Research Methodology: A Guide to Research Practitioners (Set of 2 Volumes)

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A research methodology text grounded in Indian philosophical traditions offers social scientists a holistic and integrative perspective that goes far beyond procedural guidelines, Such a book on research methodology drawing on concepts rooted in Bhartiya wishdom tradition (BWT) help sociologists interpret social structures with greater nuance, and guide political scientists in questioning power and governance through deeper epistemic reflection. This also enables economists to understand human behaviour beyond reductionist models, and assist anthropologists in engaging with culture through context-sensitive wisdom. This also helps historians to approach evidence with a balanced blend of critical inquiry and contextual understanding, and psychologists to study cognition and behaviour through frameworks that recognize both rational and experiential dimensions of the mind. By uniting logical rigor, philosophical depth, and indigenous knowledge systems, these works provide a comprehensive methodological framework that enriches inquiry across the entire spectrum of social sciences. Readers interested in understanding the core foundations of Research methodology in Indian Knowledge Systems can read the book entitled: 'Knowledge Generation in the West and Bharat: Philosophical Perspectives' authored by Narayan Prasad and Sant Kumar (2025) published by Motilal Banarasidass Publishing House, New Delhi. The groundwork introduces readers on: i) kind of epistemology and knowledge frameworks used in Indian wisdom tradition till date; ii) fundamental differences between western world view, its knowledge frameworks and associate paradigms with the corresponding branch of Bhartiya epistemology. It also brings focus on the strengths of Bhartiya Epistemology to explain the contemporary Bhartiya reality. A text rooted in logic, philosophical inquiry, and traditional wisdom invites the researcher into a deeper journey. It nurtures discernment, clarity of thought, and a sense of purpose, ensuring that research becomes not just a technical exercise but a meaningful exploration shaped by wisdom and intellectual integrity. The Pre-supposition about vision of reality and standpoint together guide the construction of theories to explain any event, phenomena, process or situation. This in turn, enables us to provide explanation of a puzzle, description of an event, interpretation of the results derived from the analysis of the data and prediction of trend of an entity. Corresponding to the vision of reality and standpoint, we plan to investigate the research problem using appropriate logie of enquiry and tools of analysis to answer the research questions. The vision of reality means a specific conception or understanding of the nature of existence and truth within a particular context. The vision of reality in terms of our thoughts, perceptions and values about the physical universe and the cosmic world is guided by the culture we live in. We can broadly divide culture into two groups-material culture and Spiritual culture. The philosophical basis of materialism is 'seeing is believing?" Here, the Perception of the material tangible world is given complete validity. Something which is not seen, known or is not verifiable by scientific experimentation in the laboratory is not accepted as real. Materialism means faith only in matter, the physical things that are perceived by the senses. On the other hand, spiritual culture relies upon both physical realities perceived through the senses as well as non-physical reality based on experience.

The integral vision of reality envisioned in the Bharatiya Wisdom Tradition is reflected in terms of the interconnection, interrelation, and interdependence of events, phenomena, and processes at all levels. This perspective has also been attested by the findings of modern science-particularly in physics, psychology, and neuroscience-creating clear and compelling motivation to adopt interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches in research studies in general, and in the social sciences in particular. To accomplish such a research orientation, a comprehensive understanding of research methodology-including the vision of reality, knowledge frameworks, and research methods-is essential. This book aims to address this need. The book will serve as a useful guide for researcher-practitioners, especially students aspiring to undertake research projects, dissertations, and thesis work at the undergraduate (Honours degree programme), master's, and doctoral levels across various disciplines. The book covers all stages of the research process-from the specification of a research problem to the choice of tools for analysis, estimation, and interpretation of findings-in a simple and lucid manner. It discusses a wide range of research techniques, including the scope and application of Artificial Intelligence, with real-life examples, demonstrations of deriving results through software, exercises for practice, and additional references for readers interested in advanced knowledge. Across both volumes, the book offers a holistic and future-ready approach to research methodology-one that integrates conceptual foundations, analytical sophistication, philosophical insight, technological tools, and ethical responsibility. By blending the Bharatiya Wisdom Tradition with contemporary research techniques, the two-volume set equips social scientists with the intellectual and practical skills needed to conduct rigorous, reflective, and impactful research in diverse disciplinary contexts.

Dr. Narayan Prasad, Professor of Economics retired from School of Social Sciences of Indira Gandhi National Open University has contributed more than 30 research papers in reputed National and International journals and authored eight books. He taught researh methodology course to MPhil and PhD students from 2008 to 2024. Twenty two students have been awarded PhD degree and eleven M.Phil under his supervision. Human well being, Human Development, Research Methodology have been his areas of interest. Prof. Prasad was awarded fellowhip by UGC for visiting France to conduct a research study and invited to deliver lectures on Vedanta at various places including New York, Washington and Los Angeles in the USA.

Dr. Nausheen Nizami, an IGNOU alumnus, is currently Associate Professor and Head, Department of Economics, School of Liberal Studies, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhi Nagar. Her active areas of research interest are: Impact of Climate change and Industry, labour markets and Decent Work, employment and nature of work in industries, Human Wellbeing, consumption behaviour and behavioural analysis. Her areas of specialization are Labour, Human Development, Econometrics and Applied Research Methodology. She is passionate about Research and Teaching and is currently member of Research Advisory Group of IOSH, UK and Chairperson-Board of Studies in Economics at PDEU. She has also served as Visiting Professor in University of La Sabana, Colombia.

Dr. Sonica Singhi, an IGNOU alumnus, is Associate Professor of Economics in Lakshmibai College (University of Delhi). She was awarded Gold Medal in M.A. Economics from Panjab University, Chandigarh, M.Sc. in Econometrics from the University of Nottingham, U.K. and Ph. D from IGNOU, Her research interests lie in macroeconomics, monetary economics, and applied econometrics, with a particular focus on macroeconomics, financial econometrics, and time-series econometrics. Her research papers have been published in reputed journals including those indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, ABDC, and International Peer Reviewed Journals. She has been invited to deliver several talks on contemporary Indian and international economic issues at multiple academic and professional platforms. She has received the Best Paper Award twice at international conferences on Indian Economy and Contemporary Challenges.