Idea Puzzle

Abstract

The Idea Puzzle is a software application created in 2007. It is a support tool to assist PhD students and researchers in the process of designing research projects through a focus on three central dimensions of research that are collectively represented by a triangle. Each side of the Idea Puzzle triangle corresponds to one of the three dimensions that every empirical research project should ideally include: ontology (data), epistemology (theory), and methodology (method). As it is described on the Idea Puzzle website, this software allows users view their research projects as a “system of interdependent decisions that integrates theory, method and data” (www.ideapuzzle.com).