Sammenlign metoder

	Beskrivende Forskning	Eksplorativ kvantitativ forskning	Longitudinal Research
Fagområde	Forskningsdesign	Forskningsdesign	Forskningsdesign
Familie	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Oprindelsesår	Late 19th century; formalized in social/behavioral sciences ~1960s–1980s	Mid-20th century (codified in social research methods texts c. 1950s–1970s)	Late 19th–early 20th century; methodologically codified through the 20th century
Ophavsperson	Francis Galton, Karl Pearson (early empirical tradition); formalized in social science by Fred Kerlinger	Earl Babbie; John Creswell (systematic codification in social science methods)	No single originator; foundational methodological treatments by Stuart Menard and Judith Singer & John Willett
Type	Non-experimental quantitative research design	Non-experimental quantitative research design	Quantitative (or mixed) observational research design
Oprindelig kilde	Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.). Sage. ISBN: 978-1452226101	Babbie, E. (2021). The Practice of Social Research (15th ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-0357360767	Menard, S. (2002). Longitudinal Research (2nd ed.). Sage Publications. ISBN: 978-0761922841
Aliasser	descriptive study, descriptive survey design, observational descriptive research, non-experimental descriptive research	quantitative exploratory design, exploratory survey research, initial quantitative investigation, preliminary quantitative study	longitudinal study, longitudinal design, prospective longitudinal study, repeated-measures observational study
Relaterede	3	4	4
Resumé	Descriptive research is a non-experimental quantitative design that systematically documents the characteristics, frequencies, or distributions of variables in a defined population at a given point in time. It answers 'what is' questions — who, what, when, where, and how much — without manipulating variables or drawing causal conclusions. It is one of the most widely used research designs across the social, behavioral, health, and education sciences.	Exploratory quantitative research is a non-experimental design used when a phenomenon is insufficiently understood to support formal hypothesis testing. The researcher collects numerical data — typically through surveys, structured observation, or existing records — to describe distributions, detect patterns, and generate hypotheses that more targeted confirmatory studies can subsequently test. It occupies the first stage of a cumulative quantitative research programme.	Longitudinal research is an observational design in which the same participants, groups, or units are measured repeatedly over an extended period. Rather than capturing a single snapshot, it tracks change, stability, and temporal sequencing of variables — making it the primary non-experimental strategy for studying development, growth, decline, and the unfolding of causal processes across time.