#38 Methods and Methodology

What’s your methodology? What is your method?

Sounds similar. But they’re different, and knowing the differences is important.

Let me start with the Research Methods:

Think of your research methods as the tools in your toolbox.

Ask yourself, how am I going to do my research?

The methods are the ‘how’ of your research.

And the goal is to collect data to answer your research question(s).

Some classic methods include experiments, surveys, interviews…

- Experiments: This works well to test cause and effect. For example, you want to study screens’ impact on road accidents.

- Observations: This is ideal to analyse the real world. For instance, you study different school systems and compare the learning techniques from different learning environments.

- Surveys: This is useful for gathering large sets of data. You survey thousands of people to understand their views about a certain topic.

- Interviews: They’re perfect for deep insights. You interview research managers to understand their strategies in different contexts. Lots of text/information and rich information to analyze.

Now, it’s the turn of Research Methodology:

Step back, and look at it as your blueprint.

It’s the “why” you chose the research methods.

This covers your research design, analyses, sampling etc..

When you read articles, you will find various research methodologies that explain the why of the methods. For instance:

- Data analysis: Are you into statistics for numbers or themes for interview scripts?

- Study design: Is your study looking at a specific period from a snapshot perspective or do you prefer a long-term cross-sectional view?

- Sampling strategy: What is the type of sampling used? (simple random, systematic, cluster, or stratified?)

It’s like building a house:

You have the tools (methods), but you need a plan (methodology).

I remember, that in my first study, I jumped into data collection.

All very interesting data, techniques, visualizations etc. I was good with the methods.

But I was not clear on the methodology.

And many young researchers do the same.

This leads to wasted time and efforts, unfocused research and challenges to justify or defend your approach.

How to fix this?

· Take a moment to reflect on what you have done in your study.

· List your methods (how you study the question)

· Write a short paragraph to explain why you chose them: your plan or methodology.

· Share it with your supervisor, or colleague… for feedback

Handling the methods and the methodology well makes your research stronger and help you justify your choices.

This is also something that peer reviewers/examiners will look at closely.

That's all for this week.

Let us know in the comments if you have other suggestions.

As always, if you need clarification or assistance with your research projects, feel free to reach out to me, and I will respond.

See you next Sunday!

Jamal

My favorite things this week

1. Workshop with journal editors in the UAE about the Web of Science indexing and selection process.

2. A Web of Science session with a leading university in Bahrain

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