What are the factors to be considered while choosing the appropriate research methods?

What will be an ideal response?

The three main factors to be considered while choosing the appropriate research methods include the research purpose, available resources, and access to research subjects or available data. The choice of research methods is closely related to the purpose of the investigation. If researchers are conducting exploratory research on a topic about which they have little prior knowledge and there is limited literature to rely on, a qualitative method is generally more appropriate. If they are conducting a descriptive study in order to provide a detailed description of the major characteristics of the topic, then survey research is preferred. If they are conducting causal or explanatory research to determine the relationships among various factors, experimental, quasi-experimental, or longitudinal research may be considered. Qualitative methods may also be used to explore causal relationships. Secondary analysis and research analysis of administrative records may be selected for both descriptive and causal research if available data are relevant to the research purpose. When investigators are asked to perform an evaluation of a program or project, evaluation research comes into play. If there are large numbers of prior studies on a subject, researchers may want to conduct a research review or meta analysis before undertaking their own study.

The availability of resources also impacts the choice of research method. Valuable resources include knowledge, money, time, support, and analytic skills. The investigator’s knowledge and familiarity with various research methods play a significant role in the method chosen. When researchers are limited in their research training and experience, the options available to them are correspondingly limited to those with which they are most familiar and comfortable. An interdisciplinary research team can overcome this problem by including people from different scientific disciplines and research backgrounds. The available budget is critical for decisions about the type of method to be used and the scope of study. Limited case study is generally cheaper than large-scale investigation, survey research is cheaper than experimental research, and cross-sectional study is cheaper than longitudinal study. Research population, data sources, sample size, data collection, and analysis methods are all tied to monetary considerations. Time, like money, is often limited, and the time allowed for evaluation often dictates which and how many methods can be chosen.

Staff support is an important consideration because, for any given amount of time, more staff support usually means more data collected. With interview surveys, for example, the number of qualified interviewers that researchers have available to them dictates how soon the interviews can take place after subjects have been identified and located. Analytic skills are crucial for data analysis, and often involve statistical and computer skills. They are especially important for large-scale studies or studies using data from multiple sources. The absence of these skills may limit the investigator to generally descriptive analysis, which does not make full use of the data collected.

Access to research or available data is also an important determinant in selecting research methods. The willingness of research subjects may dictate whether experimental techniques can be used or a quasi-experiment must be employed. Subject attrition is a critical concern for longitudinal research designs. The data collection methods chosen for survey research may depend on the characteristics of the subjects. Qualitative research relies heavily on the subjects’ compliance and willingness to be studied, observed, or interviewed. The availability of, and accessibility to, relevant data sources may determine whether secondary research can be conducted in lieu of primary research. Access to available data and subjects also determines the types of methods chosen for evaluation research.

Other considerations when choosing research methods include the possibility of using a combination of research methods, along with the need to specify the limitations or constraints facing their study, including being clear about what can and cannot be achieved by the study. Using a combination of methods can often more effectively fulfill the research purpose than using a single method. Combining research methods allows for relationships between individuals, organizations, and other entities to be specified explicitly. Meta analysis, for example, can be performed as an independent study as well as an integral, preliminary part of primary research, and secondary data may be used in combination with primary sources to compensate for missing data elements. Investigators frequently have to scale down the design, modify the research question, or select alternative methods because of uncontrollable factors. The specification of study constraints is important for the reader or other researchers who may not be limited by the identified constraints. When faced with budgetary or other constraints, researchers should sacrifice the scope of the study to maintain the validity and reliability of the findings.