Effective research requires effective planning.
Types of study range from experiments to various forms of quasi-experimental or observational study, with individual projects often requiring the use of more than one type of study. We will note the advantages and limitations of each, and implications for their use as evidence. The course is aimed at anyone undertaking quantitative research, or a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research in biology, agriculture, medicine, industry, the physical sciences, engineering, the humanities and business. While the range of types of study may be wider than many individual participants will immediately encounter, this contact with different approaches is useful preparation for new demands that may arise as research progresses. Familiarity with the advantages and limitations of alternative widely used research methodologies may be even more important when researchers leave the University and take up jobs in industry or government.