The design is the structure of any scientific work. It gives direction and systematizes the research.
The method you choose will affect your results and how you conclude the findings. Most scientists are interested in getting reliable observations that can help the understanding of a phenomenon.
There are two main approaches to a research problem:
*Quantitative research design is the standard experimental method of most scientific disciplines.
*Qualitative research design is a research method used extensively by scientists and researchers studying human behavior and habits.
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For some of the physical sciences, such as physics, chemistry and geology, they are standard and commonly used. For social sciences, psychology and biology, they can be a little more difficult to set up.
For an experiment to be classed as a true experimental design, it must fit all of the following criteria.
* The sample groups must be assigned randomly.
* There must be a viable control group.
* Only one variable can be manipulated and tested. It is possible to test more than one, but such experiments and their statistical analysis tend to be cumbersome and difficult.
* The tested subjects must be randomly assigned to either control or experimental groups.
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Whilst regarded as unscientific and unreliable, by physical and biological scientists, the method is, nevertheless, a very useful method for measuring social variables.
The inherent weaknesses in the methodology do not undermine the validity of the data, as long as they are recognized and allowed for during the whole experimental process.
Quasi experiments resemble quantitative and qualitative experiments, but lack random allocation of groups or proper controls, so firm statistical analysis can be very difficult.
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It is very easy for a researcher, even subconsciously, to influence experimental observations, especially in behavioral science, so this method provides an extra check.
For example, imagine that a company is asking consumers for opinions about its products, using a survey.
There is a distinct danger that the interviewer may subconsciously emphasize the company’s products when asking the questions. This is the major reason why market research companies generally prefer to use computers, and double blind experiments, for gathering important data.
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Descriptive research design is a scientific method which involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in any way.
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Many students are instructed, as part of their research program, to perform a literature review, without always understanding what a literature review is.
Most are aware that it is a process of gathering information from other sources and documenting it, but few have any idea of how to evaluate the information, or how to present it.
A literature review can be a precursor in the introduction of a research paper, or it can be an entire paper in itself, often the first stage of large research projects, allowing the supervisor to ascertain that the student is on the correct path.
A literature review is a critical and in depth evaluation of previous research. It is a summary and synopsis of a particular area of research, allowing anybody reading the paper to establish why you are pursuing this particular research program. A good literature review expands upon the reasons behind selecting a particular research question.
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The survey research design is often used because of the low cost and easy accessible information.
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Meta analysis> is a statistical technique developed by social scientists, who are very limited in the type of experiments they can perform.
Social scientists have great difficulty in designing and implementing true experiments, so meta-analysis gives them a quantitative tool to analyze statistically data drawn from a number of studies, performed over a period of time.
Medicine and psychology increasingly use this method, as a way of avoiding time-consuming and intricate studies, largely repeating the work of previous research.
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Field Study>
For geologists, social scientists and environmental biologists, amongst others, field experiments are an integral part of the discipline.
As the name suggests, a field study is an experiment performed outside the laboratory, in the 'real' world. Unlike case studies and observational studies, a field experiment still follows all of the steps of the scientific process, addressing research problems and generating hypotheses.
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A pilot study> is a standard scientific tool for 'soft' research, allowing scientists to conduct a preliminary analysis before committing to a full-blown study or experiment.
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A factorial design> is often used by scientists wishing to understand the effect of two or more independent variables upon a single dependent variable.
