How to Write a Research Methodology in Four Steps - Scribbr

For example, there are specific guidelines for writing an APA methods section. Table of contents. Explain your methodological approach; Describe ... Havealanguageexpertimproveyourwriting Proofreading&Editing Checkyourpaperforplagiarismin10minutes Dothecheck GenerateyourAPAcitationsforfree! APACitationGenerator Home KnowledgeBase Dissertation Howtowritearesearchmethodology DissertationstructureStructureandorganizationTitlepageAcknowledgementsAbstractAbstractShortenyourabstractTableofContentsTableofContentsFigureandtablelistsListofabbreviationsGlossaryIntroductionIntroductionOverviewLiteraturereviewTheoreticalframeworkTheoreticalframeworkSampletheoreticalframeworkConceptualframeworkMethodologyResearchresultsDiscussionConclusionAppendixThesisExamplesThesisExamplesPrize-winningPhDDissertationsPrintingandbindingChecklist Interestingtopics Researchpaper Researchbias Collegeessay APAStyle6thedition Applyingtograduateschool Statistics ChicagoStyle Languagerules Methodology MLAStyle Academicwriting Startingtheresearchprocess Dissertation Essay Tips APAStyle7thedition APAcitationexamples Citingsources Plagiarism Havealanguageexpertimproveyourwriting Proofreading&Editing Checkyourpaperforplagiarismin10minutes Dothecheck GenerateyourAPAcitationsforfree! APACitationGenerator Howtowritearesearchmethodology Publishedon February25,2019 by ShonaMcCombes. Revisedon December8,2021. Inyourthesisordissertation,youwillhavetodiscussthemethodsyouusedtodoyourresearch.Themethodologychapterexplainswhatyoudidandhowyoudidit,allowingreaderstoevaluatethereliabilityandvalidityoftheresearch.Itshouldinclude: Thetypeofresearchyoudid Howyoucollectedyourdata Howyouanalyzedyourdata Anytoolsormaterialsyouusedintheresearch Yourrationaleforchoosingthesemethods Themethodologysectionshouldgenerallybewritteninthepasttense. Academicstyleguidesinyourfieldmayalsoprovidedetailedguidelinesonwhattoincludefordifferenttypesofstudies.Forexample,therearespecificguidelinesforwritinganAPAmethodssection. TableofcontentsExplainyourmethodologicalapproachDescribeyourmethodsofdatacollectionDescribeyourmethodsofanalysisEvaluateandjustifyyourmethodologicalchoicesTipsforwritingastrongmethodologyFrequentlyaskedquestionsaboutmethodology Step1:Explainyourmethodologicalapproach Beginbyintroducingyouroverallapproachtotheresearch. Whatresearchproblemorquestiondidyouinvestigate?Forexample,didyouaimtosystematicallydescribethecharacteristicsofsomething,toexploreanunder-researchedtopic,ortoestablishacause-and-effectrelationship?Andwhattypeofdatadidyouneedtoachievethisaim? Didyouneed quantitativedata(expressedinnumbers)orqualitativedata(expressedinwords)? Didyouneedtocollectprimarydatayourself,ordidyouusesecondarydatathatwascollectedbysomeoneelse? Didyougatherexperimentaldatabycontrollingandmanipulatingvariables,ordescriptivedatabygatheringobservationswithoutintervening? Dependingonyourdisciplineandapproach,youmightalsobeginwithadiscussionoftherationaleandassumptionsunderpinningyourmethodology. Whyisthisthemostsuitableapproachtoansweringyourresearchquestions? Isthisastandardmethodologyinyourfieldordoesitrequirejustification? Werethereanyethicalconsiderationsinvolvedinyourchoices? Whatarethecriteriaforvalidityandreliabilityinthistypeofresearch? Inaquantitativeexperimentalstudy,youmightaimtoproducegeneralizableknowledgeaboutthecausesofaphenomenon.Validresearchrequiresacarefullydesignedstudyundercontrolledconditionsthatcanbereplicatedbyotherresearchers. Inaqualitativeethnography,youmightaimtoproducecontextualreal-worldknowledgeaboutthebehaviors,socialstructuresandsharedbeliefsofaspecificgroupofpeople.Asthismethodologyislesscontrolledandmoreinterpretive,youwillneedtoreflectonyourpositionasresearcher,takingintoaccounthowyourparticipationandperceptionmighthaveinfluencedtheresults. Step2:Describeyourmethodsofdatacollection Onceyouhaveintroducedyouroverallmethodologicalapproach,youshouldgivefulldetailsofyourdatacollectionmethods. Quantitativemethods Inquantitativeresearch,forvalidgeneralizableresults,youshoulddescribeyourmethodsinenoughdetailforanotherresearchertoreplicateyourstudy. Explainhowyouoperationalizedconceptsandmeasuredyourvariables;yoursamplingmethodorinclusion/exclusioncriteria;andanytools,proceduresandmaterialsyouusedtogatherdata. Surveys Describewhere,whenandhowthesurveywasconducted. Howdidyoudesignthequestionnaireandwhatformdidthequestionstake(e.g.multiplechoice,Likertscale)? Whatsamplingmethoddidyouusetoselectparticipants? Didyouconductsurveysbyphone,mail,onlineorinperson,andhowlongdidparticipantshavetorespond? Whatwasthesamplesizeandresponserate? Youmightwanttoincludethefullquestionnaireasanappendixsothatyourreadercanseeexactlywhatdatawascollected. Experiments Givefulldetailsofthetools,techniquesandproceduresyouusedtoconducttheexperiment. Howdidyoudesigntheexperiment? Howdidyourecruitparticipants? Howdidyoumanipulateandmeasurethevariables? Whattoolsortechnologiesdidyouuseintheexperiment? Inexperimentalresearch,itisespeciallyimportanttogiveenoughdetailforanotherresearchertoreproduceyourresults. Existingdata Explainhowyougatheredandselectedmaterial(suchaspublicationsorarchivaldata)forinclusioninyouranalysis. Wheredidyousourcethematerial? Howwasthedataoriginallyproduced? Whatcriteriadidyouusetoselectmaterial(e.g.daterange)? QuantitativemethodsexampleThesurveyconsistedof5multiple-choicequestionsand10questionsthatweremeasuredona7-pointLikertscale.Theaimwastoconductthesurveywith350customersofCompanyXonthecompanypremisesinTheHaguefrom4-8July2017between11:00and15:00.AcustomerwasdefinedasapersonwhohadpurchasedaproductfromCompanyXonthedayofquestioning.Participantsweregiven5minutestofillinthesurveyanonymously,and408customersresponded.Becausenotallsurveyswerefullycompleted,371surveyresultswereincludedintheanalysis. Qualitativemethods Inqualitativeresearch,sincemethodsareoftenmoreflexibleandsubjective,it’simportanttoreflectontheapproachyoutookandexplainthechoicesyoumade. Discussthecriteriayouusedtoselectparticipantsorsources,thecontextinwhichtheresearchwasconducted,andtheroleyouplayedincollectingthedata(e.g.wereyouanactiveparticipantorapassiveobserver?) Interviewsorfocusgroups Describewhere,whenandhowtheinterviewswereconducted. Howdidyoufindandselectparticipants? Howmanypeopletookpart? Whatformdidtheinterviewstake(structured,semi-structured,unstructured)? Howlongweretheinterviewsandhowweretheyrecorded? Participantobservation Describewhere,whenandhowyouconductedtheobservationorethnography. Whatgrouporcommunitydidyouobserveandhowdidyougainaccesstothem? Howlongdidyouspendconductingtheresearchandwherewasitlocated? Whatroledidyouplayinthecommunity? Howdidyourecordyourdata(e.g.audiovisualrecordings,note-taking)? Existingdata Explainhowyouselectedcasestudymaterials(suchastextsorimages)forthefocusofyouranalysis. Whattypeofmaterialsdidyouanalyze? Howdidyoucollectandselectthem? QualitativemethodsexampleInordertogainabetterinsightintothepossibilitiesforimprovementoftheproductrange,semi-structuredinterviewswereconductedwith8returningcustomersfromthemaintargetgroupofCompanyX.AreturningcustomerwasdefinedassomeonewhousuallyboughtproductsatleasttwiceaweekfromCompanyX.Thesurveyswereusedtoselectparticipantswhobelongedtothetargetgroup(20-45yearsold).Interviewswereconductedinasmallofficenexttothecashregister,andlastedapproximately20minuteseach.Answerswererecordedbynote-taking,andseveninterviewswerealsofilmedwithconsent.Oneintervieweepreferrednottobefilmed. Here'swhystudentsloveScribbr'sproofreadingservices Trustpilot Discoverproofreading&editing Step3:Describeyourmethodsofanalysis Next,youshouldindicatehowyouprocessedandanalyzedthedata.Avoidgoing intotoomuchdetail—youshouldnotstartpresentingordiscussinganyofyourresultsatthisstage. Quantitativemethods Inquantitativeresearch,youranalysiswillbebasedonnumbers.Inthemethodssectionyoumightinclude: Howyoupreparedthedatabeforeanalyzingit(e.g.checkingformissingdata,removingoutliers,transformingvariables) Whichsoftwareyouusedtoanalyzethedata(e.g.SPSS,StataorR) Whichstatisticaltestsyouused(e.g.two-tailedt-test,simplelinearregression) QuantitativemethodsexampleBeforeanalysisthegathereddatawasprepared.Thedatasetwascheckedformissingdataandoutliers.Forthisthe“outlierlabelingrule”wasused.Allvaluesoutsidethecalculatedrangewereconsideredoutliers(Hoaglin&Iglewicz,1987).ThedatawasthenanalyzedusingstatisticalsoftwareSPSS. Qualitativemethods Inqualitativeresearch,youranalysiswillbebasedonlanguage,imagesandobservations(ofteninvolvingsomeformoftextualanalysis).Specificmethodsmightinclude: Contentanalysis:categorizinganddiscussingthemeaningofwords,phrasesandsentences Thematicanalysis:codingandcloselyexaminingthedatatoidentifybroadthemesandpatterns Discourseanalysis:studyingcommunicationandmeaninginrelationtotheirsocialcontext QualitativemethodsexampleTheinterviewsweretranscribedandthematicanalysiswasconducted.Thisinvolvedcodingallthedatabeforeidentifyingandreviewingsixkeythemes.Eachthemewasexaminedtogainanunderstandingofparticipants’perceptionsandmotivations. Step4:Evaluateandjustifyyourmethodologicalchoices Yourmethodologyshouldmakethecaseforwhyyouchosetheseparticularmethods,especiallyifyoudidnottakethemoststandardapproachtoyourtopic.Discusswhyothermethodswerenotsuitableforyourobjectives,andshowhowthisapproachcontributesnewknowledgeorunderstanding. Youcanacknowledgelimitationsorweaknessesintheapproachyouchose,butjustifywhythesewereoutweighedbythestrengths. Lab-basedexperimentscan’talwaysaccuratelysimulatereal-lifesituationsandbehaviors,buttheyareeffectivefortestingcausalrelationshipsbetweenvariables. Unstructuredinterviewsusuallyproduceresultsthatcannotbegeneralizedbeyondthesamplegroup,buttheyprovideamorein-depthunderstandingofparticipants’perceptions,motivationsandemotions. Tipsforwritingastrongmethodology Rememberthatyouraimisnotjusttodescribeyourmethods,buttoshowhowandwhyyouappliedthemandtodemonstratethatyourresearchwasrigorouslyconducted. Focusonyourobjectivesandresearchquestions Themethodologysectionshouldclearlyshowwhyyourmethodssuityourobjectivesandconvincethereaderthatyouchosethebestpossibleapproachtoansweringyourproblemstatementandresearchquestions.Throughoutthesection,relateyourchoicesbacktothecentralpurposeofyourdissertation. Citerelevantsources Yourmethodologycanbestrengthenedbyreferencetoexistingresearchinthefield,eitherto: Confirmthatyoufollowedestablishedpracticesforthistypeofresearch Discusshowyouevaluateddifferentmethodologiesanddecidedonyourapproach Showthatyoutookanovelmethodologicalapproachtoaddressagapintheliterature OurfreecitationgeneratorscanhelpyoutocreateMLAcitationsandAPAcitations. Writeforyouraudience Considerhowmuchinformationyouneedtogive,anddon’tgointounnecessarydetail.Ifyouareusingmethodsthatarestandardforyourdiscipline,youprobablydon’tneedtogivelotsofbackgroundorjustification.Butifyoutakeanapproachthatislesscommoninyourfield,youmightneedtoexplainandjustifyyourmethodologicalchoices. Ineithercase,yourmethodologyshouldbeaclear,well-structuredtextthatmakesanargumentforyourapproach,notjustalistoftechnicaldetailsandprocedures. Discussobstacles Ifyouencountereddifficultiesincollectingoranalyzingdata,explainhowyoudealtwiththem.Showhowyouminimizedtheimpactofanyunexpectedobstacles.Pre-emptanymajorcritiquesofyourapproachanddemonstratethatyoumadetheresearchasrigorousaspossible. Frequentlyaskedquestionsaboutmethodology What’sthedifferencebetweenmethodandmethodology? Methodologyreferstotheoverarchingstrategyandrationaleofyourresearchproject.Itinvolvesstudyingthemethodsusedinyourfieldandthetheoriesorprinciplesbehindthem,inordertodevelopanapproachthatmatchesyourobjectives. Methodsarethespecifictoolsandproceduresyouusetocollectandanalyzedata(forexample,experiments,surveys,andstatisticaltests). Inshorterscientificpapers,wheretheaimistoreportthefindingsofaspecificstudy,youmightsimplydescribewhatyoudidinamethodssection. Inalongerormorecomplexresearchproject,suchasathesisordissertation,youwillprobablyincludeamethodologysection,whereyouexplainyourapproachtoansweringtheresearchquestionsandciterelevantsourcestosupportyourchoiceofmethods. Wheredoesthemethodologysectiongoinaresearchpaper? Inascientificpaper,themethodologyalwayscomesaftertheintroductionandbeforetheresults,discussionandconclusion.Thesamebasicstructurealsoappliestoathesis,dissertation,orresearchproposal. Dependingonthelengthandtypeofdocument,youmightalsoincludealiteraturereviewortheoreticalframeworkbeforethemethodology. What’sthedifferencebetweenquantitativeandqualitativemethods? Quantitativeresearchdealswithnumbersandstatistics,whilequalitativeresearchdealswithwordsandmeanings. Quantitativemethodsallowyoutosystematicallymeasurevariablesandtesthypotheses.Qualitativemethodsallowyoutoexploreconceptsandexperiencesinmoredetail. What’sthedifferencebetweenreliabilityandvalidity? Reliabilityandvalidityarebothabouthowwellamethodmeasuressomething: Reliabilityreferstothe consistencyofameasure(whethertheresultscanbereproducedunderthesameconditions). Validity referstothe accuracyofameasure(whethertheresultsreallydorepresentwhattheyaresupposedtomeasure). Ifyouaredoingexperimentalresearch,youalsohavetoconsidertheinternalandexternalvalidityofyourexperiment. Whatissampling? Asampleisasubsetofindividualsfromalargerpopulation.Samplingmeansselectingthegroupthatyouwillactuallycollectdatafrominyourresearch.Forexample,ifyouareresearchingtheopinionsofstudentsinyouruniversity,youcouldsurveyasampleof100students. Instatistics,samplingallowsyoutotestahypothesisaboutthecharacteristicsofapopulation. Isthisarticlehelpful? 6040 393 Youhavealreadyvoted.Thanks:-) Yourvoteissaved:-) Processingyourvote... ShonaMcCombes Shonahasabachelor'sandtwomaster'sdegrees,soshe'sanexpertatwritingagreatthesis.Shehasalsoworkedasaneditorandteacher,workingwithstudentsatalldifferentlevelstoimprovetheiracademicwriting. Otherstudentsalsoliked Developingyourtheoreticalframework Inthetheoreticalframework,youdefinekeyconceptsanddiscussrelevanttheories,showinghowyourresearchfitsinwithestablishedideas. 4112 Howtocreatearesearchdesign Theresearchdesignisastrategyforansweringyourresearchquestions.Itdetermineshowyouwillcollectandanalyzeyourdata. 3260 Qualitativevs.quantitativeresearch Quantitativeresearchisexpressedinnumbersandisusedtotestsomething.Qualitativeresearchisexpressedinwordsandisusedtounderstand. 4785 Whatisyourplagiarismscore? ScribbrPlagiarismChecker