A Guide for Novice Researchers: Design and Development Research Methods

Abstract

Understanding the type of research methods that may best fit a given research agenda can be daunting task for novice researchers. In many instances, the problem can seem to be overwhelm-ing in that the novice does not possess the basic familiarity with the fundamental terms and con-cepts of some of the more commonly used approaches to make an informed decision. This paper provides the novice researcher with a basic set of concepts and terms associated with conducting design and development studies, one of the foundational research approaches in the informing sciences. A six phase design and development framework adopted from prior system develop-ment methodology literature is presented. Additionally, examples to help the novice researcher better grasp the proposed framework are discussed.