Q: Hello, I'm a researcher and I'm planning to have a research about how does sleep deprivation affect teens psychic mood and academic performance. Therefore, im kinda lost about to go with what type of study either cross-sectional or longitudinal study.
Put in my mind that I'm also required to talk about a gap therefore using the less researched method would be beneficial. Any recommendation?
Thank you for your question! What research design to use will depend on your specific study question, your study population, your methodology, and whether it is a prospective, retrospective, or intervention-based work. Several sets of recommendations exist for the optimal research design of a study; the EQUATOR network (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines-study-design/experimental-studies/?post_type=eq_guidelines%26eq_guidel) provides a comprehensive overview of these as well as a tool to recommend the appropriate reporting guidelines. Overall, the core basis for this decision should be “what would best help me directly address the research question”; generally, novelty in methodology is not a necessity or an expectation so long as a unique contribution is made to the body of knowledge. For your specific query, both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies exist on the role of sleep in adolescence from various aspects, so you do retain the freedom to choose what best fits the needs of your work. I hope this is helpful!
