This lesson will address types of research design and the key elements that must be considered when choosing an appropriate design.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the difference between qualitative and quantitative research designs
• Identify the factors that should be considered when choosing an appropriate research design
• Identify commonly used research designs and their appropriate application

Selecting a Research Design

Once the research question has been formulated, it is critical that the researcher select the appropriate research methodology to answer the question. The type of research question will typically dictate the methodology that will be employed. The reliability and validity of the results depends upon proper selection of the research approach and design.  

There are two main approaches to a research problem - quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are used to examine the relationship between variables with the primary goal being to analyze and represent that relationship mathematically through statistical analysis. This is the type of research approach most used in scientific research problems. Qualitative methods are chosen when the goal of the research problem is to examine, understand and describe a phenomenon. These methods are a common choice in social science research problems and are often used to study ideas, beliefs, human behaviors, and other research questions that do not involve studying the relationship between variables. The following chart provides a simple breakdown of the main types of research design. 

 Getting Started

To get started designing your own research study, you need to ask yourself three key questions:

• Is the data you plan to collect quantitative or qualitative (descriptive) in nature?
• Do the variables you want to measure answer your research question?
• Can your data be analyzed to answer the question?

Key Considerations

There are several factors that will guide your choices regarding study design. One must consider:

• How easily can you obtain the necessary data?
• Is there a limit to the number of participants available to you if your study involves use of participants?
• How many variables can you collect, manage, and interpret?
• Can you complete the entire study with one data collection session? Will participants need a break between sessions?
• What money and/or resources are necessary to complete your study?

The resources linked from Extra Introduction Links will provide more detailed information about each of the basic research design and how to choose the appropriate design for your project.

The following table lists and describes the most common research designs used at Grand Canyon University. Different research books will use different terms for similar types of research. However, the research designs identified in this document are common in terms of their use and their terminology.

 Types of Research Designs