Dissertation Methodology Unpacked: Explaining Your Approach
If you are a university student, you will most likely be writing a dissertation at some point in your academic career. Whether you’ve already started writing a dissertation or you’re just looking to start the process, this article will help you write your methodology section.
What is a Dissertation Methodology?
The dissertation methodology is a key component of a successful dissertation. The methodology explains the who, what, when, where, and why questions concerning your research. You will explain what techniques you used to conduct your research with clear descriptions that someone else could use to conduct similar research. It should explain what you did, how you did it, and if the study was reliable and valid. This section should also include:
Why you chose the method you selected
How you selected your statistics and data
Materials used for research
Research type
Research collection method
How to Write a Dissertation Methodology Section
It's important that readers understand your work when they read your methodology section. Your explanation should provide a detailed explanation of your methods and how you applied those methods. You must write your method for research clearly and concisely so your audience will understand your methods and be able to replicate your results.
The process of creating a methodology can be broken down into smaller components, such as defining the research topic, choosing the research method, and collecting and analysing the data.
Explain Your Research Approach
Right from the beginning, you want your audience to understand what question you have researched. Did you try to show a relationship? Describe the origins of an unusual topic? The main point of this section is to provide a rationale for the methods you chose. You will want to explain why your methods were well-suited to the topic. You may also explain any considerations that came up while conducting research (ethical, etc.). The validity and reliability of sources are essential topics in this section as well, so be sure to keep that in mind as you make source selections.
Some questions to describe in this section include:
Primary or secondary sources: Which did you use? If you used previously collected data, where did it come from?
Is your data quantitative or qualitative? Or both?
If using data from experiments, did you use a control group and variables? Or was data collected without interference?
You can think about this section like a science project. Once you have done the research, you will describe the methods used and analyze your findings. In this section, you may want to touch on the philosophy behind your choice. Your research philosophy tells your audience what your assumptions might be as you completed your research. Some options for the worldview you may take while conducting research include:
Positivism (absolute truths; the researcher is objective)
Pragmatism (no absolutes; gain solutions to problems)
Critical realism (bias acknowledged; attempt to be objective)
Interpretivism (objectivism is difficult; must interpret data since theories are limited)
Post-modernism (expose powers that be while understanding that ideologies are within us all)
What Methods of Data Collection Were Used?
In this section, you will discuss the options available to answer your proposed research question and explain why you chose the methods you did. You will focus on the appropriateness of what you decided and back up your choice with evidence. For example, in the quantitative section of your research, did you include survey results? If so, keep these questions in mind:
What types of questions were asked (open-ended/yes or no)?
How many questions?
What was the sample size of individuals surveyed?
Where was the survey conducted?
When was the survey conducted?
How long did individuals have to respond to the survey?
Was it on paper or digital?
If you chose to conduct experiments, there are other details to include, such as:
How was the experiment designed?
Why did you choose this experiment?
How did you choose your control and variables within the experiment?
Did you have to recruit individuals to help with the experiment?
How did you choose participants to help?
What technology did you use and why?
Did you use other tools to experiment?
Details are crucial in this section. A researcher with your background should be able to recreate your experiment based on the details you provide.
When you include qualitative research, you will again explain the methods you chose and defend the reasoning for those choices. Examples of qualitative methods include interviews and observations. For interviews, include information about:
The number of individuals participating
Why were they chosen to participate?
Was the interview structured or not?
How long were the interviews?
Were they recorded on video, audio, or by hand?
If you observed a sample community, be sure to address these questions:
How would you describe the group you observed?
How did you choose this group or organize access to the observation?
How long did you observe?
Where did you observe?
How did you record your observations? Did you record or take hand-written notes?
Not every piece of data must be your own personally conducted survey, interview, observation, or experiment. You will find credible data through previously completed work in your field. Remember to choose resources that come from a reliable source, are current and valid, and match the criteria you have set for your presentation.
Describe Analysis Methods
Once you have conducted your research, it is time to explain how you analysed the data. You are not quite ready to go into great detail about results yet. This section is more about describing the process of your analysis. You may include information regarding how the data and statistics were organized and prepared for analysis. Descriptions of technical or statistical tools used to analyse should also be noted here.
When describing qualitative research methods, such as interviews and observations, you might explain different methods chosen to analyse those results, including content, thematic, and discourse analysis. Again, this is not the time to go into extensive detail about the actual results. Focus on the explanation of the methods used for analysing your research.
Make Your Case
At this point, you have explained your approach and described your research and analysis methods. In this next step, you will evaluate and justify the choices you made. This is a critical step as it allows you to explain unconventional decisions and provide insight into your thought process. Anything out of the ordinary can be justified here, including weaknesses or strengths of your chosen methods. This is one reason to use both primary and secondary sources for your research. With reliable secondary research, your results will usually need less justification.
Tips and Tricks for Successful Methodology Writing
The dissertation writing process is a marathon, not a sprint. To save yourself precious time, consider drafting your methodology section as you conduct your research and analysis. Even an outline as you go could help to streamline the process.
Remember to cite your sources. When using existing research, be sure to detail how you chose the study after considering all the options available. Determine how your chair wishes sources to be cited (APA, MLA, etc.).
Understand that no project is perfect. Your professor will most likely expect an explanation of issues that arose during your research. Be sure to include how you worked through any obstacles and be prepared to defend how you mitigated any problems you overcame.
Consider your audience when writing your methodology. Since your chair most likely has extensive knowledge of your topic, it isn’t necessary to give overly detailed background information on standard techniques and procedures.
Take a look at some examples of previously written dissertation methodology sections. Sometimes seeing a successful example can help you to structure your research and writing.
Some fields of study have specific criteria that may be exclusive to that particular field. Ask questions and be sure to check in with your chair as you write your dissertation to prevent any misunderstanding about expectations.
Avoid presenting unnecessary information such as raw data, listing irrelevant details, or extensive explanations that would be better suited to a different section of the dissertation.
Writing this section in the past tense is best. When you created your dissertation proposal, you probably wrote in the future tense. Since your research is complete by the time you write your methodology, it makes sense that you would write in the past tense.
Conclusion
As you work through each portion of your dissertation, it is important to ask yourself the following:
Is my methodology reproducible?
Does it show rigor?
Will my findings convince my audience?
Are my methods authentic?
Taking time to choose a design and approach that works well with your topic of research has the potential to make or break your dissertation. It is undoubtedly one of the most challenging parts of writing the presentation. Don’t be afraid to ask for guidance and feedback from advisors. Taking a step-by-step approach will make the process easier to complete.
Clear and precise language is necessary to ensure that your audience understands your methods and could reproduce the research based on your explanation. Accuracy is vital in the section of your dissertation, so care should be taken when completing each step of the process.
Additional Resources
To further enhance your understanding and skills in writing a dissertation methodology, consider exploring the following resources:
Books and Guides:
"Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches" by John W. Creswell and J. David Creswell: A comprehensive guide on different research designs and methodologies.
"The Craft of Research" by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams: A valuable resource for understanding the research process, including methodology.
"Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish: Psychology and Related Fields" by John D. Cone and Sharon L. Foster: This book offers practical advice on writing dissertations, including a detailed section on methodology.
Lined and Blank Notebooks: Available for purchase from Amazon, we offer a selection of lined and blank notebooks designed for students to capture all dissertation-related thoughts and research in one centralized place, ensuring that you can easily access and review your work as the project evolves.
The lined notebooks provide a structured format for detailed notetaking and organizing research questions systematically
The blank notebooks offer a free-form space ideal for sketching out ideas, diagrams, and unstructured notes.
By utilizing these resources, you can gain a deeper understanding of research methodologies, improve your dissertation writing skills, and ensure your methodology section is thorough, accurate, and well-documented.
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