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Topic 2.1 of Research Design and Literature Review

Research Design: Concept and Types

Eight common research designs -- from purely descriptive to true experimental -- and why correlational findings like "MFA users report fewer breaches" get misreported as causal claims almost every time.

~30 min total·4 quadrants of structured content

By the end of this topic, you will

Distinguish the eight common research designs: descriptive, exploratory, explanatory, correlational, cross-sectional, longitudinal, case study, and quasi-experimental
Place a design on the observational-to-experimental spectrum by how much control it gives over confounding variables
Explain why a correlational finding cannot support a causal claim without further controls
Match a research question to the design it actually calls for

Quadrant 1 · e-Tutorial

Video lectures and walkthroughs

Quadrant 2 · e-Content

Articles and case studies

research-methodology

Research Design: Concept and Types

A design chosen after the data are already in hand is not a design -- it is a story built to fit whatever numbers turned up. Eight common designs, and why correlational findings get misread as causal ones constantly.

10 min read

Quadrant 3 · Web Resources

Downloadable material and curated external links

Web resources coming soon.

Quadrant 4 · Self-Assessment

Test your knowledge — earn a certificate on first pass

Assessment coming soon.