Designing Valid Research: a Brief Study of Research Methodology

Research is not complicated; it is sophisticated. A research project initiated prematurely without proper understanding of the problem and a workable plan can become an accident just waiting to happen. Information must be gathered in a controlled manner and analyzed properly to reach a valid conclusion. This text is both an introduction and a handbook for social scientific research. Those who already have IT skills and are Internet savvy can solve problems that perplex family, work, community, established religion, or society at large by using simple keys of social research. For those who use it in a formal research degree program, an initial study of the text early in the program is recommended, then the "big picture" can be kept in focus as the candidate progresses.