Reason & Rigor

Reason and Rigor aims to help students and other researchers understand the functional, comprehensive role of conceptual frameworks in organizing and guiding their empirical research. We view the development of conceptual frameworks as a process through which researchers identify the questions and lines of inquiry that matter most to them, develop appropriate strategies for pursuing those questions, and monitor and reflect on their own learning and thinking as the research unfolds. As a result, readers of this book will learn how to use existing knowledge (theory, methods, and empirical research) in conjunction with your own interests and observations to ask better questions, develop robust and justifiable strategies for exploring those questions, and explain both the importance and limitations of your findings.