Comprehensive Guide to Writing a Research Methodology

It should include:

Tips:

Why is a methods section necessary?

Your methods section is the best chance to tell how you did your research and why you chose those methods. It’s also the place to demonstrate that your study was well-conducted and can be easily reproduced as a result. It adds credibility to your research, places it in your field, and provides your readers with a reference point if they have a problem or an argument in other sections

Step 1: Describe your choice of methodology

One can begin by presenting a general outline of how one plans to conduct research. Here, you have two choices.

 Option 1: Begin with the ‘what’

• What was the researched problem or question?
  • It means to try to provide features of what?
  • Choose an off-beat theme.
  • Create a causal link?
• And what kind of data was required to attain this aim?
  • Primary research, secondary research, or both?
  • o Is it primary data that you have collected yourself or secondary data that has been collected by someone else?
  • Quantitative data obtained from manipulating variables or qualitative data collected from observations?

In your field of study, you can also begin with the justification and premises of your method section. In other words, what led to the adoption of these approaches in your research?

• What makes this approach the most suitable for investigating your research question?
• Is this methodology commonly used in your field, or does it require a specific justification?
• Did you consider any ethical aspects in your decision-making process?
• What are the standards of validity and reliability in such a study?

After you have familiarized your reader with the methodological approach you used for your study, you are expected to give all the details about your data collection techniques.

The information provided on quantitative research methods must also be comprehensive so that another researcher can conduct your study. Identify the methods you used to put your concepts into practice and the approach you took to evaluate your variables. Describe the criteria you used for your sampling strategy, including any reasons for including or excluding specific elements, as well as the tools, methods, and equipment you utilized to gather your data.

Surveys:

• Provide details on the location, time, and methodology used in conducting the survey.
• In what form or structure did you design the questionnaire?
• What type of questions did you use (e.g., multiple choice, Likert scale)?
• Which type of surveys did you use: face-to-face or online?
• Which sampling method did you use to recruit participants?
• What was your sample size and response rate? Tip: It can also be useful to enclose the full questionnaire as an appendix.

Experiments:

• Provide information on the specific tools, techniques, and procedures employed in the execution of your experiment.
• How did you set up the experiment?
• How were the participants selected or enrolled in the research?
• What technique did you use to vary and quantify the variables?
• What instrumentation did you employ?

Existing data:

• Describe how you collected and identified the data (e.g., datasets or archival data) that you employed in your analysis.
• Source of material.
• What form did the data originally take when it was being collected?
• How did you decide which material to include (e.g., based on the date)?

Qualitative methods are more relaxed and personal. It is important to comprehensively justify the decisions made regarding choice of methodology. Explain the standards you utilized to recognize your data, the background of your study, and specify whether you actively participated or passively observed during the data collection process.

Interviews or focus groups:

• Explain where, when, and how interviews took place.
• How were the participants recruited and identified?
• How many participants volunteered to take part?
• What was the format of the interviews: structured, semi-structured, or unstructured?
• What was the duration of the interviews?
• What was used to record it?

Participant observation:

• Describe the location, time, and method of your observational or ethnographic study.
• Identify the specific group or community that was the focus of your research.
• Share how you gained access to this group. What role did you play within the community?
• For how long did you conduct the research?
• How did you document the data (e.g., audio-video records, writing notes)?

Existing data:

• Discuss the process you used to select case study materials for your research
• Specify the types of materials you examined.
• Explain the method you used to identify these materials.

Mixed methods research involves the use of quantitative as well as qualitative methods for collecting and analyzing data. If you cannot solve your research question with a single quantitative or qualitative investigation, then you can use mixed methods.

Note: Mixed methods are much less common than standalone analyses because they are more challenging to execute properly. Ensure your reasons for using both types are clear.

Next, describe how you handled and interpreted your data. Avoid introducing or discussing your results here.

• Before conducting data analysis, what actions were implemented (e.g., checking for missing data, removing outliers, transforming data)?
• What specific software was utilized (e.g., Stata, SPSS, or R)?
• What types of statistical tests were carried out (e.g., two-sided t-test, simple linear regression)?

Ensure that your methodology section clearly explains why particular methods were chosen, particularly if they differ from the standard in your field. Discuss why other paradigms were not used and how this approach advances current knowledge.

Tip: You can acknowledge any limitations in your approach but justify why your chosen method was still the best option.

Examples:

• Quantitative: Experiments conducted in a lab may not model real-life scenarios perfectly but are essential in modeling variable causality.
• Quantitative: Unstructured interviews may not provide generalizable findings but offer deeper insight into participants' attitudes and feelings.
• Mixed Methods: While comparing data types is challenging, quantitative methods alone wouldn’t capture the full experience of participants, whereas qualitative studies lack generalizability.

1. Stay aligned with your research objectives and questions.
Justify how the identified methods fit your research objectives and questions

2. Cite relevant sources.
Use published data to:

• Demonstrate compliance with previous practices in your research type.
• Explain your methodological decisions based on existing literature.
• Propose innovative research approaches.

3. Write for your audience.

Don’t over-explain if your methods are conventional in your field. However, if writing a research proposal, present a well-developed argument for your methodology

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