1.2 Realisation – making research happen

This is often not accorded the importance it deserves. Research design is about organising your research approach in order to answer your research questions, or at least generate reliable valid information to interpret for your research questions. Typical considerations are quantitative or qualitative or a combination of the two. Another issue is what data sources to use? For example, in survey research, how do you determine the structure of a sample? Or in qualitative case study research, how do you decide which cases to research? Triangulation helps to ensure the validity of findings which we will consider shortly.

When it comes to resourcing research, a key resource is clearly you and your time. But other vital resources you may need could be finance for travel, fieldwork, facilities and equipment, interviewees and interpreters expenses etc. Planning and organising all these is important and it is worth drawing-up plans and schedules to keep track.

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Figure 5 Research process in a typical project cycle

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Figure 4 Research process in a typical project cycle

Figure 5 Research process in a typical project cycle