Research Design

This one-day workshop introduces participants to the core elements of research design. Combining short lectures with interactive group exercises, it covers key aspects of the research process, including how to position research within existing debates and identify gaps (literature reviews); how to formulate clear, feasible, and relevant inquiries (research questions); how to define and operationalize key phenomena systematically (conceptualization); how to build theoretical frameworks that structure research and generate observable implications (the role of theory); and how to choose appropriate methodological tools while ensuring coherence between theory, concepts, and empirical strategies (methods and data). Participants will actively engage with these topics, apply them to their own research, and receive structured feedback in a hands-on format. 

To tailor discussions and group work to participants’ research interests, attendees are asked to submit a one-page summary of their PhD project two weeks in advance of the workshop. 

Date & Time:

The training will take place on 22 May 2025, from 10:00 to 17:00.

Please note that the course is open for external participants. If you are not affiliated with one of our partner universities, you are asked to pay a fee.

About the Trainer:

David Kuehn is Senior Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies in Hamburg, Germany. His main research interests include civil-military relations, democratization, authoritarianism and social science methodology.