The research methodology section of a scientific paper is your opportunity to convince readers that your research is useful and contributes to science. An effective research methodology builds on your general approach, qualitative or quantitative, and provides sufficient explanation of the method you are using. Justify your reasons for choosing this method over other methods, then explain how the method is able to answer the research question.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Explaining the Method
Step 1. Restate the research problem formulation
Open the research methodology section by rewriting the problem statement or research question. Enter a hypothesis, if any, or any proposition you want to prove through research.
- When you rewrite the problem statement or research question, also mention the assumptions you used or the conditions you ignored. These assumptions also affect the research method you choose.
- In general, state the variables you will be testing and any other conditions that have been controlled for or assumed to be stable.
Step 2. Describe the general approach to the method you use
You can use a general quantitative or qualitative approach. Sometimes, you can combine the two. Briefly explain why you chose this approach.
- If you want to research and document measurable social trends, or evaluate the impact of certain policies on various variables, use a quantitative approach that concentrates on data collection and statistical analysis.
- If you want to evaluate someone's view or understanding of a particular issue, use a qualitative approach.
- You can also combine the two. For example, you might want to research measurable social trends, but you also interview informants and get their opinion on how these trends affect their lives.
Step 3. Describe how you collect or generate data
This section provides an explanation of when and where you conducted your research and what basic parameters were used to ensure the objectivity of the research results.
- For example, if you are conducting a survey, you should write down the questions you used, when and how the survey was conducted (in person, online, or over the phone), how many respondents, and how long they took to complete the survey.
- Include enough detail so that your research can be repeated by other researchers in your field even if they may not get the same results.
Step 4. Provide a background if you use an unconventional method
In the social sciences field, you may use methods that are not commonly used, or may not appear to fit the research problem formulation. These methods should be accompanied by additional explanation.
- Qualitative research usually requires more detailed explanation than quantitative methods.
- The basic investigative procedures do not need to be explained in detail. Generally, you can assume that the reader already has an understanding of the common research methods used by social science researchers, such as surveys or focus group discussions.
Step 5. Cite all sources that contributed to your choice of methodology
If you use other people's articles to build or apply your methodology, mention those articles and describe their contribution to your research, or how your research developed their method.
For example, you conduct a survey and use several other research articles to construct the questions in a questionnaire. Cite these articles as sources that contribute to your research
Part 2 of 3: Justifying Method Choice
Step 1. Describe the criteria you used to collect the data
If you collect primary data, you should have eligibility parameters. State the parameters clearly. Explain why you chose this parameter and its important role in the study.
- Describe the specific study participants and the inclusion and exclusion criteria you used when forming the participant group.
- Justify the sample size, if any, and describe how this sample size affects the feasibility of the study results to generalize at the population level. For example, if you use a sample of 30% of the student population of a particular university, you may be able to apply the results to all students at that university, but you cannot generalize to other university populations.
Step 2. Defend the research from the weaknesses of the method
Each method has strengths and weaknesses. Briefly discuss the weaknesses of your chosen method, then explain how they were irrelevant or did not occur in your research.
Reading other research articles is a good way to identify potential problems that usually arise when using various methods. Explain whether you actually faced any of these problems during the research
Step 3. Describe how you overcame obstacles
Overcoming obstacles in conducting research can be one of the most important parts of research methodology. Your ability to solve problems can increase the reader's confidence in the results of your research.
If you encounter a problem while collecting data, clearly write down the steps you took to minimize the effect of the problem on the research results
Step 4. Evaluate other methods you can actually use
Write a discussion about other methods that are more commonly used for your research, especially if your chosen method seems unusual. Explain why you did not choose these methods.
- In some cases, you may state that there have been many studies using one method, but no one has used the method you chose. As a result, there is a gap in understanding of the research issue.
- For example, there are many articles that provide quantitative analysis of certain social trends. However, no one has examined clearly how these trends affect people's lives.
Part 3 of 3: Linking Methods to Research Objectives
Step 1. Describe how to analyze the data
The analysis depends on the approach you use, whether it is qualitative, quantitative, or a combination of the two. If you use a quantitative approach, you may use statistical analysis. If you are using a qualitative approach, explain your theoretical perspective or philosophy.
Depending on your research question, you might combine quantitative and qualitative analysis, just as you would combine the two approaches. For example, you perform a statistical analysis and interpret the results from a certain theoretical perspective
Step 2. Explain the relevance of the analysis to the research objectives
Above all, your entire methodology should be capable of producing answers to research questions. If they don't match, you'll need to adapt your methodology or rephrase your research questions.
For example, you researched the effect of higher education on family farming in rural Indonesia. You can interview highly educated people who grew up on family farms, but the data will not give a comprehensive picture of the effects. Quantitative approaches and statistical analysis will give the bigger picture
Step 3. Identify how the analysis answers the research question
Connect the methodology to the research question. Provide an estimated output based on your analysis. Describe specifically what your findings will indicate regarding the research question.
- If when answering a research question your findings create a new question that requires further research, briefly mention it.
- You can also include method limitations or questions that have not been answered by your research.
Step 4. Evaluate whether your findings are transferable or generalizable
You may be able to apply the findings in another context or generalize to a wider population. In the social sciences, transferring results is generally difficult, especially if you use a qualitative approach.
Generalizations are commonly used in quantitative research. If you have a properly designed sample, you can apply the results of the study statistically to your sample population
Tips
- Write in chronological order. Start by preparing for the execution of the research method, how you collect data, and how you analyze it.
- Write the research methodology using the past tense (if you use English) unless you collect the methodology section before the research is actually carried out.
- Discuss your plan in detail with your supervisor or supervisor before implementing it. They can help identify deficiencies in research.
- Write a methodology using the passive voice so that readers focus on the steps being taken and not the person doing it.
