Episode 1.3: How is Research Classified?
Last updated on 2025-06-20 | Edit this page
Overview
Questions
- Why do researchers use different classification systems to describe
their studies?
- Can a single study belong to more than one research category?
Objectives
Learners will be able to:
- List at least four common criteria used to classify research
(e.g. purpose, methodology, design, timeframe).
- Explain how each criterion influences study design and
interpretation.
- Match a brief study description to two appropriate classification labels.
Why Classify Research at All?
Imagine you and your classmates are each investigating students’
phone use during lectures.
One of you runs an experiment, another conducts interviews, and a third
mines university log-data.
Even though you share a topic, you are not doing the same
kind of research.
Giving studies the right labels helps us:
- choose methods that fit our goals,
- communicate findings precisely, and
- compare work across disciplines.
In this episode, we step back to see the whole classification map before zooming in on specific types in later lessons.
The Big Picture: Common Ways to Classify Research
| Classification Criterion | Typical Labels (examples) | Key Question Answered |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Basic / Applied | Why is the study being done? |
| Methodology | Quantitative / Qualitative / Mixed | What kind of data will be collected? |
| Research Design | Descriptive / Correlational / Experimental | How will the data be gathered and analysed? |
| Goal (Depth of Study) | Exploratory / Descriptive / Explanatory / Evaluative | To what end will the findings be used? |
| Focus | Theoretical / Empirical | Does the work build concepts or test them in the real world? |
| Timeframe | Cross-sectional / Longitudinal | When and how long will observations occur? |
| Data Source | Primary / Secondary | Are you collecting new data or analysing existing material? |
Note: A single project can legitimately wear several labels.
For instance, a longitudinal applied mixed-methods evaluative study is perfectly possible.
A Closer Look at Our Categories
1. Purpose
-
Basic research asks fundamental “how or why”
questions (e.g. How does attention work?).
- Applied research seeks direct solutions (e.g. Will locking phone pouches improve grades?).
2. Methodology
-
Quantitative: counts phone glances per
lecture.
-
Qualitative: interviews students about
distraction.
- Mixed: does both to get numbers and narratives.
3. Design
-
Descriptive: records what happens.
-
Correlational: checks if phone use relates to low
marks.
- Experimental: randomly assigns half the class to “no-phone” rules.
(We will unpack each design in Episodes 1.4 and 1.5.)
4. Goal
-
Exploratory work might map new distraction
patterns.
- Explanatory work tests whether boredom causes phone use.
5. Focus
- A theoretical paper could model digital distraction
behaviour;
- while an empirical study would test that model in real lectures.
Test Your Knowledge!
Challenge 1
A research team videotapes every lecture of a single course for one
term and counts phone-checking events each week.
Which two classification labels (from different criteria) fit best?
Possible answer: Applied (purpose) and Longitudinal
(timeframe).
Another reasonable combination is Quantitative and Descriptive.
Challenge 2
True | False: A study can never be both basic and applied.
False. A project can develop basic theory in its early phase and apply that knowledge in a later phase—or run both threads in parallel.
Key Points
- Research can be classified by purpose, methodology, design,
goal, focus, timeframe, and data source.
- These labels guide methodological choices and clarify how findings
should be interpreted.
- Most real studies blend several categories; classifications are
tools, not rigid boxes.
- Recognising the map of research types prepares you to plan and communicate your own projects.
Figures
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Callout
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