How To Write A Research Methodology

Updated: 17 Jun 2023

Do you know how to structure a research methodology? Do you know the importance of a research methodology? This guide will focus on how to write a unique research methodology.

Some say that a methodology is the backbone of research. From our experience, we support this idea too. A research methodology says a lot about a study and, to some extent, the researchers. By looking at your methodology, readers can tell the validity and reliability of your study. You should thus give much attention to this section.

A research methodology is usually found in academic papers like research papers, dissertations, and theses. This guide will teach you the steps and tips for writing a research methodology. You can hire us to write a research methodology for you or any other educational assignment you may have.

What Is A Research Methodology?

A research methodology explains the collection and analysis of data in a study. A methodology can be of many research designs, such as qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. Under each research design, there are many research design subsets and methods like focus groups, interviews, and surveys, among others. A research method is a technique that is used to implement the plan.

A research methodology serves the following purpose:

• Enables the readers to analyze the reliability and validity of a research
• Evaluates the topics information
• Determines the answers or solutions by taking advantage of scientific approaches.

Some quick tips you should be aware of are:

• Use past tense when writing the methodology section
• Your school or instructor may sometimes specify the guidelines of your research methodology. One standard guideline is formatting; you may be told to use MLA, APA, Harvard, or another formatting style.

What Are The Steps For Writing A Research Methodology?

Below is the step-by-step guide for how to write a research methodology.

1. Highlight your methodological plan
2. Explain the data collection techniques
3. Discuss data analysis strategies
4. Describe reasons for all your methodological choices

1. Highlight Your Methodological Plan

The first item you discuss in your research methodology is the problem or research question. A “problem” is the subject you are trying to understand. It can be an area of concern, a complication that needs to be removed, a situation to be improved, or a troubling question found in theory, literature, or practice that needs more understanding and deliberate examination.

It is good to remember that the problem is profoundly discussed in the introduction and literature review sections. You will only briefly discuss it in the methodology; specifically, you will show how the problem connects with the methodology.

You need to answer the following questions after identifying the problem.

• Will you use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed design?
• Which method will you use to solve your problem or answer the research questions?
• Will you use standard methodology approaches?
• How will you handle validity and reliability aspects?
• What are the important ethical considerations to consider?
• Will you do the methodology yourself, or will you seek help? Who will assist you?

2. Explain The Data Collection Techniques

In the first step, you touched lightly (maybe a paragraph or two) on the methodological approaches and techniques. In this step and the following one, you will go into details.

Specifically, in this section (step 2), you should mention the design and techniques you will use to collect data. Below we will list some of the most common designs, their techniques, and the details you should touch on.

Qualitative Design

The qualitative design allows researchers to collect subjective data: people’s feelings, motivations, and behaviors. Mention the following when you are explaining this design:

• The criteria you use to pick the data
• The role you played when collecting the data
• The context for performing the research.

Some common data collection techniques under qualitative design are focus groups, interviews, and observation. You should highlight the following details when discussing these techniques.

1. Observation

Observation is a data collection technique where researchers watch physical characteristics, events, or people’s behavior in their natural settings. One common form of observation is ethnography.

The details to look at in this technique are:

• • How, when, and where did you do the observation
  • What did you use for data recording?
  • How much time did you use in the research?
  • Which group or setting did you study? And which strategies did you use to get access?

2. Focus Groups and Interviews

Focus groups and interviews share a fundamental similarity: both involve questioning the participants. The questionnaires may be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured.

Highlight the following details when you are dealing with these two techniques.

• • How did you locate and choose the participants?
  • Which questions structure did you use, and how were they divided?
  • How many participants were involved?
  • How much time did the questioning take?
  • Which strategies were used in recording the data?

Quantitative Design

The quantitative design deals with the collection and analysis of numerical data. In this design, researchers are supposed to explain the operational concepts, variables, tools, and sampling methods they have used profoundly. The most popular techniques under quantitative design are surveys and experiments.

1. Experiments

Scientific experiments are studies that are conducted by manipulating a variable. There are three types of experiments: true experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental. Remember to discuss the following details when writing an experimental methodology.

• • How to design the experiments
  • The procedures and tools used
  • How to measure the variables

2. Surveys

Surveys are techniques for collecting all kinds of data. Surveys can be administered through telephone calls, texts, social media, or paperwork.

Answer the following questions when you discuss surveys in the methodology.

• • Which strategies did you use to design the questionnaire?
  • What was the sampling size and method?
  • How did you perform the survey?

3. Mixed research design

Mixed research design combines both quantitative and qualitative designs. In some cases, using one of the designs is not enough to work on your problem, and combining may be the best approach.

3. Discuss Data Analysis Strategies

In this step, you will show your readers that you have done data analysis. You will discuss the techniques you have used to evaluate your data. You should not present your findings in this section; findings are discussed in the “results” section, which is the section that comes after the “research methodology” section.

Let’s look at what to include in each of the designs.

a) Qualitative Research

Some of the techniques you can use to analyze qualitative data are:

Thematic: the data is examined for patterns, which are also called themes

Content: data is categorized by the meaning of phrases and words

Discourse: data is analyzed according to its communication in the social context.

Example of a thematic analysis:

“Thematic analysis was done after the survey. The data was first coded, then five themes were defined. The themes represent the participants’ behavior and attitude towards the emergence of the Russian-Ukraine War.”

b) Quantitative Research

If you are doing quantitative research, your analysis should revolve around the numbers. This form of analysis is referred to as statistical analysis. Include the elements below in case it is quantitative research.

• How did you prepare your data for the analysis?
• Which software did you use to perform the statistical analysis?

Example of Quantitative Analysis

“We used STATA v16 to analyze the data. First, we had to summarize the key responses and characteristics of the respondents on Covid19 effects. The summary involved putting the data in interquartile ranges, medians, frequency percent, and raw counts. “

4. Describe Reasons For All Your Methodological Choices

This section in your research methodology should deeply explain why you chose the designs, techniques, and approaches for the methodology. This is mainly important when you use methods that are not standard. When arguing out your points, make sure to mention why you did not use the other methods.

If one of your strategies is new or not standard, show how it has contributed to new understanding and knowledge. You also need to explain how your results are reliable and valid.

Another aspect you can discuss in this section is the limitations of your approaches. Remember to justify how the strengths outweighed the limitations when talking about limitations.

5. State The Ethical Considerations

You may state the ethical considerations that are linked to your research methodology. You may introduce a subheading for it, or you may mention it in the other sections of the research methodology.

Some of the items you can touch on concerning ethical considerations are:

• Consent of the participants
• Privacy and confidentiality of the participants
• Participants selection. Was it voluntary? Was a token used?
• The impact of data interpretation and analysis on the participants
• Maintenance of objectivity

Overall, these are the five key steps you can take when writing a research methodology. You can hire us if you need someone to help you write an appealing research methodology. On top of research methodology, we offer assistance on all college and university assignments.

Tips For Writing A Top-Scoring Research Methodology

Use the following tips to create a winning research methodology.

• When choosing the best methodology approaches, you should determine the knowledge you are attempting to unravel. For instance, objective or subjective, interpretive or experimental.
• Select methodology approaches that are achievable. Ensure you have forethought everything properly before beginning your research methodology. It is important to finish your methodology so you can write about it. Some things to consider are funds, time, ethics, feasibility, and availability and access to
• Properly cite sources. Make sure to cite any information you use that is not yours and follow the guidelines provided. You ought to obtain data from reliable and credible sources.
• Ensure that the research methodology is focused on the problem or research question.
• Write the research methodology with the readers in mind. You should include all the vital details and structure the methodology in a way that is easy to understand.
• Explain unexpected challenges. It is good to state the issues you encountered while gathering data and how you solved them. This shows the readers that you were keen to present all the details.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is the difference between a research methodology and a research method?

A methodology is a general approach that you use when solving a problem. It entails the research methods that you use and their underlying theories. On the other hand, methods are the specific strategies and techniques used when collecting and analyzing data.

2) What is the difference between qualitative research and quantitative research?

The main difference between the two is in numbers and statistics. Quantitative research uses data that can be quantified in the analysis stage and employs statistical tools. While qualitative research does not use statistical tools as it assists us in understanding the how, why, and what occurred in a particular behavior.

3) What should a research methodology include?

It should have the following:

• An introduction
• Data collection techniques
• Data analysis techniques
• Justification for the techniques
• Strengths and limitations, if applicable
• Ethical consideration

4) Who can help me write a research methodology?

We can. We offer academic help services for all areas and fields. Place an order today to get immediate and quality assistance with your research methodology.

5) Which is the most common software for conducting statistical analysis?

The popular statistical analysis tools are Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), MATLAB, Microsoft Excel, JMP, Statistical Analysis Software (SAS), and Minitab.

Summary

Theses, dissertations, and research papers have one thing in common, a research methodology section. The chances of you writing a research methodology are high. If you need to learn how to conduct and write one, you should start preparing now. This guide has provided you with essential steps and tips you can use when you want to write a good research methodology. Nonetheless, you need first to understand research designs and methods for you to be able to write. We can tutor you on these concepts and even write your research methodology for you.

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