ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the theme that there are many types of empirical research and that each may be proper for a particular scientific researcher tackling a particular question. It distinguishes among and describes the various types of research problems, to help researcher understand the research possibilities of the research question they select. Deciding what to measure and how to draw the definitional boundary lines around the quantity to be measured—translating the theoretical concept into empirical terms—is a crucial decision in measurement research. The chapter also describes the various types of empirical research so that researcher may think of them when they need them. Measurement research is a quantitative, and therefore more precise, form of descriptive research, but it is usually less flexible and rich in variety than is qualitative descriptive research. The most common measurements are: counting, central value, proportion, distribution, and variability.
