Research Design Section
University of Northern Iowa methods guidance says a Methods account should make the study design and procedural choices clear and explain why those choices were made. A separate Research Design heading is not universal; disciplines and institutions may place the same material inside a broader Methods or Methodology section.
A Research Design section identifies the overall study design and explains how that structure is suited to the research question.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
A separate Research Design heading is not universal; disciplines and institutions may place the same material inside a broader Methods or Methodology section.
Further guidance
Content
Keep detailed recruitment, measurement, collection, and analysis procedures in their appropriate subsections when the document uses them.
Purpose
State the design accurately, describe the structural features that matter to interpretation, and give a concise rationale for the design choices rather than repeating every later procedure.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Chapter Four: Quantitative Methods — Part 3, Making Sense of Your Study (opens in a new tab)University of Northern Iowa · University methods guidance supporting clear reporting of study design, recruitment, operationalized variables, instruments, and reliability/validity