Q: What kind of contribution to previous research can merit a new paper?

Detailed Question -

I am a researcher in Computer Science.I want to know about the extent of my contribution in a paper in my field. For example, if I change the previous published algorithm a little bit in order to find if I can get better results or not,  can this be considered as contribution? I heard that some researchers in the field of chemistry conduct a new experiment by changing the input material of an already published experiment. They then publish a new paper on this without any issue. Even, changing input can be considered as contribution. Can I know what we can explain as contribution?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Mehdi - the main aim of research is to 'add new knowledge'. The 'degree' is not always too important. Some research i.e. replication studies look to support or identify the need for further research. That is still new knowledge in the current context. As long as you acknowledge the the original contribution - and then highlight the extent to which your findings match or differ - then that is still of interest to the academic community. 

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