Research Methodology
Method follows methodology. Method means what kind of accepted, structured analysis method will you use to analyze your data? Perhaps it would be better if you think of it this way; “Method: How I will prove my analysis and conclusions are valid to Dr. Woodman”. I know research methods can seem overwhelming but here’s all you need to think and write about:
This section is only about why and how you analyzed/evaluated your data the way you did.
It is not about what studies were analyzed (that’s the literature review), it is only about how the data from the multiple research references was collected, what method was used to integrate and analyze them, why this method is valid, how you verified that you used the method correctly, and what was left out of the analysis and why. You cannot not just say, “Here are the studies I chose to look at and here’s what I think they tell me.” A thesis is not a report! It is not an opinion piece! There must be some type of analysis structure:
⦁ I chose this study because….(Of course you would not actually use “I” as formal papers are only written in the third person! This is just for thinking)
⦁ Justify how the study you are conducting will answer the question(s) posed by you in the introduction.
⦁ I chose to analyze this data from the research discussed in the literature review because…
⦁ Describe why the data you get conducting your study is valid. Here you can discuss the rigor you use in developing your data collection, conducting your analysis, and how you will check your results.
