'big picture' of where our culture's knowledge of biological processes comes from, since that knowledge tells you the information and practical skills you need for any biology-related career, and thus, the type of information that will be most important to know how to find and assess while you're obtaining your degree.

In the field of Biology, Research Scientists play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of living organisms and their intricate mechanisms. These professionals engage in systematic exploration, experimentation, and analysis to drive scientific discoveries and contribute to the broader body of knowledge, by designing and conducting experiments, gathering data, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions that expand our understanding of the varied forms of Life around us. Biological research fuels advancements in medicine, agriculture, environmental conservation, and beyond.

The most common kind of research done in the life sciences / Biology is Empirical Research - collecting data by way of observing or experimenting.

In 'Western Science' (our culture's dominant knowledge-gathering paradigm/process), a researcher's goal is always to share their work with their fellow scientists in their field by 'publishing' articles/papers that detail some specific research they did, what happened, and what (if anything) they were able to conclude from it. Other scientists learn from those who came before them, and some also go on to build upon that collected knowledge by doing further research in various areas.

• The vast majority of these articles are published in periodicals, known as 'scholarly/academic' journals
  • In these journals, peer review evaluation acts as a form of quality control during research article publication, performing a 'gate-keeper' function in Science.
• Sometimes an article describing research may be re-shared or re-written to function as one of a collection of chapters in an academic book (also known as a 'monograph') that offers detailed information about research being done in a particular topic.