Introduction

In research, every decision that you make is affected by and affects everything else. Some decisions are risky, while others can be optimized over time. This set of predictions is known as a study design. You can think of your study design as a recipe. It describes the approach you plan to take, who your participants are, what method(s) you’ll use, and even how you’ll analyze your data.

Your study design is typically the main focus of a research plan. But a research plan doesn’t cover all of the micro-decisions and predictions you’ve had to make to plan a single study. While some predictions can be controlled more than others, understanding them in general will help you make smarter, more conscious choices. And the smarter the choices, the faster and more meaningful research you can deliver back to your stakeholders. And make no mistake: delivering fast, credible, and relevant findings will be the single greatest accelerator for building a mature research culture.

In this Handbook, let’s break down the various parts of of designing a study so you can figure out the best way to study something with your limited resources.