Abstract
Researchers in doctoral programs are expected to make ‘a substantial original contribution to
knowledge’ (Australian Qualifications Framework Implementation Handbook, 2002, p. 57)
and must therefore address various types of questions about ‘knowledge’ and its production.
These can include ontological questions (what is the nature of the knowable?),
epistemological questions (what is the relationship between the knower and the knowable?),
and methodological questions (how should the inquirer seek knowledge?). Because
researchers usually produce knowledge within a particular epistemology, methodological and
epistemological questions are closely interrelated. In this presentation I will explore some
alternative approaches to generating and framing epistemological and methodological
questions in ways that are strategically useful in organising postgraduate research. pdf_1387352477