What is research design, and how is it used?

In sociology, research design refers to the methods employed by social researchers to gather information about populations. Research methods can include performing experiments on individuals to track changes, surveying populations, or directly observing specific types of people. A common example of research design in sociology is field work, also called ethnography, which consists of interacting directly with the populations being researched in order to learn more about them. Research design also determines what part of the population will be researched; for example, a longitudinal study examines the same group of individuals at different points over time, and a cross-sectional study researches individuals who are different ages, but share a specific characteristic relevant to the social phenomenon being researched. It is also possible for research design to consist of secondary analysis of data from previously conducted social research.