Research Methodology: From Philosophy of Science to Research Design

130 Pages·2013·3.06 MB·English

COMMUNICATIONS IN CYBERNETICS, COMMUNICATIONS IN CYBERNETICS,
SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 3 3 SYSTEMS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 3
A.M. Novikov
D.A. Novikov
This book dist nguishes itself from many other works devoted to research methodology
and the philosophy of science in its integrated approach towards scient fi c research, which
is regarded as the scient fi c project on all levels – from philosophy of science to research
design. This work studies the basics of the methodology of scient fi c research and the
organizat on of scient fi c act vity from the viewpoint of systems science and system analysis.
The book discusses the basics of the methodology including philosophical, psychological,
epistemological and ethical/aesthet cal foundat ons, the characterist cs of scient fi c act vity,
including principles of scient fi c cognit on, the means and methods of scient fi c research,
the organizat on of a research implementat on process and its chronological structure and
fi nally, the organizat on of a collect ve scient fi c research design.
The work should be of interest to researchers, students and professionals in the fi elds of
systems science, cybernet cs, systems engineering, philosophy of science and project
management, as well as to specialists of applied act vity in the fi elds of operat ons research,
programming, mathemat cal modeling of decision-making in organizat ons and economics.
ABOUT THE BOOK SERIES
Communicat ons in Cybernet cs, Systems Science and Engineering (CCSSE) is a cross-
disciplinary book series devoted to theoret cal and applied research contribut ons, that cater
to a rapidly growing worldwide interest in a cybernet c and systemic methodology with an
ever-increasing capacity to deal with new chalenges in a way that tradit onal science cannot. Alexander M. Novikov
The series aims to become a comprehensive reference work on and guide to developments Dmitry A. Novikov
within the fi eld and strategies required for bet er implementat on of advances, with a view
to environmental protect on and sustainable social and economic development. The CCSSE
series targets all working in theoret cal and applied fi elds of cybernet cs, systems science
and engineering, e.g. academics, researchers and consultants, computer and informat on
scient sts, development and systems engineers, mathemat cians, management cybernet cists Research Methodology
and systemists, medical scient sts, and intelligent and manufacturing engineers in industry,
as wel as leading decision- and policy-makers. From Philosophy of Science to Research Design
SERIES EDITOR: JEFFREY ‘YI-LIN’ FORREST
an informa business
Research Methodology
Research Methodology
Communications in Cybernetics, Systems Science and Engineering
ISSN: 2164-9693
Book Series Editor:
JeffreyYi-Lin Forrest
International Institute for General Systems Studies, Grove City, USA
Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, USA
Volume 3
ResearchMethodology
From Philosophy of Science to Research Design
Alexander M. Novikov
Research Center of theTheory of Continuous Education,
Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russian Federation
Dmitry A. Novikov
Trapeznikov Institute of Control Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Moscow, Russian Federation
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
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© 2013 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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Version Date: 20130411
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-203-76472-5 (eBook - PDF)
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Table of contents
Editorial board vii
About the authors ix
Introduction 1
1 Foundations of research methodology 5
1.1 Philosophical, psychological and systematic foundations 5
1.2 Epistemological foundations 13
1.3 Ethical and aesthetical foundations 28
2 Characteristics of scientific research activity 33
2.1 Features of research activity 33
2.2 Principles of scientific cognition 35
3 Means and methods of scientific research 41
3.1 Means of scientific research 41
3.2 Methods of scientific research 43
4 Organization of scientific research 59
4.1 Design of scientific research 60
4.2 Technology of scientific research 81
4.3 Reflexion in scientific research 91
5 Organization of collective scientific research 97
Conclusion 103
Appendix. The role of science in modern society 107
Bibliography 115
Name index 117
Subject index 119
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Editorial board
Michael C. Jackson, University of Hull, UK
Jerzy Jozefczyk, Wroclaw University of Technology, Poland
Doncho Petkov, Eastern Connecticut State University, USA
Vladimir Tsurkov, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Shouyang Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.R. China
ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
C.L. Philip Chen, University of Macau, P.R. China
Zengru Di, Beijing Normal University, P.R. China
Raul Espejo, Syncho Ltd. and World Organization of Systems and Cybernetics, UK
Keith W. Hipel, University of Waterloo, Canada
Baoding Liu, Tsinghua University, China
Nagendra Nagarur, State University of New York at Binghamton, USA
John Pourdehnad, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Brian Howard Rudall, Institute of the World Organisation of Systems and
Cybernetics & Bangor University, UK
Rudolf Scheidl, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria
Markus Schwaninger, Institute of Management, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
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About the authors
Alexander M. Novikov was born in 1941. Honored
Scientist of the Russian Federation, Dr. Sci. (Peda-
gogics), Prof., academic of the Russian Academy of
Education, foreign member of the Ukrainian Academy
of Pedagogical Sciences, member of the Union of Jour-
nalists, laureate of the National Prize of the Russian
Federation.
At present, he is head of the Research Center of the
theory of continuous education of the Russian Academy
of Education. He has authored over 300 scientific pub-
lications on: methodology and the theory of pedagog-
ics, the theory and methods of labour education and
professional education, psychology and physiology of
labour. Scientific adviser of 10 Doctors of Science and
32 Candidates of Science. e-mail: