Toolbox: Designing research
The research design process can be summarised by this diagram.
Types of research
Within the development field, practitioners and policy-makers draw upon many different kinds of research in order to better inform their understanding of development processes and intervention design.
Selecting a unit of analysis
Should analysis take place at the level of the individual, household, community, organisation or a combination of these?
The qualitative/quantitative distinction
Whether to take a qualitative or quantitative approach to research is often presented as an either-or debate. In reality, the approaches are not only complementary, but are often two sides of the same coin.
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What is the methods toolbox?
This toolbox provides a guide to the variety of approaches and methods available and how they can be mixed to produce both rigorous and policy relevant research.
The toolbox should be considered as a set of resources to draw upon within the context of particular research requirements. It is divided into short sections that introduce each topic such that readers are able to get a sense of the materials and approaches included.
The toolbox is a work in progress. Any comments or queries you have about its content or organisation, and any other resources you feel we should include, would be most welcome.