Research does not begin with a research plan

Reflections on Renewing Research Methodology Education

Abstract

Background: In research methods education, students are often expected to formulate research questions and hypotheses at the very beginning of a project. This practice may prematurely narrow the focus of the investigation before the phenomenon itself has been adequately understood, while overlooking the ontological, epistemological, contextual, and normative assumptions that shape the entire research process.

Opinion: This article argues that research does not begin with writing a research proposal or selecting research methods, but with the gradual understanding of the problem under investigation. Using a public health example, it illustrates how research questions and hypotheses are frequently built upon implicit assumptions that substantially influence methodological choices and the interpretation of findings. The proposed Research Methodology Tree demonstrates how visible methodological decisions emerge from deeper philosophical and methodological foundations, while a second model depicts research as an iterative process in which problem understanding, literature review, research questions, and methodological decisions continuously evolve together. Based on these considerations, the article advocates a reconsideration of both research methods education and supervisory practice.

Conclusions: Research proposals should be regarded as the first mature synthesis of an already well-understood research problem rather than the starting point of the research process. Research methods education should place greater emphasis on supporting problem understanding, the iterative development of research questions, and the explicit recognition of the assumptions underlying research design.