If you think about research as a grand heist, to steal the most precious gem of all (knowledge), then your research design is the blueprint. It determines whether the job is slick, successful, and evidence-based… or if you end up tripping the alarm and are left with nothing but noise.

A solid research design guides how you collect, analyse, and interpret data. It directly influences how valid, reliable, and meaningful your findings are. Broadly speaking, research designs fall into two categories: descriptive and analytical. Descriptive studies are the reconnaissance. They scope out the scene, map the terrain, and give you the lay of the land. You learn what the gem looks like, how it's guarded, and where the vault is. Analytical studies are the actual break-in. They test what happens when you move in, take action, and try to pull off the job. One helps you understand the situation, and the other helps you test what works when you engage with it.

But let’s look a little deeper at a few specific study designs so that you can execute your heist without a hitch.

Descriptive Study Designs

Case Reports and Case Series: These involve detailed presentations of a single case (case report) or a collection of cases (case series), often highlighting novel or rare conditions. They provide initial insights that can lead to more extensive studies.​

Cross-Sectional Studies: These studies assess data from a population at a specific point in time, offering a snapshot of the prevalence of variables or conditions.​

Ecological Studies: These examine data at the group or population level rather than the individual level, which is helpful for identifying patterns and trends across communities or regions.

Qualitative Studies: These focus on experiences, meanings, and perspectives, often using interviews or focus groups to explore a phenomenon in depth.

Surveillance Studies: These continuously monitor health-related data (e.g. disease outbreaks) to inform public health action.

Analytical Study Designs

Case-Control Studies: These retrospective studies compare individuals with a specific condition (cases) to those without (controls) to identify potential risk factors or causes.​

Cohort Studies: These studies follow groups of individuals over time to observe how specific exposures affect the incidence of outcomes. They can be prospective or retrospective.​

Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs): Considered the gold standard in research, RCTs involve randomly assigning participants to intervention or control groups to evaluate the effect of interventions.​

Quasi-Experimental Studies: Similar to RCTs, but without random assignment. It is useful in real-world settings where actual experiments aren’t feasible.

Longitudinal Studies: These track the same subjects over a longer period to study change over time, great for understanding development, progression, or long-term effects.

No successful heist ever happened without a plan, and no successful research project happens without a thoughtful, well-matched study design. Whether scouting out the scene or making your move, choosing the right approach is key to unlocking valuable insight. Get your blueprint right, and you'll walk away with findings that are trustworthy, meaningful, and ready to share.

 So, with all this in mind, what will your next heist be, and is your blueprint ready?

Lois Ann Parri

Originally written on March 2024 – London, England UK