Designing a Research Project

Scientific research aims to answer questions by collecting, interpreting, and evaluating data to answer questions, solve problems, and enhance knowledge. Generally, the design of a research project refers to definition of the research question as well as the method of systematically obtaining and interpreting evidence in order to answer the question. The design science approach provides a suitable and comprehensive framework for identifying strategies to address the problem at hand. This chapter discusses how to define a research question, design a study to answer that question, incorporate funding, and package the study into an accessible story for dissemination.