Research design refers to the overall structure that guides a research study and ensures that the data collected will help answer the research question effectively. It involves determining the type of study, selecting data collection methods, defining the sample or population, and outlining the steps to be taken to gather and analyze the data.
The following are the main features of research design; these are distinct and yet closely related.
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- Ontology: How the researcher views the world and makes assumptions about the nature of the world and of reality.
- Epistemology: The assumptions that the researcher makes about the best way of investigating the world and about reality
- Methodology: The way that the researcher group together the research techniques to make a coherent picture.
- Methods and techniques: What the researcher actually does in order to collect data and carry out investigations
Research is guided by a set of beliefs known as paradigm; this set of beliefs is based on ontological, epistemological and axiological and methodological assumption. Read more on research philosophy and paradigms here.
These principles will inform which research methods you choose: you need to understand how they fit with your ‘bigger picture’ of the world, and how you choose to investigate it, to ensure that your work will be coherent and effective.