Writing Research Methodology

Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research. A key part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, the methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research and your dissertation topic. It should include: How to write a research ______

Your methods section is your opportunity to share how you conducted your research and why you chose the methods you chose. It’s also the place to show that your research was rigorously conducted and can be ______

Why is a methods section ______

It gives your research legitimacy and situates it within your field, and also gives your readers a place to refer to if they have any questions or critiques in other ______

Step 1: Explain your methodological ______

In order to be considered generalizable, you should describe quantitative research methods in enough detail for another researcher to replicate your study. Here, explain how you operationalized your concepts and measured your variables. Discuss your sampling method or inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as any tools, procedures, and materials you used to gather your data. Surveys Describe where, when, and how the survey was ______.

Existing data Explain how you gathered and selected the material (such as datasets or archival data) that you used in your ______.

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

Mixed methods research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. If a standalone quantitative or qualitative study is insufficient to answer your research question, mixed methods may be a good fit for you. Mixed methods are less common than standalone analyses, largely because they require a great deal of effort to pull off successfully. If you choose to pursue mixed methods, it’s especially important to robustly justify your ______.

In quantitative research, your analysis will be based on ______. In your methods section, you can include: