Research Design & Methods (jms-methods)

When to trigger

• The design may not match the theory's level, timing, or causal claim
• A qualitative study's case selection, saturation, or analytic procedure is under-specified
• Quantitative data are single-source, single-wave, self-reported (common-method bias risk)
• The theory is causal but the design is cross-sectional/correlational
• A reviewer says "the design cannot test/show this" or "the method is not rigorous enough"

Match the design to the question — pluralism with rigor

JMS welcomes all rigorous designs and is, distinctively, a friendly home for qualitative and process work — but rigor must clear a top-tier bar regardless of method. Choose the design the question demands: