Center for Applied Network Analysis
Applying rigorous network research methods to illuminate the factors that influence physical, human, and organizational systems.
The Methods Centers at RAND
Research methods ensure that our analyses are as objective as possible, and that our solutions are most likely to have the desired effects. They elevate RAND research to meet our high standards of quality.
RAND uses rigorous, fact-based research and analysis to help individuals, families, and communities throughout the world be safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.
But what does a rigorous, fact-based approach entail?
At RAND, the answer lies in our research methods. Research methods guide how we collect and analyze data, make inference from those analyses, and then use those inferences to guide our recommendations for policy and practice. They help ensure that our analyses are as objective as possible, and that our solutions are most likely to have the desired effects. Research methods are what elevate RAND research to meet our high standards of quality.
Methods in Action
A Wargame at RAND Puts Girls in CommandWe don’t simply nod to the methods we use to conduct our research. We invest in them, with a continued commitment to the type of methodological and analytical innovation the policy community needs. And we make it happen with a multidisciplinary team of researchers who understand that policy problems are best solved by the creative and careful application of the right research methods.
An emphasis on methodology has been at the core of RAND’s mission since the very beginning. The Methods Centers at RAND, fueled by the Pardee RAND Graduate School’s engine of innovation, are key to maintaining our methodological edge as we look toward the future.
