What is research methodology?

What is a research methodology?

When you’re working on your first piece of academic research, there are many different
things to focus on and it can be overwhelming to stay on top of everything. This is especially
true of budding or inexperienced researchers.
If you’ve never put together a research proposal before or find yourself in a position w here
you need to explain your research methodology decisions, there are a few things you need to
be aware of.
Once you understand the in's and out's, handling academic research in the future will be less
intimidating. We break down the basics below:

The basics of a research methodology

A research methodology encompasses the way in which you intend to carry out your research.
This includes how you plan to tackle things like collection methods, statistical analysis,
participant observations, and more.
You can think of your research methodology as being a formula. One part will be how you
plan on putting your research into practice and another will be why you feel this is the best
way to approach it. Your research methodology is ultimately a methodological and systematic
plan to resolve your research problem.
In short, you are explaining how you will take your idea and turn it into a study, which in turn
will produce valid and reliable results that are in accordance with the aims and objectives of
your research. This is true whether your paper plans to make use of qualitative methods or
quantitative methods.
Why do you need a research methodology?
The purpose of a research methodology is to explain the reasoning behind your approach to
your research - you'll need to support your collection methods, methods of analysis, and other
key points of your work.
Think of it like writing a plan or an outline for you what you intend to do.
When carrying out research, it can be easy to go off-track or depart from your standard
methodology.
Having a methodology keeps you accountable and on track with your original aims and
objectives, and gives you a suitable and sound plan to keep your project manageable, smooth,
and effective.
What needs to be included?
With all that said, how do you write out your standard approach to a research methodology?
As a general plan, your methodology should include the following information:
1. Your research method. You need to state whether you plan to use quantitative
analysis, qualitative analysis, or mixed-method research method. This will often be
determined by what you hope to achieve with your research.
2. Explain your reasoning. Why are you taking this methodological approach? Why is
this particular methodology the best way to answer your research problem and achieve
your objectives?
3. Explain your instruments. This will mainly be about your collection methods. There
are varying instruments to use such as interviews, physical surveys, questionnaires, for
example. Your methodology will need to detail your reasoning in choosing a particular
instrument for your research.
4. What will you do with your results? How are you going to analyze the data once you
have gathered it?
5. Advise your reader. If there is anything in your research methodology that your
reader might be unfamiliar with, you should explain it in more detail. For example,
you should give any background information to your methods that might be relevant or
provide your reasoning if you are conducting your research in a non-standard way.
6. How will your sampling process go? What will your sampling procedure be and
why? For example, if you will collect data through carrying out semi-structured or
unstructured interviews, how will you choose your interviewees and how will you
conduct the interviews themselves?
7. Any practical limitations? You should discuss any limitations you foresee being an
issue when you’re carrying out your research.