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,
and 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 the 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.
The 5 Types of Research Designs
Now that we know the broadly classified types of research, Quantitative and 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
These 5 types of Research Designs are considered the closest and exact to true experiments
and are preferred in terms of accuracy, relevance as well as quality.
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 of the descriptive design of the 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
wild cows 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 in 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 designs might have either a positive, negative or zero.
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
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 uses
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
A research design is essential to systematically investigate, understand,
and interpret phenomena of interest. Let’s look at different types of
research design and research design examples.
