In the last few decades, practice-oriented research has become important in society as well as in the social, policy and management sciences. However, having been developed to a large extent during the second half of the last century, existing research methodology bears the marks of science in an ivory tower, focusing on knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It will be argued that this shift in the context of discovery needs a follow-up in the context of justification. What’s more, we need to develop a methodology for the contexts of discovery and implementation, and for addressing ethical validity in designing and evaluating practice-oriented research. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, a focus on practice-oriented research can be reconciled with the task of building theories in science.

Target group

Researchers methodology, such as designing research, practice-oriented research and problem analysis, Methodologists

Author's information

Piet J.M. Verschuren publishes in several domains of research methodology, such as designing research, practice-oriented research and problem analysis. For several years he held the chair Methodologie van de Managementwetenschappen (Methodology of the Management Sciences) at Radboud University Nijmegen and at Wageningen University and Research Centre, both in the Netherlands. He was twice fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (nias) in Wassenaar.