Basic
Research
Design for
Quantitative Studies
Before designing a quantitative research study, you must decide whether
it will be descriptive or experimental because this will dictate how you
gather, analyze, and interpret the results.
A descriptive study is governed by the following rules: subjects are
generally measured once; the intention is to only establish associations
between variables; and, the study may include a sample population of
hundreds or thousands of subjects to ensure that a valid estimate of a
generalized relationship between variables has been obtained.
An experimental design includes subjects measured before and after a
particular treatment, the sample population may be very small and
purposefully chosen, and it is intended to establish causality between
variables.
Introduction
The introduction to a quantitative study is usually written in the present tense and from the third person point of view. It
covers the following information:
Identifies the research problem -- as with any academic study, you must state clearly and concisely the research problem
being investigated.
Reviews the literature -- review scholarship on the topic, synthesizing key themes and, if necessary, noting studies that have
used similar methods of inquiry and analysis. Note where key gaps exist and how your study helps to fill these gaps or
clarifies existing knowledge.
Describes the theoretical framework -- provide an outline of the theory or hypothesis underpinning your study. If
necessary, define unfamiliar or complex terms, concepts, or ideas and provide the appropriate background information to
place the research problem in proper context [e.g., historical, cultural, economic, etc.].
Evaluating the authority, usefulness, and reliability of
resources is a crucial step in conducting a review of the literature
that effectively covers pertinent research and, thereby, demonstrates
to the reader that you know what you're talking about. The process of
evaluating scholarly materials also enhances your general skills and
ability to:
• Seek out alternative points of view and differing perspectives,
• Identify possible bias in the work of others,
Evaluating • Distinguish between fact, fiction, and opinion,
• Develop and strengthen your ability to distinguish between
Sources relevant and non-relevant content,
• Draw cogent, well thought out conclusions, and
• Synthesize information, extracting meaning through a deliberate
process of interpretation and analysis.
Black, Thomas R. Evaluating Social Science Research: An
Introduction. London: Sage, 1993.
1. Source of the content is stated
2. Don't be fooled by an attractive, professional-
looking presentation
Strategies 3. Site is currently being maintained
for 4. Links are relevant and appropriate, and are in
Critically working order
Evaluating Web 5. Clearly states authorship
6. The site includes contact information
Content
7. Domain location in the site address (URL) is
relevant to the focus of the material [e.g., .edu
for educational or research materials; .org for
non-profit organizations; .gov for government
sites; .com for business sites].
PRIMARY SOURCES
• are materials that were either created during
the time period being studied or were
created at a later date by a participant in the
events being studied, such as, a childhood
memoir.
• They are original documents [i.e., they are
not about another document or account] and
reflect the individual viewpoint of a
participant or observer. Primary sources
represent direct, uninterpreted records of the
subject of your research study.
are original materials
Reviewing primary were created from the time period involved,
source material can
be of value in
improving your
have not been filtered through interpretation or
overall research evaluation by others, and
paper because they:
represent original thinking or experiences,
reporting of a discovery, or the sharing of new
information.
• Artifacts [e.g. furniture or clothing, all from the time under study];
Examples of Audio recordings [e.g. radio programs]; Diaries; Internet
communications on email, listservs, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and
primary other social media platforms; Interviews [e.g., oral histories,
telephone, e-mail]; Newspaper articles written at the time
documents you • Original official documents [e.g., birth certificate, will, marriage
license, trial transcript]; Patents; Personal correspondence [e.g.,
could review as letters]; Photographs
part of your • Proceedings of meetings, conferences and symposia
• Records of organizations, government agencies [e.g. annual report,
overall study treaty, constitution, government document]
include: • Speeches; Survey Research [e.g., market surveys, public opinion
polls]
• Transcripts of radio and television programs; Video recordings
• Works of art, architecture, literature, and music [e.g., paintings,
sculptures, musical scores, buildings, novels, poems]
Value of Secondary Sources
• To do research, you must cite research. Primary
sources do not represent research per se, but
only the artifacts from which most research is
derived. Therefore, the majority of sources in a
literature review are secondary sources that present
research findings, analysis, and the evaluation of
other researcher's works.
• Reviewing secondary source material can be of
value in improving your overall research
paper because secondary sources facilitate the
communication of what is known about a topic.
Examples of secondary
sources you could review as part
of your overall study include:
Bibliographies [also considered tertiary]
Biographical works
Books, other than fiction and autobiography
Commentaries, criticisms
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias [also considered
tertiary]
Histories
Journal articles [depending on the discipline, they
can be primary]
Magazine and newspaper articles [this distinction
varies by discipline]
Textbooks [also considered tertiary]
Web site [also considered primary]
consolidates and organizes primary and
secondary sources together into one source in
order to facilitate quick access to
Tertiary
information.
Source are good starting points for research projects
because they often extract the essential
meaning or most important aspects of large
amounts of information into a convenient
format.
Value of Tertiary
Sources
• Reviewing tertiary source material can be of value
in improving your overall research paper because
they:
• Often compile factual information in one
place. Searching for the data in multiple sources
takes time but searching for names of heads of state
can be found in an almanac.
• Lead the reader to additional sources. For
example, rather than citing in your literature review a
long list of additional sources on a topic, you can
simply cite to a comprehensive bibliography
compiled by another researcher.
• Distill large quantities of closely related
information or data [e.g., a statistical compendium].
• Often contain references and bibliographies that
can point you to key primary and secondary sources.
Examples of tertiary sources you could review as
part of your overall study include:
• Abstracts
• Almanacs
• Bibliographies [also considered secondary]
• Chronologies
• Dictionaries and encyclopedias [also considered secondary]
• Directories
• Fact books
• Handbooks
• Indexes, databases, search engines, and bibliographies used
to locate primary and secondary sources
• Manuals
• Statistical compendiums
• Textbooks and course readers [may also be secondary]
Methodology
• The methods section of a quantitative study should describe how
each objective of your study will be achieved.
• Be sure to provide enough detail to enable the reader can make an
informed assessment of the methods being used to obtain results
associated with the research problem.
• The methods section should be presented in the past tense.
