This document provides an overview of research design. It defines research design as a framework that guides the research process from defining problems to collecting and analyzing data. The major types of research designs discussed are cross-sectional, longitudinal, exploratory, cohort, historical, experimental, and mixed-method. Cross-sectional design monitors a population at one time to determine relationships between variables. Longitudinal design repeatedly observes the same participants over time to study causality. Exploratory design uses qualitative methods like interviews and observations to understand a problem. Mixed-method design presents findings using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The document emphasizes that a strong research design provides a clear purpose, methodology, analysis plan and addresses limitations.