@article { , title = {Shifting of the ontological-epistemological balance in contemporary research agendas: A critique}, abstract = {With greater calls for public involvement, there are now claims of methodological shifts to ‘bottom-up’, ‘politically informed’ and ‘boundary-less’ approaches. This is not accurate as there is still predominantly an emphasis on epistemological considerations (for instance, in how knowledge of ‘issues’ being investigated are created and/or discovered)—seen through various community engagement forums and/or transfer of resources to local actors. However, the ontological (concerned with problem definition, ‘what is actually the issue being investigated’, ‘what do I/we think about it’) is not effectively conceptualised and understood in the local space by local actors. Thus, in order for actual shifts to ‘bottom-up’, ‘politically informed’ and ‘boundary less’ approaches to take place, mechanisms to shape the ontology of the research problem must be facilitated in local spaces.}, issn = {0033-5177}, issue = {5}, journal = {Quality and Quantity}, pages = {1873-1882}, publicationstatus = {Published}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, url = {https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/805293}, volume = {49}, keyword = {Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments, research methodology, epistemology, ontology, local space, local actors, public policy}, year = {2015}, author = {Gopinath, Deepak} }