RESEARCH METHODS IN SAFETY AND DEFENCE STUDIES, A PRAGMATIC APPROACH

Safety and defence studies have a very short history, as they were created quite recently. Hence the possible assumption that research methods that are used in them are in a sowing stage. In spite of it, there are researchers that decided to undertake a variety of explorative challenges and they try to use different research method, very often choosing them in reference to investigated reality. Therefore, it can be assumed that the methodology of safety and defence studies has not completely developed (yet). Borrowing methods from different sciences is a very difficult venture which causes situations when research results are false or they do not support any of the stated hypotheses. In the objective article, a review of research methods used for now in safety studies has been made. Of course, it can not be suggested that they are the only and the best ones. Actually, scarcely the quantity of conducted researches and investigated issues can let researchers make an observation which method is a leading one. For now, researchers try to look for accurate solutions for them and the investigated matter at the same time. It is very similar to a promotional work (such as essays, researches). In universities, where degree dissertations and Masters’ theses are being created, different research methods are used to apply to them. It happens quite often that the used methodology derives from pedagogical sciences. Some of the universities use research methods borrowed from political sciences. Another ones use methods that are quite sophisticated and very often draw from a variety of scientific disciplines. To recapitulate, one can hope that it is only the matter of time until together with maturating of the new discipline which is safety and defence studies, some methodological patterns will also be created.