Research Design

What is a Research Design?

By the term ‘research’, we can understand that it’s a collection of data that includes critical
information by taking research methodologies into consideration. In other words, it is a
compilation of information or data explored by setting a hypothesis and consequently coming up
with substantive findings in an organised way. Research can be done on an academic as well as
on a scientific basis as well. Let’s first understand what a research design actually means.

A Research Design is simply a structural framework of various research

methods as well as techniques that are utilised by a researcher.
The research design helps a researcher to pursue their journey into the unknown but with a
systematic approach by their side. The way an engineer or architect frames a design for a
structure, likewise the researcher picks the design from various approaches in order to check
which type of research to be carried out. 

Elements of Research Design 

Here are the most important elements of a research design- 

The essential elements are:

 The method applied for analyzing collected details

 Type of research methodology
 Accurate purpose statement
 Probable objections for research
 Techniques to be implemented for collecting and analyzing research
 Timeline
 Measurement of analysis
 Settings for the research study

Characteristics of Research Design

 Neatrality
 Reliability
 Validity
  Generalization
2 Major Types of Research Design 
Keeping its dynamics into consideration, the research design is categorised into two different
perspectives, i.e. Quantitative Research Design and Qualitative Research Design. Further, there
are four main characteristics of research design which include Reliability, Neutrality, Validity as
well as Generalization. Further, a researcher should have a clear understanding of how their
project can be implemented in the research design. Let’s explore what Quantitative and
Qualitative Research Designs mean:

Quantitative Research Design

In Quantitative Research Design, a researcher examines the various variables while including
numbers as well as statistics in a project to analyze its findings. The use of graphics, figures, pie
charts is the main form of data collection measurement and meta-analysis (it is information about
the data by the data).

Qualitative Research Design

This type of research is quite contrary to quantitative research design. It is explanatory in nature
and always seeks answers to “What’s” and “How’s”. It mainly focuses on why a specific theory
exists and what would be the respondent’s answer to it. This allows a researcher to draw a
conclusion with proper findings. Case studies are mainly used in Qualitative Research Design in
order to understand various social complexities. 

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research Design

Following is the difference between Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research Design

Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

Focuses on putting ideas and hypotheses to the test. Concentrate on generating ideas and developing a
theory or hypothesis.
Math and statistical analysis were used to examine the Summarizing, classifying, and analyzing data were
situation. used to conduct the analysis.
Numbers, graphs, and tables are the most common Mostly represented with words
forms of expression.
It necessitates the participation of a large number of Only a few people are required to answer.
people.
Closed questions (multiple choice) Open-ended inquiries
Key terms: testing, measurement, objectivity, Key terms: understanding, context, complexity,
replicability subjectivity
Fixed vs. Flexible Research Design
A contrast between fixed and flexible research design can also be drawn. Quantitative (fixed
design) and qualitative (flexible design) data gathering are frequently associated with these two
study design categories. The research design is pre-determined and understood with a set study
design even before you begin collecting data. Flexible designs, on the other hand, provide for
more flexibility in data collection — for example, you don’t provide fixed answer alternatives, so
respondents must put in their own responses.

The 5 Types of Research Designs

Now that we know the broadly classified types of research, Qualitative Research can be divided
into the following 4 major types of Research Designs:

 Descriptive Research Design

 Correlational Research Design
 Experimental Research Design
 Diagnostic Research Design
 Explanatory Research Design

Descriptive Research Design

In Descriptive Research Design, the scholar explains/describes the situation or case in depth in
their research materials. This type of research design is purely on a theoretical basis where the
individual collects data, analyses, prepares and then presents it in an understandable manner. It is
the most generalised form of research design. To explore one or more variables, a descriptive
design might employ a wide range of research approaches. Unlike in experimental research, the
researcher does not control or change any of the variables in a descriptive research design;
instead, he or she just observes and measures them.  In other words, while qualitative research
may also be utilised for descriptive reasons, a descriptive method of research design is typically
regarded as a sort of quantitative research. To guarantee that the results are legitimate and
dependable, the study design should be properly constructed. Here are some examples for the
descriptive design of research type:

 How has the Delhi housing market changed over the past 20 years?
 Do customers of company A prefer product C or product D?
 What are the main genetic, behavioural and morphological differences between Indian
wildcows and hybrid-cows?
 How prevalent is disease 1 in population Z?

Experimental Research Design

Experimental research is a type of research design in which the study is carried out utilising a

scientific approach and two sets of variables. The first set serves as a constant against which the

variations in the second set are measured. Experimentation is used in quantitative research

methodologies, for example. If you lack sufficient evidence to back your conclusions, you must

first establish the facts. Experimental research collects data to assist you in making better

judgments. Experimentation is used in any research undertaken under scientifically appropriate

settings. The effectiveness of experimental investigations is dependent on researchers verifying

that a variable change is due only to modification of the constant variable. The study should

identify a noticeable cause and effect. The traditional definition of experimental design is “the

strategies employed to collect data in experimental investigations.” There are three types of

experimental designs:

 Pre-experimental research design

 True experimental research design
 Quasi-experimental research design

Correlational Research Design

A correlational research design looks into correlations between variables without allowing the
researcher to control or manipulate any of them. Correlational studies reveal the magnitude
and/or direction of a link between two (or more) variables. Correlational studies or correlational
study design might have either a positive, negative or zero.

Correlational Studies What Happens?  Example 

Direction or Types
Positive correlation Both variables change in As the prices of petrol increase,
the same direction the fare of auto increases too.
Negative correlation The variables change in As tea consumption increases,
opposite directions tiredness decreases
Zero correlation There is no relationship Tea consumption is not
between the variables correlated with height
Correlational research design is great for swiftly collecting data from natural settings. This
allows you to apply your results to real-world circumstances in an externally legitimate manner.
Correlational studies research is a viable choice in a few scenarios like:

 To investigate non-causal relationships

  To explore causal relationships between variables
 To test new measurement tools

Diagnostic Research Design

Diagnostic research design is a type of research design that tries to investigate the underlying
cause of a certain condition or phenomena. It can assist you in learning more about the elements
that contribute to certain difficulties or challenges that your clients may be experiencing. This
design typically consists of three research stages, which are as follows:

 Inception of the issue

 Diagnosis of the issue
 Solution for the issue

Explanatory Research Design

Explanatory research is a method established to explore phenomena that have not before been
researched or adequately explained. Its primary goal is to notify us about where we may get a
modest bit of information. With this strategy, the researcher obtains a broad notion and use
research as a tool to direct them more quickly to concerns that may be addressed in the future. Its
purpose is to discover the why and what of a subject under investigation. In short, it is a type of
research design that is responsible for finding the why of the events through the establishment of
cause-effect relationships. The most popular methods of explanatory research are:

 Literature research
 In-depth interview
 Focus groups
 Case studies

Historical research is a type of qualitative research that looks at past events to draw conclusions
as well as make predictions about the future. This lesson explores historical research design and
unpacks the strengths and limitations of this type of research. Updated: 09/28/2021

Qualitative Research
Stan's parents survived the Holocaust and immigrated to the United States, where he was born
and raised. He grew up hearing stories about the concentration camps and the horrible things
done to people who were not accepted by the Nazi party. More than once, when telling stories
about the camps, Stan's mom would tear up and ask, 'Why? Why did they do that?'
It's a question that has haunted Stan for most of his life. Why did the Nazis take millions of
people out of their homes, torture them, and then kill them? Stan wonders if the answer to that
question could help prevent genocide in the future. He's passionate about finding the answer.
Stan is a psychologist, and he has always done research that involves numbers. He looks at
averages and percentages and tries to figure out how people act in a lab. But he's starting to
wonder if that's the best way to attack his mother's question. Instead, he thinks maybe he should
focus on qualitative research, which involves examining non-numerical data. There are many
ways to gather qualitative data. Let's look at one type of qualitative research closer, that of
historical design, and its strengths and limitations.

Historical Design
So, Stan decides that he wants to figure out why the Nazis acted the way they did. He wants to
do historical research, which involves interpreting past events to predict future ones. In Stan's
case, he's interested in examining the reasons behind the Holocaust to try to prevent it from
happening again.
Historical research design involves synthesizing data from many different sources. Stan could
interview former Nazis or read diaries from Nazi soldiers to try to figure out what motivated
them. He could look at public records and archives, examine Nazi propaganda, or look at
testimony in the trials of Nazi officers. There are several steps that someone like Stan has to go
through to do historical research:
1. Formulate an idea: This is the first step of any research, to find the idea and figure out the
research question. For Stan, this came from his mother, but it could come from anywhere. Many
researchers find that ideas and questions arise when they read other people's research.
2. Formulate a plan: This step involves figuring out where to find sources and how to approach
them. Stan could make a list of all the places he could find information (libraries, court archives,
private collections) and then figure out where to start.
3. Gather data: This is when Stan will actually go to the library or courthouse or prison to read or
interview or otherwise gather data. In this step, he's not making any decisions or trying to answer
his question directly; he's just trying to get everything he can that relates to the question.
4. Analyze data: This step is when Stan goes through the data he just collected and tries more
directly to answer his question. He'll look for patterns in the data. Perhaps he reads in the diary
of the daughter of a Nazi that her father didn't believe in the Nazi party beliefs but was scared to
stand up for his values. Then he hears the same thing from a Nazi soldier he interviews. A
pattern is starting to emerge.
5. Analyze the sources of data: Another thing that Stan has to do when he is analyzing data is to
also analyze the veracity of his data. The daughter's diary is a secondary source, so it might not
be as true as a primary source, like the diary of her father. Likewise, people have biases and
motivations that might cloud their account of things; perhaps the Nazi soldier Stan interviews is
up for parole, and he thinks that if he says he was scared and not a true Nazi believer, he might
get out of jail.
Once Stan has gone through all of these steps, he should have a good view of what he wants to
know about his question. If he doesn't, then he goes back to step two (formulating a plan) and
starts again. He will keep doing steps two through five until he finds something that he can use.

Research Design Types by Grouping

Another classification of study design types is based on how participants are categorized. In most
situations, grouping is determined by the research premise and the method used to sample
individuals. There is generally at least one experimental and one control group in a typical study
based on experimental research design. In medical research, for example, one group can be given
therapy while the other receives none. You get my drift. We can differentiate four types of study
designs based on participant grouping:

Cohort study
A cohort study is a sort of longitudinal research that takes a cross-section of a cohort (a group of
people who have a common trait) at predetermined time intervals. It’s a form of panel research in
which all of the people in the group have something in common.

Cross-sectional study
In social science, medical research, and biology, a cross-sectional study is prevalent. This study
approach examines data from a population or a representative sample of the population at a
specific point in time.

Longitudinal study
A longitudinal study is a type of study in which the same variables are observed repeatedly over
a short or long period of time. It’s usually observational research, although it can also take the
form of a long-term randomized experiment.

Cross-sequential study
Cross-sequential research design combines longitudinal and cross-sectional research methods,
with the goal of compensating for some of the flaws inherent in both.

Types of Research Design PDF