Investigation or research?
The word "investigación" is translated as "investigation" or "research". I've tried to see some dictionaries and it's not so clear. I even tried SD.
My idea is that I would be right if I say investigation if it's about the police. Never research , right?
I also feel that if it's scientific "research" is also good, right?
But what about cases when they could be interchangeable?
I would appreciate it if people could give examples.
5 Answers
Hi Polenta,
You are absolutely right in your understanding of when you should investigation compared to research. 
Here are some examples below that I have made up (composed) myself to illustrate (show) how we use these different words in English:
Showing difference in use: (no interchangeability permitted!)
ex 1.The police conducted (or carried out) an investigation following a series of burglaries in the local area. (Used as a noun)
ex 2.The police investigated a murder and started by making house to house enquiries following witness accounts! (Used as a verb)
ex 3.The university students studying for a teaching degree had to carry out some research into provision for children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and autism.(Used as a noun here)
Showing similarity: (interchangebility permitted)
ex 1.The science teacher asked the children to investigate (or research) how different kinds of insects move around (scientific word: locomotion) (Both used as a verb)
2.The university students studying for a teaching degree had to research (or investigate) the available local provision for children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and autism.(Used as a verb here)
3.The post graduate medical student researched (or investigated) possible causes of damage in people with Multiple Sclerosis.
4.When you research (or investigate) some topic of interest, it is always important to pay meticulous attention to detail as the failure to do so will inevitably undermine your efforts to have your research taken seriously by influential people at some later stage!
I hope these help you
Research is more for scientific uses, investigation more for police type activities as you note, but there is some possibility of overlap.
I could say: As part of their Investigation, the police did some research into to the suspects back ground.
I would never say: As part of their research, the police... Unless they were doing a study on the causes of crime for instance.
Here is a sentence from a published source using investigation to describe research:
https://www.barchester.com/taxonomy/term/30/all/feed?page=563
Researchers are conducting an investigation into the risk factors for Parkinson's disease.
In many of the above I could default to research or investigate as a verb.
The police are investigating the suspect. I don't think that I would Iuse researching there, with the object the suspect, although I could say researching his background.
The scientists are researching/investigating the cause and effect relationship....
I assume others will provide their preferences as well.
I hadn't thought of the differences. I suppose when it is your native language you do not consciously learn collocations. Investigate is to carefully examine the facts of an event, situation or crime to find out the truth about it, or how it happened. It is used most often when crimes are being investigated. Investigation is the noun
And investigative is the adjective used in investigative journalism.
Research careful study to discover new facts or information. We talk about medical/historical or scientific research.
During research you may want to investigate a particular aspect.
Although we can use investigate informally - I hear a noise upstairs and I say 'I'll go and investigate' in other words I'll find out what happened.
I think I would look at investigations being carried out into wrongdoings and research as careful fact finding.
You have had some excellent answers, I hope mine helps too.
Polenta:
Often reading even a good English dictionary (vs. an English Spanish dictionary) will not give you enough information about the common usage of a word in English.
In this case, if you looked up the two words in the English Wiki and read the articles and then read the Spanish Wiki articles you would gain a much more comprehensive understanding.
Perhaps the excellent answers from Feliz and Bosque are all that you need in this case, but I thought I would mention the above for you to add to your "bag of tricks"
This word is dynamic & used in British English with IPA phonetic. Inquiry (?n?kwa??r?) in Spanish means consulta or investigación.
