A research design is a plan for answering a research question using empirical data. Creating a research design involves making a series of choices about the type of research you’ll do and how you’ll do it. You need to decide on: Your overall aims and approach The type of design you’ll use How you’ll select participants Your data collection methods The procedures you’ll follow Your data analysis strategies In this playlist, I’ll walk you through these key steps, using an example research problem to help you understand each choice. By the end, you’ll have a clear, concrete plan for collecting and analyzing your data. First up, let’s take a quick run through the key choices and what they mean. First, you need to define the aim of your research. Based on this aim, you’ll make a choice for your research approach: A quantitative approach deals with numbers and statistics, A qualitative approach deals with words and meanings, A mixed methods approach integrates aspects of both. Within each approach, there are many types of research design to choose from. For example, in quantitative research, you might choose an experimental design to test a cause-and-effect relationship. In qualitative research, you might choose a case study design to dive into a specific context. Next, you’ll define who will participate in your research. What population will you focus on, and how will you select a sample of individuals to collect data from? Then, you’ll choose your methods of collecting data. For example,will you ask people questions directly using surveys or interviews, orwill you use observations to collect data unobtrusively? The procedures concern exactly how you’ll use your chosen design and methods. For example, how will you reliably measure your variables? What steps will you take in collecting and managing the data? Finally, you need to determine how you’ll analyze your data. That might involve choosing statistical tests that match your variables, or planning your approach to coding and interpreting the data. Now that you've got a rough idea of the steps you will take in designing your research, it's time to get your hands dirty. Click this video to learn about defining your aims and approach!