Each discipline favors different kinds of designs to conduct their research. For example, the physical sciences of biology, chemistry, etc. favor laboratory research, and adhere to the principles of the Scientific Method, heavily using quantitative methods.

Social sciences like anthropology, psychology, sociology, etc. favor qualitative research that involve interpretations of data that aren’t always numbers-driven.

But, in general, when we talk about research we think “Scientific Method,” as Science is considered THE rational approach to studying and learning about phenomena.