In order to develop a rigrious research design (especially in social sciences), we must keep all of its individual elements in mind. Broadly its different elements/components are: the purpose of the study, the unit of analysis, time dimension, mode of observation, sampling design, observation tools, data processing, and data analysis.

To study each of these in detail I would recommend the Research Methods Handouts from virtual university page 81-84. You can find the pdf to download here: http://www.genrica.com/virtual_unive...se_code=STA630

Also it is important when answering this question that one is aware of what exactly makes a rigrious/good research design. For that I would recommend just going through this blog post: http://commercelearner.blogspot.com/...esign.html?m=1


I hope this helps.