Throughout the section, relate your choices back to the central purpose of your dissertation. It is actually better to write this at the start of your research, so that it can be changed if your methods are not producing the results you need. When writing or planning this section, it’s good practice to refer back to your research questions, aims and objectives, and ask yourself whether what you are planning to do is the best way to answer the questions and achieve the objectives. good, bad, nice, etc. Your methodology can be strengthened by reference to existing research in the field, either to: Consider how much information you need to give, and don’t go into unnecessary detail. . How to write a methodology? Participant observation In general (there’s lots more material available online if you want to learn more) you first need to decide whether you are going to work along broadly positivist, scientific lines, starting with a defined hypothesis and testing this against reality. How long were the interviews and how were they recorded? What questions did you ask and how have these contributed towards answering your research question or how did these test your hypothesis which formed the basis of your research? Depending on your discipline and approach, you might also begin with a discussion of the rationale and assumptions underpinning your methodology. After writing a basic philosophical statement add some more "big" words to replace more common ones (i.e. Discuss why other methods were not suitable for your objectives, and show how this approach contributes new knowledge or understanding. Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings. multiple choice, rating scale)? How you prepared the data before analysing it (e.g. What problem or question did you investigate, and what kind of data did you need to answer it? If this is the case, you will be adopting a qualitative approach (concerned with analysing textual responses in detail). This article discusses what kind of thing a philosophical methodology (good or not) is or would be, and what kind of questions would count as methodological. The methodology or methods section explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research. Statistical sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population. Finally, your methodology should discuss the following: 1. In this section you have to explain very clearly how you arrived at your findings and state clearly why they are reliable and how they answer your research questions or test the hypotheses on which your research was based. )and transitions to get your basic idea across. Explain the choice of age group and ethnicity of your respondents. Category: Articles & Advice, Dissertation Writing Guide. Constantly saying 'the researcher' feels a bit weird. The surveys were used to select returning customer participants who belonged to the target group (20-45 years old). Describe where, when and how the survey was conducted. A customer was defined as a person who had purchased a product from Company X on the day of questioning. Methods might include: The interviews were transcribed and open coded to categorise key themes and identify patterns. In your dissertation or thesis, you will have to discuss the methods you used to undertake your research. An approach to studying people, particularly in social sciences, that starts from position that the subject matter is inherently different from non-human subjects. Shares the main assumptions of positivism, but takes a more relativistic perspective, There is an objective world, but knowledge of it is filtered through the subjective experience of individuals. On one hand, the researcher may focus on product quality pr… How did you choose your sample? Once you have introduced your overall methodological approach, you should give full details of the methods you used to conduct the research. Describe where, when and how you conducted the observation. In quantitative research, your analysis will be based on numbers. For this the “outlier labeling rule” was used. It should include: The type of research you did; How you collected and/or selected your data When discussing why you selected the methods you did, you should be convincing that these methods are the best ones available given what you want to achieve. You don’t however have to explain the methodological approaches that you could have used. Results – Used to report on your main findings and how these relate to your research question. Interviews or focus groups Revised on My basic beliefs are: x,y,z). The methodology section should clearly show why your methods suit your objectives and convince the reader that you chose the best possible approach to answering your problem statement and research questions. date range)? Check your syntax! You may also be interested in: What is dissertation and why is it important? Give full details of the tools, techniques and procedures you used to conduct the experiment. Other Relevant Articles: regression analysis), Content analysis: coding and categorising themes and ideas, Narrative analysis: looking at storytelling structures and tropes and interpreting their meaning, Discourse analysis: looking at communication and meaning (including language, images, and nonverbal interactions) in relation to their social context, Confirm that you followed established practices for this type of research, Discuss how you evaluated different methodologies and decided on your approach, Show that you took a novel methodological approach to address a gap in the literature. The data was then analysed using statistical software SPSS. The main decision you are likely to make is whether you will be using qualitative or quantitative methods (or methods which combine both). Lab-based experiments can’t always accurately simulate real-life situations and behaviours, but they are effective for testing causal relationships between variables. 25 February 2019 Each theme was analysed to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ perceptions and motivations. However as this is not usually how dissertations are written- they are written in hindsight, then you will have to be honest about the flaws in the design. Really useful guide for writing a methodology. The survey consisted of 5 multiple-choice questions and 10 questions that the respondents had to answer with a 7-point Lickert scale. checking for missing data, removing outliers, transforming variables), Which software you used to analyse the data (e.g. What criteria did you use to select material (e.g. :)). the practical considerations while selecting a topic of research (Holden & Lynch, 2004; Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009). You can acknowledge limitations or weaknesses in the approach you chose, but justify why these were outweighed by the strengths. What’s the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods? Quantitative methods allow you to test a hypothesis by systematically collecting and analyzing data, while qualitative methods allow you to explore ideas and experiences in depth. How did you design the questions and what form did they take (e.g. What was the sample size and response rate? I come from a (heavily continental) philosophy degree, and I have never written a methodology section of a paper, not even for my previous master's thesis. The Steps involved in writing a Dissertation. The choices you made at the beginning of your research study should have been aided by contributions from your supervisor. Were there any ethical or philosophical considerations? 1. Outline the tools, procedures and materials you used to gather data, and the criteria you used to select participants or sources. Here you will need to explain the context of your research, its limitations and specifically answer the “w-” questions, which include How, Why, What Where and When? In this section you will outline how you collected your data; and you will have to explain your choice for using the methods you did, such as online surveys, phone surveys, face-to-face-interviews and so on. Explain how you selected case study materials (such as texts or images) for the focus of your analysis. Remember that your aim is not just to describe your methods, but to show how and why you applied them and to demonstrate that your research was rigorously conducted. You will set out the research paradigm here. In the methods section you might include: Before analysis the gathered data was prepared. Flawless Tips on Selecting your PhD Thesis Topic. On the other hand, you might be more interested in exploring broad areas, probably to do with people’s experiences of, perceptions of or emotional reactions to a subject, and looking in detail at these responses in all their richness. For example, if you were sampling texts, or have a lot of qualitative data are you using semiotics analysis, discourse analysis and so on. Next, you should indicate how you processed and analysed the data. Shona McCombes. 2. If you are using methods that are standard for your discipline, you probably don’t need to give lots of background or justification. Conclusion – Used to confirm the answer to your main research question, reflect on the research process and offer recommendations on future research. Sample Dissertation Methodology: Mixed Method Deductive Research That being so, writing the Methodology section will be the easiest part of your dissertation. In this section you have to explain very clearly how you arrived at your findings and state clearly why they are reliable and how they answer your research questions or test the hypotheses on which your research was based. But if you take an approach that is less common in your field, you might need to explain and justify your methodological choices. this has helped me a lot with my thesis and i will be following these foot steps, Thank you. Since SAGE Research Methods focuses on methodology rather than disciplines, it can be used across the social sciences, health sciences, and more. Question did you design the questions and 10 questions that the results you obtain valid..., 1987 ) sampling means selecting the group that you could have used to... Was then analysed using statistical software SPSS enter your email address below receive... 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