Research philosophy refers to the set of beliefs and assumptions about how knowledge is developed, what is valid knowledge, and how research should be done. It guides the choice of research methods, data collection, and analysis by defining how a researcher understands reality and knowledge.   On this page: What is Research Philosophy? Why it Research Philoshophy Matters? The Choice of Research Philosophy How to use Research Philosophy Philosophy Focus Data Type Typical Methods Positivism Objective facts, causality Quantitative Surveys, statistical analysis Interpretivism Meanings, experiences Qualitative Interviews, observations Realism Objective reality with interpretation Mixed Both qualitative & quantitative Pragmatism Practical solutions Mixed Flexible methods Main research philosophies at a glance   What is Research Philosophy? Many students initially find research philosophy difficult to understand because it deals with abstract concepts about knowledge and reality. However, it is not necessary to become a philosopher in order to apply philosophical ideas in research. The key objective is simply to understand the basic assumptions underlying the research approach and to demonstrate that the chosen methodology is logically consistent with those assumptions. Research philosophy is a vast topic and here we will not be discussing this topic in great details. Research philosophy is associated with assumption, knowledge and nature of the study. It deals with the specific way of developing knowledge. This matter needs to be addressed because researchers may have different assumptions about the nature of truth and knowledge and philosophy helps us to understand their assumptions. In business and economics dissertations at Bachelor’s level, you are not expected to discuss this topic in a great level of depth, and about one page in methodology chapter devoted to research philosophy usually suffices. For a business dissertation at Master’s level, on the other hand, you may need to provide more discussion of the philosophy of … Continue reading Research Philosophy