Describing Methodology for Data Collection

In the final version of your Problem & Solution Text (WAT 4), 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.

Overall, you should discuss:

● 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

Language Elements:
● The methodology section should generally be written in the past tense.
● Use the passive voice to remove yourself as the focus of the process.

Step 1: Explain your methodological approach

Begin by introducing your overall approach to the research.
● Why did you choose to include this data to support your Problem & Solution Text?
● What specific ideas from your text does the data support?
● Did you use quantitative data (numbers), qualitative data (words), or a combination of both?
● Did you collect the data yourself, or did you use secondary data that was collected by someone else?

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.

Surveys
● How did you design the questionnaire and what form did the questions take (e.g. multiple choice)?
● How did you choose your participants? Why did you choose them this way?
● How did you conduct the survey (in-person, online platform, phone, etc.)?
● What was the sample size (how many people were asked to participate) and response rate (what
percentage of people asked actually took the survey)?
If you conducted a survey, be sure to include the survey in the appendix section at the end of your text.

Existing Data
● Where did you find the data? How did you find the source of the data?
● Who originally collected the data and when?
● How was the data originally collected?
 Interviews
● How did you find and select participants?
● How many people participated?
● What form did the interviews take (structured, semi-structured, unstructured)?
● How long were the interviews and how were they recorded?
If you conducted a survey, you should include a transcript of the conversation in the appendix section at the end of
your text. If the interview was in another language, you also should include a translation in English.

Step 3: Describe your methods of analysis

Finally, 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.
● How did you organize the raw data in order to analyze it?
● What process did you use to analyze it?
● What challenges or limitations did you face?

Example Methodology Section

In order to support the reader’s understanding of the high prevalence of Bogota residents
living in informal neighborhoods, data showing the percentage of residents based on total population
was included in this text. This data is completely qualitative focusing on numerical statistics originally
collected through in-person census surveying conducted by DANE, the Colombian governmental
department of statistics. The data was originally collected in 2019 and still provides valuable
information about the current situation in 2021. The figures included in this text were found on the
census data summary page of the official DANE website. In the data analysis, the number of residents
living in informal neighborhoods was compared to the official population count of Bogota and the
percentage of these residents were also divided by their estrato level to show which socioeconomic
statuses are most affected by this problem. Despite being official government statistical data, it is
possible that the numbers may be higher due to the challenges DANE officials face when locating and
conducting these surveys. It is not always possible to survey everyone. In spite of this, the data is
considered to be valid, reliable, and relevant for this text.