ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some basic general principles of research design, which are important to follow to ensure that people are undertaking a project that is original, feasible, and interesting. It encounters some examples of research projects that are designed specifically to benefit underprivileged, underserved communities. A research project that raised awareness of the issue while pinpointing the location of the releases could provide major benefits to local residents. The chapter describes the North Shore Climate Change study in a bit more detail. This was a team project to improve the capabilities of tourism-based coastal communities in northern Minnesota to adapt to ongoing climate change. The project team consisted of natural scientists, social scientists, and tourism experts. In order to answer our research questions, researchers pursued a two-pronged approach that included both quantitative and qualitative components. For the quantitative analysis, researchers performed a literature review of the studies of climate impacts on outdoor recreational tourism activities.
