Every research project looks a little bit different. While research questions can span a wide breadth of topics, it is important that researchers follow specific procedures and protocols when conducting their research. Methodology, or making sure you have documented the steps you took, is therefore important in research. The procedure a person follows to conduct research is called a research methodology. It is important to understand the parts of a research methodology to ensure research is organized, credible, and impactful.
Fig. 1 - Choosing a research methodology is a critical part of research.
Research Methodology Definition
As the name suggests, a research methodology is a way of conducting research. The methodology a researcher chooses will depend on the research question(s) asked. The definition, then, is:
A research methodology is a procedure a researcher chooses for carrying out research.
To choose a research methodology, researchers need to reflect on the goals of their research and the type of data they want to collect and analyze.
Research Methodology Types
While there are different types of research methodology, most research falls under the umbrella of either qualitative or quantitative research. Within each category, there are sub-types that researchers will choose. There is also mixed-method research which combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Quantitative Research Methodology
Quantitative research is about the collection and analysis of numerical data. It typically involves the collection of data through methods like surveys. Researchers analyze that data through various methods of mathematical and statistical analysis. Quantitative research is done in a wide range of fields, such as economics, marketing, public health, and psychology, and includes methods like the following:
Descriptive Quantitative Research
Descriptive quantitative research aims to describe a phenomenon through quantifiable data. For example, a descriptive research question might ask how many women vote for a certain presidential candidate. Researchers conducting descriptive quantitative research typically do not start with a hypothesis, but rather with systematic data collection.
A hypothesis is a statement that makes a prediction about the research at hand.
Experimental Quantitative Research
Experimental quantitative research follows the scientific method. Researchers conducting experimental research craft a hypothesis, which makes a prediction about the research at hand. One of the variables is called the independent variable, which means it is not impacted by the other. The other variable is called the dependent variable, which may be impacted by the other.
Experimental researchers design and conduct an experiment in which they manipulate the independent variable to examine the impact on the dependent variable. The numerical data they collect tests their hypothesis to determine if it was true or not.
Qualitative Research Methodology
Qualitative research is about the collection and analysis of non-numerical data, like written or spoken words. It typically involves interviews and participant observation in order to examine people’s lived experiences. Qualitative research is typically rooted in social theory and used in social sciences such as social anthropology and sociology. There are also several research approaches within qualitative research, including the following:
Fig. 2 - Qualitative research often involves in-depth interviews.
Ethnography
The Greek root word ethno- means “culture” or “race” and -graphy means "study." Thus, ethnography is the study of cultures and social relations. Qualitative researchers who conduct ethnographies are called ethnographers. They use in-depth direct observations to investigate cultural patterns and behaviors. During these observations, they take detailed field notes which are their main source of data.
Narrative Research
Qualitative researchers who conduct narrative research are interested in the lived experiences of specific individuals. These researchers typically conduct long interviews with a couple of people to better understand their life stories.
Case Studies
Qualitative case studies are used to research a specific phenomenon in a distinct context. For instance, a qualitative researcher interested in how natural disasters impact elementary students might conduct a case study of an elementary school that was affected by a natural disaster. Case studies typically involve multiple data collection methods including observations and interviews.
Mixed-Method Research
Mixed-method research is research that involves both qualitative and quantitative methods. For example, imagine a researcher is interested in the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on fifth-grade classrooms. To address this research question he might interview teachers about their experiences teaching during the pandemic, but they may also conduct student assessments to analyze students' academic performance. Mixed-method research is often done in fields such as healthcare, education, and sociology.
When choosing which type of research to conduct, researchers should consider what the goal of their research is. For instance, will numerical data help answer the research question? If so, the researcher should probably take a quantitative approach. Will observing or interviewing participants from a particular group address the topic? If so the researcher will likely take a qualitative approach.
Parts of Research Methodology
After researchers select the research methodology they are going to use, they need to outline the various parts of it. To do this, they should address the following questions:
Why have I chosen this method?
The first key part of a research methodology is the explanation for why it was chosen. It is important that researchers reflect on their method to ensure it is logical.
When choosing a research method for a literary research paper, researchers should ask themselves what the goal of their research is. For instance, perhaps a writer is interested in how well a book about a historical event represents people's lived experiences of that event. This writer could meet these goals by conducting qualitative interviews of people who lived through the event. Or perhaps a researcher wants to understand how a text was perceived when it was written.
This researcher could benefit from an analysis of historical archives from the time period the book was published.
Where will I conduct my research?
The second critical part of a research methodology is the research setting, which is where they going to conduct their research. For instance, if they are doing a qualitative study that involves interviews, they will need to select where the interviews will take place and when. Or if they are conducting a survey for a quantitative study they will need to decide how that survey will be conducted, such as on the internet or on paper in a classroom.
When choosing a research setting researchers should again consider their research goals. For instance, the researcher conducting interviews about people's experiences of a historical event would collect detailed information by speaking to people in person to observe their facial expressions and body language. They might therefore choose to conduct interviews in participants' homes where they are comfortable.
Who will my participants be and how will I select them?
In addition to determining where the study will take place, researchers also have to review who they want to participate in their study and how they will select those participants. It is critical that the participants are from a group of people whose participation can help address the research question.
For example, if a qualitative researcher is interested in teachers’ experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic, they will have to interview teachers who taught during that time period. In order to decide which participants to choose, researchers should consider age, gender, race, socioeconomic background, or job experience as relevant factors.
In some cases, researchers will not need to select any participants. For instance, a researcher might be conducting data analysis on a set of data from a secondary source. This means that they did not collect the data themselves and the dataset already existed.
The researcher should identify people who can provide insight into the topic they want to know about. For instance, recall the researcher who is collecting data about a historical event to compare reality to the book's representation. This researcher should strive to ensure they are speaking to participants who have first-hand knowledge.
Depending on the research method, researchers will also have to choose a method of selecting participants. For instance in quantitative research, participant selection could be random to ensure the sample of participants is diverse. However, sometimes researchers need people from hard-to-reach populations to participate, such as people in prison. In such cases, random sampling might not be possible because there might not be as many available participants. No matter what method researchers use to select participants, they have to make sure they specify how the participants were chosen and why.
What instruments will I use to collect data?
Researchers will have to decide if they will collect data. First, they should choose if they will use primary or secondary sources.
- Primary sources are original sources of information. These can include first-hand accounts from qualitative interviews or results of a survey created for a quantitative study.
- Secondary sources are sources of information that are not based on first-hand experience, but they provide information about one. For instance, articles from scholarly journals and textbooks are secondary sources.
Once researchers have decided to use primary or secondary sources, they will have to select which data collection instruments to use. The term "instrument” is used to describe the method used for data collection.
For example, a qualitative researcher might choose to use interviews to collect data. The script and list of questions the researchers use to conduct those interviews are called the interview protocol. This protocol is the data collection instrument.
When writing an English paper, one of the main sources of data will likely be the text or texts that motivated the research. Researchers might also use historical sources about the text such as reviews or newspaper articles from the time the text was written.
Fig. 3 - Data collection can involve many methods, including taking observational field notes.
How will I use the data?
The next crucial part of a research methodology is the procedure for data analysis. Depending on the type of data and the information a researcher hopes to collect from the data, the data analysis process will be different. For instance, in qualitative research, researchers often “code” their data thematically, which means they try to identify the main ideas in it. In quantitative research, researchers often visualize the data they collect in charts or graphs and look for trends and their implications.
Analyzing data for a literary research paper may look different than analyzing data for a quantitative social science study. For instance, it may involve more thematic reflection and the analysis of secondary sources about a text.
What are the limitations of this research?
Finally, it is important for researchers to reflect on the potential imitations of their researcher and their ethical implications for it. No research project can cover the entire scope of a topic, and there are therefore limitations to all studies.
For instance, financial limitations or time constraints might limit the number of participants the researcher could select. Noting limitations and reflecting on their implications is a key part of a reflexive, transparent research paper.
It is also important for researchers to note the ethical guidelines for the type of research they are conducting and explain that they were acknowledged and followed.
Importance of Research Methodology
Research methodology is important because it structures the research process and ensures valid, effective research is conducted. The methodology is also important in research to make sure no steps have been missed (which may undermine your hypothesis) and to prove you followed the ethical guidelines concerning the type of participant chosen.
It is then important that researchers understand how to describe their research methodology to their readers. Writers typically introduce their research methodology in an abstract, which is a brief summary of their research at the beginning of their paper.
Briefly describing the research methodology will tell other researchers looking at the paper whether or not it is relevant to the type of research they are searching for. It will also help them get a short, comprehensive understanding of your study right from the start.
When introducing the research methodology in the abstract, it is important that researchers mention:
The type of research and why it was chosen
The research setting and participants
The data collection process
The data analysis process
Limitations to the research
After referencing the research methodology in the abstract, writers will later devote a section of their paper to the research methodology. The research methodology section is where the researcher goes into more detail about each part of the methodology.
Research Methodology Example
The following is an example of an abstract that provides a brief, effective summary of the chosen research methodology. Read through the abstract and think about the why, where, who, what, and how as well as the all-important what limitations.
Fig. 4 - Abstracts should briefly reference all parts of the chosen research methodology.
Research Methodology - Key Takeaways
- The research methodology is a procedure a researcher chooses for carrying out research.
- Common research methodologies include qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods.
- Parts of a research methodology include the explanation for the choice of the method, the research setting, the data collection methods, the data analysis methods, and mentions of limitations or ethical considerations.
- Researchers should introduce their research methodology in their abstract and then include a more detailed section on the topic in the body of their paper.
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