Chapter 7

Theoretical Research

Abstract

Theory is a set of interrelated concepts, definitions, and propositions that explains, predicts, and models relationships and outcomes. Formal theoretical cyber security research is the deliberate approach to developing these concepts, definitions, and propositions for cyber security. A key feature of a good theory is that it is testable, i.e., a theory should inform a hypothesis and this hypothesis can then be used to design and conduct experiments to test its validity. This chapter defines the terms and concepts of theory before describing a process to develop a strong theory. The challenges in developing cyber security science theory are outlined. The exploration of concepts through examples in research ...

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