6/6/22, 10:27 AM How to Write a Research Methodology in Four Steps

How to Write a Research Methodology in Four Steps

Published on
February 25, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
December 8, 2021.

In your thesis or dissertation, you will have to discuss the methods you used to do your
research. The methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing
readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of the research. It should include:

 The type of research you did

 How you collected your data
 How you analyzed your data
 Any tools or materials you used in the research
 Your rationale for choosing these methods

The methodology section should generally be written in the past tense.

Academic style guides in your field may also provide detailed guidelines on what to include
for different types of studies. For example, there are specific guidelines for writing an APA
methods section.

 Table of contents

1. Step 1: Explain your methodological approach

2. Step 2: Describe your methods of data collection
3. Step 3: Describe your methods of analysis
4. Step 4: Evaluate and justify your methodological choices
5. Tips for writing a strong methodology
6. Frequently asked questions about methodology

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Step 1: Explain your methodological approach

Begin by introducing your overall approach to the research.

What research problem or question did you investigate? For example, did you aim to
systematically describe the characteristics of something, to explore an under-researched
topic, or to establish a cause-and-effect relationship? And what type of data did you need
to achieve this aim?

Did you need quantitative data (expressed in numbers) or qualitative data (expressed

in words)?
Did you need to collect primary data yourself, or did you use secondary data that was
collected by someone else?
Did you gather experimental data by controlling and manipulating variables, or
descriptive data by gathering observations without intervening?

Depending on your discipline and approach, you might also begin with a discussion of the
rationale and assumptions underpinning your methodology.

Why is this the most suitable approach to answering your research questions?
Is this a standard methodology in your field or does it require justification?
Were there any ethical considerations involved in your choices?
What are the criteria for validity and reliability in this type of research?

In a quantitative experimental study, you might aim to produce generalizable

knowledge about the causes of a phenomenon. Valid research requires a carefully

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designed study under controlled conditions that can be replicated by other

researchers.

In a qualitative ethnography, you might aim to produce contextual real-world

knowledge about the behaviors, social structures and shared beliefs of a specific
group of people. As this methodology is less controlled and more interpretive, you
will need to reflect on your position as researcher, taking into account how your
participation and perception might have influenced the results.

Step 2: Describe your methods of data collection

Once you have introduced your overall methodological approach, you should give full
details of your data collection methods.

Quantitative methods
In quantitative research, for valid generalizable results, you should describe your methods
in enough detail for another researcher to replicate your study.

Explain how you operationalized concepts and measured your variables; your sampling
method or inclusion/exclusion criteria; and any tools, procedures and materials you used to
gather data.

 Surveys

Describe where, when and how the survey was conducted.

How did you design the questionnaire and what form did the questions take (e.g.
multiple choice, Likert scale)?
What sampling method did you use to select participants?
Did you conduct surveys by phone, mail, online or in person, and how long did
participants have to respond?
What was the sample size and response rate?

You might want to include the full questionnaire as an appendix so that your reader can
see exactly what data was collected.

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 Experiments

Give full details of the tools, techniques and procedures you used to conduct the
experiment.

How did you design the experiment?

How did you recruit participants?
How did you manipulate and measure the variables?
What tools or technologies did you use in the experiment?

In experimental research, it is especially important to give enough detail for another

researcher to reproduce your results.

 Existing data

Explain how you gathered and selected material (such as publications or archival data) for
inclusion in your analysis.

Where did you source the material?

How was the data originally produced?
What criteria did you use to select material (e.g. date range)?

Quantitative methods example

The survey consisted of 5 multiple-choice questions and 10 questions that were

measured on a 7-point Likert scale. The aim was to conduct the survey with 350
customers of Company X on the company premises in The Hague from 4-8 July
2017 between 11:00 and 15:00. A customer was defined as a person who had
purchased a product from Company X on the day of questioning. Participants were
given 5 minutes to fill in the survey anonymously, and 408 customers responded.
Because not all surveys were fully completed, 371 survey results were included in
the analysis.

Qualitative methods
In qualitative research, since methods are often more flexible and subjective, it’s important
to reflect on the approach you took and explain the choices you made.

Discuss the criteria you used to select participants or sources, the context in which the
research was conducted, and the role you played in collecting the data (e.g. were you an
active participant or a passive observer?)

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 Interviews or focus groups

Describe where, when and how the interviews were conducted.

How did you find and select participants?

How many people took part?
What form did the interviews take (structured, semi-structured, unstructured)?
How long were the interviews and how were they recorded?

 Participant observation

Describe where, when and how you conducted the observation or ethnography.

What group or community did you observe and how did you gain access to them?
How long did you spend conducting the research and where was it located?
What role did you play in the community?
How did you record your data (e.g. audiovisual recordings, note-taking)?

 Existing data

Explain how you selected case study materials (such as texts or images) for the focus of
your analysis.

What type of materials did you analyze?

How did you collect and select them?

Qualitative methods example

In order to gain a better insight into the possibilities for improvement of the product
range, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 returning customers from
the main target group of Company X. A returning customer was defined as someone
who usually bought products at least twice a week from Company X. The surveys
were used to select participants who belonged to the target group (20-45 years
old). Interviews were conducted in a small office next to the cash register, and
lasted approximately 20 minutes each. Answers were recorded by note-taking, and
seven interviews were also filmed with consent. One interviewee preferred not to be
filmed.

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Step 3: Describe your methods of analysis

Next, you should indicate how you processed and analyzed the data. Avoid going into too
much detail—you should not start presenting or discussing any of your results at this
stage.

Quantitative methods
In quantitative research, your analysis will be based on numbers. In the methods section
you might include:

How you prepared the data before analyzing it (e.g. checking for missing data,
removing outliers, transforming variables)
Which software you used to analyze the data (e.g. SPSS, Stata or R)
Which statistical tests you used (e.g. two-tailed t-test, simple linear regression)

Quantitative methods example

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Before analysis the gathered data was prepared. The dataset was checked for
missing data and outliers. For this the “outlier labeling rule” was used. All values
outside the calculated range were considered outliers (Hoaglin & Iglewicz, 1987).
The data was then analyzed using statistical software SPSS.

Qualitative methods
In qualitative research, your analysis will be based on language, images and observations
(often involving some form of textual analysis). Specific methods might include:

Content analysis: categorizing and discussing the meaning of words, phrases and
sentences
Thematic analysis: coding and closely examining the data to identify broad themes
and patterns
Discourse analysis: studying communication and meaning in relation to their social
context

Qualitative methods example

The interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was conducted. This
involved coding all the data before identifying and reviewing six key themes. Each
theme was examined to gain an understanding of participants’ perceptions and
motivations.

Step 4: Evaluate and justify your methodological

choices
Your methodology should make the case for why you chose these particular methods,
especially if you did not take the most standard approach to your topic. Discuss why other
methods were not suitable for your objectives, and show how this approach contributes
new knowledge or understanding.

You can acknowledge limitations or weaknesses in the approach you chose, but justify why
these were outweighed by the strengths.

Lab-based experiments can’t always accurately simulate real-life situations and

behaviors, but they are effective for testing causal relationships between variables.

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Unstructured interviews usually produce results that cannot be generalized beyond

the sample group, but they provide a more in-depth understanding of participants’
perceptions, motivations and emotions.

Tips for writing a strong methodology

Remember that your aim is not just to describe your methods, but to show how and why
you applied them and to demonstrate that your research was rigorously conducted.

Focus on your objectives and research questions

The methodology section should clearly show why your methods suit your objectives and
convince the reader that you chose the best possible approach to answering your problem
statement and research questions. Throughout the section, relate your choices back to the
central purpose of your dissertation.

Cite relevant sources

Your methodology can be strengthened by reference to existing research in the field,
either to:

Confirm that you followed established practices for this type of research
Discuss how you evaluated different methodologies and decided on your approach
Show that you took a novel methodological approach to address a gap in the
literature

Our free citation generators can help you to create MLA citations and APA citations.

Write for your audience

Consider how much information you need to give, and don’t go into unnecessary detail. If
you are using methods that are standard for your discipline, you probably don’t need to
give lots of background or justification. But if you take an approach that is less common in
your field, you might need to explain and justify your methodological choices.

In either case, your methodology should be a clear, well-structured text that makes an
argument for your approach, not just a list of technical details and procedures.

Discuss obstacles

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If you encountered difficulties in collecting or analyzing data, explain how you dealt with
them. Show how you minimized the impact of any unexpected obstacles. Pre-empt any
major critiques of your approach and demonstrate that you made the research as rigorous
as possible.

Frequently asked questions about methodology

What’s the difference between method and methodology? 

Where does the methodology section go in a research paper? 

What’s the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods? 

What’s the difference between reliability and validity? 

What is sampling? 

Is this article helpful?

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453

Shona McCombes
Shona has a bachelor's and two master's degrees, so she's an expert at writing a great
thesis. She has also worked as an editor and teacher, working with students at all different
levels to improve their academic writing.

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