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In any scientific research paper, the research methodology section will be the part where you convince readers that your research is useful and contributes to the field of research. An effective research methodology must be based on a general research orientation - whether qualitative or quantitative - and fully describes the research methods used. First, you need to give your reasons for choosing a research method, and then explain how these methods will answer your research question.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Description of research method

1. 

   Recalling the research problem. Begin the research methodology section by listing the problems or questions you plan to study, including hypotheses (if any) or what the study will prove.
   • When repeating a research problem, include default hypotheses or conditions. Research methods are also demonstrated through these assumptions and conditions.
   • In general, list the variables you will test and the conditions you control or default on are equal.

2. 

   
   
   Provide general research methods. The general method of research can be either qualitative or quantitative. Sometimes, you can combine both of these directions. Please provide an explanation for your choice.
   • If you are going to study and document measurable social trends or evaluate the impact of a given policy on different perspectives, apply a quantitative research approach to focus on data collection and analysis.
   • If you want to assess other people's views or understanding on a subject, use qualitative research.
   • You can also combine both of these research methods. For example, you could focus on researching a particular social trend at first, then interviewing and recording other people's opinions about its impact on their lives.

3. 

   
   
   Propose methods to collect and process data. In the research methodology section, this section will provide readers with information about the time and place of the study and basic parameters of the research context to ensure the relative objectivity of the results. get.
   • For example, if you are doing a survey, you need to describe the survey questions, where and how the survey was conducted (eg in-person, online or telephone survey), number of surveys What is the survey given and how long it takes for participants to complete the survey.
   • Please provide detailed information so that others in the same field can carry out a similar study even if the same results may not be obtained.

4. 

   
   
   Provides a rationale for the uncommon methods. Especially in the social sciences field, you can use methods that are underutilized or do not seem appropriate for the research problem. If so then you need a more detailed explanation.
   • Qualitative research methods often require more detailed explanations than quantitative research methods.
   • You do not need to explain the baseline survey process in detail. Often you can assume that the reader has a basic understanding of the research methods commonly used by social scientists, such as surveys or research groups.

5. 

   Cite your reference sources to select research methodology. If you refer to someone else's research to develop or apply a research methodology, discuss those studies and how you base your research on it.
   • For example, let's say you do a survey and refer to some other research to write a survey question then cite them in the references.
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Part 2 of 3: Explain the reasons for choosing the research method

1. 

   Present data collection criteria. When collecting key data, you need to be based on specific and reasonable criteria. Present these criteria clearly and let the reader know the reasons for their selection and their importance to the research.
   • Describe in detail the study audience and list the inclusion or exclusion criteria that you use when choosing a study audience group.
   • Describe the scope of the study, if any, and describe the effect it has on whether the study is applicable to a larger scope. For example, if you survey 30% of the student population of one university, the results may be applicable to students of the entire university, but not to students at other universities. .

2. 

   Eliminate the weakness of the research method. Every research method has its own strengths and weaknesses. Briefly discuss the weaknesses of the research method you choose, then explain why those weaknesses are irrelevant or non-existent in your research.
   • Reading other studies is also a good way to identify potential problems that often arise when applying different research methods. Please specify whether you actually encountered such problems during the research process.

3. 

   Describe how to handle difficulties encountered. The way you overcome obstacles in the research process is also one of the most important points of the methodology. Your ability to solve the problem will help increase the reliability of the results obtained.
   • If you encounter any problems with your data collection, explain in detail the steps you took to limit the impact of that issue on the research results.

4. 

   Evaluate other research methods that you can use. Especially when you use an uncommon research methodology to research your topic, discuss other methods that are commonly used to study similar topics and explain why you don't. those methods.
   • Sometimes, you just need to explain simply because there are many studies using the same method and no one has used the method you choose, so it is not possible to provide a comprehensive view of the research problem. .
   • For example, there have been many studies using quantitative analysis to find out about a particular social trend. However, there are no studies using qualitative approaches to determine the impact of this trend on people's lives.
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Part 3 of 3: Linking research methodology with research purposes

1. 

   Describe how to analyze research results. In general, this analysis will depend on whether you study qualitatively, quantitatively, or a combination of the two. If you are oriented towards quantitative research, you can use statistical analysis, but in the case of qualitative research, please specify the theoretical basis or philosophy that you apply.
   • Depending on the research question you can use both quantitative and qualitative analysis - since you probably use both methods. For example, you can use statistical analysis and then interpret these figures with some theoretical basis.

2. 

   Shows the association between the analytical results with the research purposes. After all, your general methodology needs to provide answers to your research questions. If they do not fulfill this purpose, you will either need to adjust the methodology or reconstruct the research question.
   • For example, suppose you study the effects of higher education on agricultural production in the mountains. You can interview university students who were born and raised in the mountains, but relying solely on the results of the interview will not show the full impact. Quantitative research and statistical analysis will give you a broader view.

3. 

   Determine how the results of the analysis will answer the research questions. Contrast your methodology with the original research question and see the results of your research based on your analysis. You need to be specific about how the results will answer your research questions.
   • If, when answering research questions, the results you find suggest other questions that need further study, then briefly state these questions.
   • You can also address limitations in your methodology or questions that the study has not yet answered.

4. 

   Evaluate the translatability or generalization of research results. You can apply your research findings in different contexts or generalize in a broader range. Social science research is difficult to translate into a different context, especially when you use qualitative research.
   • The generalization is more often applied to quantitative studies. If you design good research subjects, you can apply the results obtained with a wider range of subjects including study subjects.
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Advice

• Present the research methodology in chronological order, starting with a description of the preparatory steps for implementing the research methodology, how to collect data and how to analyze the data.

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• Write a research methodology in past tense (for English), unless you submit the methodology section before conducting your research.
• Discuss the study plan in detail with the advisor or instructor before applying a particular methodology. They will help you identify shortcomings in the study.
• Write the methodology in a passive form that emphasizes the research activity instead of the person conducting the research.