ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the most important step in research, viz. research design. The design begins its journey from the statement of the expected outcome of the research or the working hypotheses and spells out the types of data needed, the types of analyses to be carried out, the way results of analysis should be validated and subsequently interpreted in the context of the objectives of research, and even the manner in which the research findings should be communicated to those concerned. Designing for data collection and assessing quality of measurements also form a part of the research design. The design should also incorporate ways and means to accommodate changes in data and their analysis as well as in interpretation of results as and when justified. Grounded theory, which differs from the classic hypothetico-deductive approach to research, is also briefly considered and partly illustrated
