Philosophy of Research

Probably think of research as something very abstract and complicated. It can be, but you'll see that if you understand the different parts or phrases of a research project and how these fit together, it's not nearly as complicated as it may seem at first glance. A research project has a well-known structure - a beginning, middle, and end.
Before the modern idea of research emerged, we had a term for what philosophers used to call research - logical reasoning. So, it should come as no surprise that some of the basic distinctions in logic have carried over into contemporary research.
Quality is one of the most important issues in research. We introduce the idea of validity to refer to the quality of various conclusions you might reach based on a research project. Here's where I've got to give you the pitch about validity. When I mention validity, most students roll their eyes, curl up into a fetal position or go to sleep. They think validity is just something abstract and philosophical. But I think if you can understand validity - the principles that we use to judge the quality of research - you'll be able to do much more than just completing a research project.

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