How To Write A Dissertation Methodology: A Step-By-Step Guide

One of the most essential sections of a dissertation is the methodology section. Making a dissertation is not a simple task when the methodology is in the picture. Mostly, it comes right after the literature review part. Due to various complexities surrounding it, our experts have pinned down some crucial points for a Dissertation Methodology to get better grades in a dissertation.

What Is The Research Methodology Section?

The section on research methodology in dissertation describes the process of collecting, analysing, and interpreting data which results in an overall assignment. It functions as the agenda for the research process and promises that the research will have structure, is reliable, and valid. In most cases, the methodology part involves research design that can be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods depending on the research. Through these methods, you will get a better understanding of a dissertation that is in-depth and infuses quality.

Relevance of The Methodology Section

The role of writing dissertation methodology can be multifold considering it is an essential section. It also shows an opportunity on how to conduct research which is fair considering the enormous nature of the task. However, some of the other relevances include:

Transparency & Replicability: The basic and core part of the dissertation procedure is that it highlights how the research will be conducted. Other researchers can later pick this up and easily replicate it. Hence, clear and detailed procedures enhance the reliability and credibility of your research findings.

Valid & Reliable: It shows that the methods are suitable for answering the research questions, thus organising the research’s validity. Additionally, the methodology section also displays consistency and accuracy. This shows how the researcher did the study, which improves reliability.

Ethical Considerations: As it is a structured section, it often includes ethical guidelines and considerations. Hence, it is crucial to do due to the involvement of sensitive data provided by humans.

Justification of Choices: A dissertation method offers reasoning behind the selection of specific methods, materials and tools. Therefore, this will help the reader to understand the reasons for these choices for the research question and context.

Framework For Interpretation: By taking into consideration the end results, the dissertation procedure assists the readers in understanding what the framework is all about. Hence, one thing is sure, the findings are more understandable and make sense after all.

Therefore, it is quite clear that the dissertation policy has enough relevance. So, it cannot be undermined at any point during the dissertation writing process and enough consideration must be given to it.

What Not To Do (Mistakes) In A Dissertation Methodology?

It is easy to know what should be done in a dissertation procedure. This alone cannot make the best qualitative methodology. Although you need to avoid some vital mistakes that can lower your grades.

Lack of Detailing

When the data needs to be inputted into the research methodology, it is not wise to add any differ from the fact that it needs fewer details. The whole point of writing a methodology is to supply maximum information about the task that students sometimes fail to do. Failing to mention critical procedures or provide ideas regarding the steps involved will only lead to confusion. In the end, this is going to be harder for your instructor to read and other researchers to replicate part of your study.

Plagiarism

If you rely heavily on sources to make your dissertation policy, you are going to have relative problems with plagiarism. It is the issue that most commonly comes up when you intentionally or unintentionally use someone else’s work without crediting them. It is an ethical misconduct that can be punished in several ways. Hence, it is difficult for most students to get rid of this problem as they lack serious research skills.

Complicating Explanation

Methodology is a technical section of the dissertation that highlights various points that need to be implemented. Overly complex explanations and relentless use of jargon can confuse readers, even those who carry in-depth knowledge about the field. Furthermore, the aim is to describe your approach clearly, in a way so that an expert in your field or a general reader will be able to understand it.

Insufficient Explanation of Limitation

Even if you do the best research known in the dissertation, there are going to be some limitations that can lower quality. If you don’t mention the limitations of your methods, it may come across as a point that you may not have given enough consideration to your research process.

For example: If your sample size is small or not indicative of the population of interest, it is essential to suggest how these factors limit the generalisability of your outcome.

Not Explaining Data Collection Tools

A complete methodology should and must elaborate on the tools and instruments that will be used for data collection. These can be surveys, interviews, or any software analysis that will clearly highlight and justify the selection. So, if you do not clarify the instrument for data collection, this can lead to problems with respect to the reliability and validity of the information.

For example: Let’s assume you are using a questionnaire, then you must specify how it was made, its format, and its appropriateness for the research outline.

Disregarding Ethical Considerations

When the involvement of human beings is there, ethical considerations must be kept in mind. It is vital to point out that the whole dissertation is based on a data driven approach which is retrieved from people. By avoiding these ethical considerations in your methodology, you not only put your research at risk but may also face some legal challenges.

Using Irrelevant Information

The whole part of making a dissertation methodology is using information that elevates the relevancy and quality of the task. Using irrelevant background information or exploring ideas that do not relate to the dissertation will hamper the quality of your methodology. That is why if you go off topic, you will surely lose grades which can be problematic considering the task at hand.

Dissertation Methodology Structure Essential For Every Student To Know

As it is a vast and major part of any dissertation, significant consideration must be given when writing it. But remember, the aim here is to describe your methods and apply them in your dissertation.

Introduction

To begin with, you must first write about the introduction of the methodology. It can be considered as the section that provides context to the whole dissertation and makes it suitable for answering research questions.

For example: In the research methodology section, our experts describe the research design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques. This can be used in the research questions on the impact of social media marketing strategy on consumer purchasing decisions.

Research Design

Here, you need to specify the complete approach to design your research. You can discuss the qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods and just explain your decision. The chosen design has to be described clearly so that the reader can understand how it meets the research aims and the type of data to be collected. Hence, if you justify the design it shows that you care about making decisions.

Approach of Research

Being closely tied to the research design, this section shows how the data will be collected and examined. To do it, there are different approaches you can use which include exploratory, explanatory, and descriptive depending on research objectives. In this part, you need to explore a particular approach to research based on the research questions.

For example: If the study is aimed at finding out about a new event, exploratory research can be key.

Sampling Strategy

This segment of the dissertation procedure describes the sampling method that can be used. Here, you can use the likes of a random sample, stratified sample, purposive sample, and others. It must also explain the population from which the sample was taken and what the sample size was. Besides, the sampling strategy has to be clearly constructed with a strong reasoning for the relevance of the research.

Data Collection Methods

To make your dissertation policy a success, you have to use some data collection methods such as surveys, interviews, questionnaires, or just observations. The methods you select have to be explained to illustrate how they correspond with the analysis goals. Besides, if you have chosen any tools for the data collection process, whether or not you used specific survey software, it needs to be mentioned here.

Data Collection Procedure

Once you have identified and selected a data collection method, it is now time to proceed with a procedure that complements it. This will highlight the step-by-step process of gathering data.

For example: If you are going for a survey, it is vital how you are going to collect data. Some procedures include online, face-to-face, etc.

Keep in mind that going for a procedure that makes your methodology seamless is the best way to go.

Tools & Instruments To Be Used

Without the use of proper tools and instruments, no methodology is complete. If you are going with a survey, you need to explain the survey instrument that you are using, its structure and its validation process. If going for qualitative research, you have to describe the interview arrangement or focus group sections you created. Moreover, for statistical analysis, SPSS can be the best tool.

Techniques of Data Analysis

After collecting valid and reliable data for your dissertation, it is now time to highlight the techniques you will be using for analysing data. If you look at the methods or approaches of doing so, some statistical ways include regression analysis, ANOVA, and others. 

If you are going for a qualitative approach, you need to explain how the data is analysed or you can opt for a specific qualitative method. Hence, from the very beginning, you need to clear what data analysis technique you will use and it can complement the task.

Moral Considerations

A section of ethical or moral considerations which is related to the research has to be addressed. This most commonly includes informed consent, making sure participant confidentiality is present, or others.

For example: Considerations related to ethics were a priority in this study. Each participant received an informed consent form which outlines the aim of the research, participant confidentiality, and that their participation was voluntary. Additionally, the data was anonymised so no one knows about the participants.

Limitations of Methodology

Every research methodology in a dissertation has certain limitations or restrictions that need to be listed. So, the best way to go about this is by recognising limitations that indicate that you know about any potential issues in the research.

For example: One limitation of this study is its reliance on self-reported data, which can lead to response bias. Besides, purposive sampling controls the capacity to generalise the results to a wider audience.

Conclusion of The Section

After writing about all the sections mentioned above, now conclude the methodology. Talk about the methodologies, techniques, and instruments used, and convey how they can be used to make a formidable hypothesis. This must show how the methodology approach chosen is suitable to research aims, and how it contributes to the validity and reliability of your research. Therefore, the readers and your instructor will have a better idea of the dissertation procedure.

Tips By Dissertation Experts To Refine Your Task

When it comes to writing a dissertation, our experts know it is a complex task to do. That is why over many years of dissertation writing experience, our experts have narrowed down some crucial points to go with the methodology.

Be Clear & Concise: As complex as the dissertation is, it is your task to make the methodology a bit simpler. But why? The process kind of helps in making it easier for the readers to be at ease. Even those who don’t know about your field should be able to make a clear distinction about what is what.

Uphold Your Methodological Choices: In the methodology section, you just don’t have to mention the methods used. Your task is to explain why you chose them. Regardless of what you chose in methodology - qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, you need to display a strong justification for why this is the best way to approach the research questions or hypotheses.

Express Research Design In Detail: When you are in the section of research design, you have to describe it in greater depth. Whether you have chosen experimental, descriptive, exploratory, correlation, or anything else, it is vital to mention it in the research design.

Be Transparent About Data Collection Methods: In a dissertation, you have to be transparent about the choices you have made. Describe the complete data collection process which may include how you did data collection, the tools you used (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations), and why those tools are relevant to your dissertation.

Offer A Clear Sampling Strategy: This part explains the procedure of selecting the participants. Examine the strategy for sampling (random, purposive, snowball, etc.), sample size, and sample characteristics. Also, explain the reason behind choosing this sampling strategy in your research and its contributions to answering your testing questions.

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The Final Word

If you are on your way to writing a Dissertation Methodology, you must know how the whole process operates. Not only does this give a clear direction for carrying out the research, but it makes sure that the examination is transparent, reliable, and valid. If you are clear and thorough about the research design, data collection strategies, analytic strategies, and ethical considerations, you are showing evidence for the accuracy and integrity of your research. Besides, if you avoid writing that is uncertain, completely plagiarising, and failing to specify limitations, your writing will be more enhanced and effective.