The 3-Question Approach: A Simplified Framework for Selecting Study Designs

Conventional algorithms for selecting study designs are difficult to use for a novice researcher, especially the postgraduate students. An inherent limitation of using the existing algorithms is the requirement of a priori knowledge of the characteristics of various study designs. We propose a simple and novel 3-question approach to select study designs. The questions are asked in a stepwise manner with answers in 'yes' or 'no'. The responses to each of these questions lead the researcher towards choosing the appropriate study design. We believe that this 3-question approach would be useful for unexperienced researchers in selecting study designs, besides serving as a tool to teach-learn selection of study designs.