A researchers overall plan for obtaining answers to the research questions or for testing the research hypotheses is referred to as the research design.
Aspects of research design
Intervention Comparison Controls of extraneous variables Timing of data collection Research sites and settings Communication with the study participants
2. Determining time sequences - Eg. Infertility results in depression 3. Developing comparisons - Eg. Smoking and lung 4. Enhancing research control - Eg. Two groups with alternative interventions
Characteristics of good design
1. Appropriateness to the research question 2. Lack of bias 3. Precision 4. Power
Tips on designing research
1. Make a written list of the pros and cons of each 2. Balance a number of considerations, such as time, cost, ethical issues and the integrity of the study. Anticipate alternative findings and consider whether design adjustments might affect the results. 3. Seek the advice of research experts in deciding the design 4. Write out a rationale for your choices one you have made your design decisions
Reasons for under taking non-experimental research in nursing
Human characteristics are inherently not subject to experimental manipulation (eg. blood type personality etc) and the effects of these characteristics on some phenomenon of interest cannot be studied experimentally. o For ethical reasons. o Not practical to conduct a true experiment o Experimental design is not appropriate to some research questions