Abstract
The research design can be defined as the plan of action to be followed to answer the research question. The type of question dictates the type of study design. Primary research is research which seeks to obtain new data about the phenomena studied, while secondary research is the research which analyses the data and results of studies already done.
The types of research can be classified as quantitative (correlational, comparative, experimental, etc.) or qualitative.
The quantitative studies can be classified as cross-sectional, “before and after,” longitudinal. A time classification will group them into retrospective, prospective, and both (retrospective and prospective). Depending on the nature of the investigation, the types of research could be also classified as descriptive, comparative, or experimental.
The qualitative research includes the phenomenological, ethnographic, historical, case studies, grounded theory.
Secondary research includes systematic, narrative, and meta-analysis reviews.
This chapter tries to illustrate the concept that each research question is best answered by a certain type of study, in a set of given circumstances.
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Moissenko, F., Braicu, C., Tomuleasa, C., Berindan-Neagoe, I. (2016). Types of Research Designs. In: Stefan, D. (eds) Cancer Research and Clinical Trials in Developing Countries. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18443-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18443-2_3
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