III. ACTIVITIES
Writing a research paper involves a step-by-step process that includes many stages, requirements, and long hours reading various sources. Researchers must be concentrated on the work and keep a pile of things in mind. Writing a research methodology is a complicated thing in which the researchers must explain to readers which methods and techniques are chosen and to be used during the research and write what type of data is received. Detailed information on the research design, participants, equipment, materials, variables, and actions taken by the participants should be provided by the researchers. Research methodology should provide enough information to allow other researchers to replicate an experiment or study. The methodology is the section of the research paper which describes the objectives and the methods applied to achieve those objectives.
HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In writing a research paper, the methods to be used should be explained as in what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of the research. The methodology section should generally be written in the past tense. It should include:
• The type of research you did
• How you collected your data
• How you analyzed your data
• Any tools or materials you used in the research
• Your rationale for choosing these methods
STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH IN WRITING METHODOLOGY
1.Explain your methodological approach
2.Describe your methods of data collection
3.Describe your methods of analysis
4.Evaluate and justify your methodological choices
Step 1: Explain your methodological approach
Begin by introducing your overall approach to the research. What research problem or question did you investigate? For example, did you aim to systematically describe the characteristics of something, to explore an under-researched topic, or to establish a
cause-and-effect relationship? And what type of data did you need to achieve this aim?Did you need quantitative data (expressed in numbers) or qualitative data
(expressed in words)?
• Did you need to collect primary data yourself, or did you use secondary data that was collected by someone else?
• Did you gather experimental data by controlling and manipulating variables, or descriptive data by gathering observations without intervening?
• Depending on your discipline and approach, you might also begin with a discussion of the rationale and assumptions underpinning your methodology.
• Why is this the most suitable approach to answering your research questions?
• Is this a standard methodology in your field or does it require justification?
• Were there any ethical or philosophical considerations?
• What are the criteria for validity and reliability in this type of research?
Step 2: Describe your methods of data collection
Once you have introduced your overall methodological approach, you should give full details of your data collection methods. In quantitative research, for valid generalizable results, you should describe your methods in enough detail for another researcher to replicate your study. Explain how you operationalized concepts and measured your variables; your sampling method or inclusion/exclusion criteria; and any tools, procedures and materials you used to gather data.
Surveys - Describe where, when and how the survey was conducted.
• How did you design the questions and what form did they take (e.g. multiple choice, Likert scale)?
• What sampling method did you use to select participants?
• Did you conduct surveys by phone, mail, online or in person, and how long did participants have to respond?
• What was the sample size and response rate?
You might want to include the full questionnaire as an appendix so that your reader can see exactly what data was collected.
Experiments - Give full details of the tools, techniques and procedures you used to conduct the experiment.
• How did you design the experiment?
• How did you recruit participants?
• How did you manipulate and measure the variables?
• What tools or technologies did you use in the experiment?In experimental research, it is especially important to give enough detail for another researcher to reproduce your results.
Existing data - Explain how you gathered and selected material (such as publications or archival data) for inclusion in your analysis.
• Where did you source the material?
• How was the data originally produced?
• What criteria did you use to select material (e.g. date range)?
Step 3: Describe your methods of analysis
Next, you should indicate how you processed and analyzed the data. Avoid going into too much detail—you should not start presenting or discussing any of your results at this stage. In quantitative research, your analysis will be based on numbers. In the methods section you might include:
• How you prepared the data before analyzing it (e.g. checking for missing data, removing outliers, transforming variables)
• Which software you used to analyze the data (e.g. SPSS, Stata or R)
• Which statistical tests you used (e.g. two-tailed t-test, simple linear regression)
Step 4: Evaluate and justify your methodological choices
Your methodology should make the case for why you chose these particular methods, especially if you did not take the most standard approach to your topic. Lab-based experiments can’t always accurately simulate real-life situations and behaviors, but they are effective for testing causal relationships between variables. Unstructured interviews usually produce results that cannot be generalized beyond the sample group, but they provide a more in-depth understanding of participants’ perceptions, motivations and emotions.
Example: The researchers randomly selected 100 children from selected public elementary school in Camarines Norte. Two stories from Sullivan et.al (2004) second-order false belief attribution tasks were used to assess children’s understanding of second-order belief. The experiment used a 3x2 between-subject design. The independent variables were age and understanding of second-order beliefs. The researchers interviewed children individually in their school in one session that lasted 20 minutes on average. The researchers explained to each child that he would be told two short stories and that some questions would be asked after each story. All sessions were videotaped so the data could later be coded.
Tips to Consider in Writing a Research Methodology – Always write the methodology in the past tense. Use the future tense if it is a research design. Provide enough details that another researchers could replicate your study. Avoid unnecessary details that are not relevant to the outcome of the study. Remember to use proper citations (APA, MLA …). Take a rough draft of your methodology with the assistance of your research teacher/adviser. Proofread your paper for typo errors, grammar and spelling errors, and other mechanics.
