How to determine the type of experimental design suitable for my research?

Selecting an appropriate experimental design depends critically on your specific research question and the nature of the variables you aim to manipulate and measure. Key considerations include whether you can randomly assign participants to conditions (essential for true experiments) and your ability to control extraneous variables. The primary question structure—examining cause-and-effect versus relationships or descriptions—guides the choice. Practical constraints like time, resources, and ethical limitations also play a crucial role. Common designs encompass true experimental (e.g., RCTs), quasi-experimental (e.g., non-equivalent groups), pre-experimental (e.g., one-shot case study), and non-experimental (e.g., correlational) approaches. Begin by precisely defining your research question and hypothesis. Identify your independent and dependent variables. Assess the feasibility of random assignment and control over confounding variables. Then, systematically match your requirements and constraints against the core characteristics and strengths of various design types outlined in methodology literature. This process ensures the chosen design optimally facilitates valid causal inference or accurate description aligned with your study goals.