Question 1

What is the difference between research paradigms — positivist, interpretivist, and critical realist?

Accepted Answer

Positivist research assumes an objective reality knowable through empirical observation and seeks to identify universal laws through hypothesis testing; it favors quantitative methods. Interpretivist research assumes reality is socially constructed and seeks to understand meaning through subjective experience; it favors qualitative methods. Critical realist research acknowledges both objective structures and subjective interpretation, seeking deeper causal mechanisms; it often uses mixed methods. Each paradigm shapes your research questions, design choices, and validity criteria differently.

Question 2

How do I ensure a study is both internally and externally valid?

Accepted Answer

Internal validity asks whether your study truly measures what you claim — achieved through control groups, randomization, pre-testing, and accounting for confounding variables. External validity asks whether findings generalize beyond your sample — achieved through random sampling, demographic diversity, and replication across contexts. Sometimes these conflict: highly controlled lab studies gain internal validity but lose external validity. Balancing both requires clear research questions, transparent methods, and explicit limitations discussion.

Question 3

What is the role of a research protocol and why does IRB approval matter?

Accepted Answer

A research protocol is a detailed document specifying your research questions, methods, sample procedures, data management, and ethical safeguards — it's the blueprint for your entire study. IRB approval ensures human subjects are protected from risk, informed consent is genuine, and privacy is maintained. Even minor deviations from the approved protocol can invalidate the study's ethical standing and results. Institutional Review Boards are legally mandated in most academic and clinical settings.

Question 4

When should I use a qualitative versus quantitative approach?

Accepted Answer

Use quantitative methods when your research aims to test hypotheses, measure associations, or estimate prevalence in a population — you need numbers. Use qualitative methods when your aim is to explore meanings, understand processes, or generate theory from lived experience — you need depth. Mixed methods combine both: quantitative to establish patterns, qualitative to explain why patterns exist. Your research question naturally suggests which approach fits best.

Question 5

What is a confounding variable and how do I control for it?

Accepted Answer

A confounding variable is one that affects both your independent and dependent variables, creating a spurious association. For example, age might confound a study linking coffee consumption to heart disease because both age and coffee drinking vary with age. You control confounders through: randomization (in experiments), statistical adjustment (regression, stratification), matching, or restriction. Documentation of potential confounders strengthens your study's credibility.

Question 6

How do I choose an appropriate sample size and sampling strategy?

Accepted Answer

Sample size depends on your effect size expectations, desired statistical power (typically 80%), and significance level (α = 0.05). Larger studies detect smaller effects; underpowered studies risk Type II errors. Sampling strategy depends on your research question and population. Random sampling minimizes selection bias and supports generalization; stratified sampling ensures subgroups are represented; purposive/convenience sampling is appropriate for exploratory qualitative work. Power analyses and sample size calculators (G*Power, online tools) are essential tools.

Question 7

What makes research reproducible and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Reproducible research documents methods, materials, analysis code, and data transparently enough that another researcher can obtain the same results following your protocol. It matters because it prevents fraud, catches errors, enables meta-analyses, and builds cumulative science. Best practices include pre-registering hypotheses, sharing code/data, reporting effect sizes and confidence intervals, and noting all decisions (including those that didn't pan out). Reproducibility is now a core mandate in journals and funding agencies.

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CANADA	C$48k	C$85k	C$125k

Research Methods and Study Design

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