Determine if data collection in the natural environment will facilitate a contextual and comprehensive understanding of the research topic. In social science research, the researcher is interested in viewing the research phenomenon in a natural setting that will broaden the researcher's view and present a more accurate depiction of overt and subtle human contributions to that phenomenon. The physical setting in which a phenomenon occurs significantly impacts the human behavior.
Determine what form data collection will take. The topic of research dictates what data is to be collected. For instance, if the research is trying to gain an understanding of American Indian life in 2011, an observational method would be appropriate. However, if the research is investigating what American Indian life was like in 1900, he would need to rely on historical documents and/or interviews with knowledgeable individuals.
Decide the best approach to investigate a topic. For example, if the topic focuses on a living individual, the researcher may choose to investigate that individual by interview, observations or by a combination of these methods. Biographical investigations sometimes are best conducted via a combination of interview and observation. Interviewing the individual presents the individual's perspective, while observation provides a different perspective on the same topic, the individual.
Take into consideration the limitations of time. Ideally, and outside of an academic research program, a researcher does not allow the limitation of time to dictate his research. However, there may be segments of time in which the phenomenon is best investigated. If a researcher is investigating student pretest anxiety associated with standardized testing, time becomes a limitation. The research may collect data on this for several weeks before and leading up to the testing, or it may collect data only on the testing date.
Consider the study population relative to the topic of research. Some research lends itself well to an ethnographic, observation-participant format. This method of qualitative research is known as ethnography. When the research becomes a part of the social system that he is researching, witnessing their actions, interactions and reactions, he is using an observation-participant approach, also called ethnography. This research method is very effective in investigating the social dynamics of different cultures or subcultures. such as African American, Jewish, high school athletes and middle school girls.