Difference Between Cross Sectional And Longitudinal Research
A cross sectional study is conducted at a given point in time.
Difference between cross sectional and longitudinal research. It provides a snapshot of the situation. That s why researchers might start with a cross sectional study to first establish whether there are links or associations between certain variables. Only the present situation is seen.
Cross sectional studies cannot pin down cause and effect relationship. It provides a long term analysis of the situation. Then they would set up a longitudinal study to study cause and effect.
Both longitudinal studies and cross sectional studies are two types of observational studies. A longitudinal study is a research study in which the research continues for a longer period and uses the same sample at each phase. Longitudinal studies are carried out over the period of time.
Cross sectional studies can be done more quickly than longitudinal studies. A longitudinal study requires a researcher to revisit participants of the study at proper intervals. Cross sectional studies are carried out in one specific point of time.
The main difference between longitudinal and cross sectional study is that longitudinal studies look at variables repeatedly over a period of time while cross sectional studies look at variables at a particular point in time. On the contrary a cross sectional study is a research where the researcher analyses a particular context group of people or else a social phenomenon through a sample. Evolutionary characters are seen.
Longitudinal vs cross sectional studies longitudinal studies differ from one off or cross sectional studies. The key difference between the two studies stem from the fact that while a cross sectional study presents the researcher with a cross sectional analysis of the research a longitudinal study.