Know Different Layers of Saunders Research Onion

18 Apr 2025 91 Views Share

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As a college student, you must have done research for your assignment or essay, but do you ever think about what you are missing out on? Well, there is a method called Saunders Research Onion; you must have heard about this term, research onion, in your college or from someone. Moreover, going into detail, this method was developed by Saunder et al. in 2007, and it describes the different decisions you must make when developing research methodology. That's for now. If you have interest in this research method, read this blog to understand it better.

What is Saunders Research Onion ?

You must have heard about different research methods that are used in your college, but there is a strategy that stands out from them all, and that is the research onion, developed by Mark Saunders; that's why it is known as Saunders' research onion. Have you ever seen an onion, well just like onion this method also consists layers, which you need to peel away to reveal the core. This method illustrates the sequential nature of research design, and the layer shows the complexity you face while conducting a study. As we talked about the layer, a research onion Saunders consists of six layers, each with its role. If you are interested in peeling all the layers of this onion, then read the next section.

Layer of Saunders Research Onion 

As you have read the upper section, we talked about the 6 layers of the onion research. To understand those layers, firstly, wear glasses; peeling might cause irritation in your eyes. As part of the joke, to understand all these layers of onion, you need to properly peel each layer and understand it, as if you missed anything, it might create a problem for you in understanding the other layers. Moving ahead, the Saunders research onion contains six layers.

• Research Philosophy
• Research Approach
• Research Strategy
• Choice
• Time Horizon
• Techniques And Procedures

These were the six layers of research onion, now go and start peeling them and do not forget to understand each one of them properly.

Research Philosophy

You will find research philosophy when you peel the first layer of the research onion. Well, the question arises: what is a research philosophy? It is the foundation of any study, because it describes the set of beliefs the research is built upon. This form of a layer can be described from point of view of either an ontological or epistemological. The ontology means the "what" and "how" of what you want to know. On the other hand, epistemology is about "how" we can obtain knowledge and understand things easily. After understanding all those things, let's understand the three main research philosophies that operate from these two.

• Positivism
• Interpretivism
• Pragmatism

These are the most common and provide a good starting point for understanding the philosophies.

Positivism

This type of research provides the knowledge outside of the topic you are studying.  This study includes only the objectives, and you can put your personal opinion or point of view in it. Positivism research gives a view about knowledge that can only be acquired through empirical research; that research is based on measurement and observation. In positivism, the information can only be accurate, fake, or senseless. If something is not authentic or fake, it doesn't hold any ground, and that is dismissed.

Interpretivism

After positivism, interpretivism focuses on the influence of the social and culture on an individual. The interpretivism of Saunders Onion research majorly focuses on people's thoughts and ideas. In this research, the student plays an active role in the study, as it is necessary for drawing a holistic view of the participants and including their thoughts, actions, and meanings.

Pragmatism

This part of the research philosophy highlights the importance of using the best tools possible for the investigation. The primary role of this is to research the basis of practical points of view, where you don't know what you will get. The knowledge is not fixed, but instead, the information is constantly questioned. Pragmatism is an element of research that subjectively specifies when the drawing conclusion is based on participant response and decision.

To recap what you learn in this, the research philosophy of Saunders' onion research plays the foundational role in any kind of research and reflects the epistemological and ontological assumptions made by a researcher. While making the methodology for your research or dissertation, the first thing you need to do is to think about the philosophy which you are going to use.

Research Approach

After the first layer, let's peel another layer of the research onion Saunders, and understand it. The research approach is the most important and broader method which you need to use in your research to get results. It's really crucial for you to clearly identify your research method, as it will inform the decision you take in terms of data collection and analysis in your study.

Indicative

It is an approach that entails generating different theories from research, instead of starting a project with a theory as a foundation. It can be used for a study on unknown isolated people , as there is very little information about them. Therefore, this can help to gain information about them.

Deductive

This approach begins with a theory and aims to build the research further. It would be investigated when studying the changes in the physical properties in animals over the period of time, because it would likely be rooted in the theory of evolution.

Research Strategy

So far in this blog, you have learn about the conceptual and intangible aspects of the research onion sounder . Now, it's time for you to peel another layer of this onion. Lt's talk about the practical way of research. The research strategy is the layer of the onion that gives details on how, for the aims of the study, study can be conducted. The strategy includes several strategies that you can use to get results. Look at them and understand them, as they will help you in future study.

• Experimental research
• Action research
• Case study research
• Grounded theory
• Archival research 

Experimental Research

This layer of the onion uses the manipulation of one variable to observe the changes in another variable. It is used to assess the relationship between the two variables. The primary purpose of this is to support, refute or validate the research hypothesis. This type of strategy follows the principles of the scientific method and is done in a controlled environment. In the experiment research, you need to research the existing theory rather than making a new one. It is also allied with the positivist study, as it also thinks that informatics can only be studied objectively and in an isolated form. However, if you face any problem with a research paper, you can seek research paper help from experts.

Action research 

Now, let's get to the next part of this peeling process. Action research involves learning by waiting for the action of the variable. This kind of research is conducted in a practical setting like a classroom, hospital or workspace. They help you to find problems or weaknesses related to the interaction within the real world.Participants are given a lot of attention with the aid of action research. These kinds of research onion models are applied in the social sciences, specifically in the professions where individuals aim to improve themselves and the work that they are doing.

Case study research 

The case study is the in-depth research on a single subject. For example, a person, group, an institution, an event or any issue. This is a type of process in which one does an in-depth study to gain a proper understanding of the issue in a real-life setting. The main thing here is to gain depth of knowledge within the context of the study. In the case of taking the social context and culture into account, which means that this research comes under the qualitative and tends to be inductive. Also, since the researcher's assumptions and understanding play a role in a case study, it is typically informed by an interpretative philosophy.

Grounded theory

This theory is all about 'letting your study or the data speak for itself". In this, you need the data to inform the development of any new theory, model or the framework. The theory which is developed is grounded in the data. This research onion model is beneficial for research into issues that are entirely new or under-researched. The grounded theory is qualitative and takes an inductive approach.

Archival research

This may be last but not least, the archival research strategy draws from the materials that exist, and established by using the review of this existing data. This data type is suited for historical research and can be used in materials such as manuscripts and records.

As of now, you have seen a wide range of research strategies, but it depends on you which one you will choose, and it also depends on your aim and objectives . Also, it depends on the choices you make in terms of research philosophy and approach.

Choice

Now, let's talk about the next peel of the research onion Saunders. The next layer of the research is simply called choices; it could have been more specific. In any case, this layer is simply about deciding how many data types, like qualitative or quantitative data, you will use in your research. There are three choices: momo, mixed, and multi-method. Let's get to know more about these methods further.

Moni Method

When you choose this method, it means that you will only make use of one data type, either qualitative or quantitative. For instance, if you conduct research on a community's opinion on a specific pizza restaurant, you can use the qualitative approach only to analyse the participants and their opinions about the restaurant.

Mixed Method 

It is a blend of both quantitative and qualitative methods. Taking the example of the previous one, if you want to know which community of people eats a specific type of pizza, you need to conduct a survey and get the result of that survey to collect quantitative data and then to know the statistics in a form, developing quantitative outcomes in addition to your qualitative ones. If you're still confused about what choice you need to make for your work and, in frustration, you surfed, "Can you do my assignment for me?" Well, yes, our experts will provide you with the best assignment and the best choice of research, which will suit your topic and work.

Multi-Method

The last but not the least, in this type of research, you will like to use a wide range of approaches, with more than just one quantitative and one qualitative approach.

Time Horizon 

Let's talk about the fifth peel of the Reach onion, Saunders: the time horizon. To simply describe it, it helps you to express the many points in the time you plan to collect the data. This peel also has two options. The cross-sectional and longitudinal time horizons

Techniques and Procedures

So that is the end; you have reached the end peel of this onion research model. This is where you come to the real practicalities of your research,h where you make choices regarding specific techniques and procedures.

In this, you need to decide what you will collect and what data collection methods you will use.

• Decide how you will go about sampling the population. 
• Determine the type of data analysis you will use to answer your research question.
• Set up the materials you will be using for your study. 

It is crucial to note that these techniques and procedures need to go hand in hand with all the other layers of this procedure: research philosophy, research approach, research strategy, choices, and time horizon.

Well, this was the end of the onion. As you peel the last part of the onion, these will all help you do research in a better way, and after understanding the research method, you can use these methods. Well, there might be a question in your mind about which discipline you are going to use it for. Now you know how to use it, let's talk about how these can be used and how to use them in different disciplines. 

Use of  Research Onion in Various Disciplines

The onion research framework can be used in different disciplines and industries, showcasing its versatility and effectiveness in guiding. If you want to know where you can use this onion rather than in food, then read the lower section and understand how it has been used in different fields.

Business and Management Studies

In the world of business and management, the research onion plays an important role, as it is used for understanding consumer behaviour, market trends and organization dynamics.

Social Sciences 

The research onion model is valuable in fields like sociology, psychology and anthropology. In the field of sociology, it can be used to investigate social inequalities, while in psychology, it may be employed to study cognitive processes.

Healthcare and Medicine

In medicine and health care, the research onion is used to guide clinical and epidemiological research. Whether studying new medical treatments, assessing the public, or anything else, research only really relies on the research onion model.

Market Research 

The main work of the onion research in this field is to understand the consumer behaviour, preference and trend. The researcher gathers valuable data in order to report product development and marketing techniques, including brand positioning by employing techniques like surveys and observation.

Limitations of Saunders Research Onion

So now you know the use of the Saunders research onion method. As of now, you know six essential things, and I hope you have read the above section to understand all of them and peel all the layers one by one. Also, you get to know about the use of this method in different fields and how it helps researchers in those fields. Now let us discuss some of the drawbacks which people face.

• The first drawback of this method is that it can be too simplistic and may not fully capture the complexities of research methodology.
• This model only assumes a linear and sequential approach to research, which may not always reflect how research is conducted in practice.
• Some other critics. A review of this model exists; some say this model may be too prescriptive and does not allow for the unique circumstances of individual research projects. The model may also prioritise certain aspects of the research over others, and there may be a lack of clarity around the boundaries.

So this was the research onion model by Saunders.  Hope you understood all the layers correctly and that they will help you in the future. Also, if you belong to a field like business, marketing, or any other, this method will help you do research and find results. There are also many drawbacks to this model which people face.  Hope you understand this model correctly. If you are still having problems using this method or any other problem with your assignment, you can get assistance from an assignment writing service. The service will provide you with a good-quality assignment, with all proofreading done. This will help you score well in your academic journey.

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