Cross-Sectional Research Design

This chapter addresses the peculiarities, characteristics, and major fallacies of cross-sectional research designs. The major advantage of cross-sectional research lies in cross-case analysis. A cross-sectional study aims at describing generalized relationships between distinct elements and conditions. The specific case and its particularities are not the focus, but all instances and cases. So cross-sectional studies try to establish general models that link a combination of elements with other elements under certain conditions. The results are tested (or rejected) theories about these relationships. Also, researchers find relevant information on how to write a cross-sectional research design paper and learn about typical methodologies used for this research design. The chapter closes with referring to overlapping and adjacent research designs.