As a PhD scholar, your main aim would be to determine answers/solutions to a specific question/issue. To identify the appropriate solution, choosing the right research method is a must. However, selection of research method often suffers setback due to the confusion between the method and methodology. Although it sounds outlandish, but the fact is that not all scholars are aware of the difference between those two concepts.
A source of confusion is that the words ‘method’ & ‘methodology’ are treated interchangeable in academics.
So what exactly is research method and methodology?
1. Research method
Research methods are the approaches used to define primary goals and determine the specific issue with deeper understanding. Simply said, the procedures and techniques utilised during the course of investigating the research problem, collect & perform data analysis is known as research method. This incorporates experimental studies, numerical schemes, statistical approaches, theoretical procedures, and many more. Typically, research methods are segregated into:
- Exploratory research – This type of approach assists in identifying a problem
- Constructive research– This approach
utilises empirical evidence to evaluate the feasibility ofsolution - Empirical research – This type of research method used to assess the theories
These methods can be further divided into descriptive, applied, conceptual, qualitative and quantitative research. Unknown to many, research methods is categorised into three groups.
- Group one – This category covers approaches pertaining to data collection. However, such methods are utilised only when the existing data isn’t sufficient to obtain the solution.
- Group two – This category includes the approaches used to conduct data analysis. That is, to determine the data patterns and develop a relationship between the known & unknown data.
- Group three – It encompasses approaches which are utilised to determine the accuracy of the obtained findings and generally incorporate analytical methods.
2. Research methodology
As the name suggests, research methodology is the study of the methods used to solve the problem/issue. It is the reasoning behind why the particular approach was used. In any study, research methodology serves the purpose of symmetrically solving the research problem and also explains how the result was obtained. I.e., the research methods employed and the manner in which the data was collected & analysed. A research methodology provides comprehensive theoretical and practical framework employed to describe the reasoning and functioning of the selected research methods in the initial stage of the study. Methodology plays a crucial role in research as it determines the reliability of the significant findings and adds value to the overall study. Key characteristics of methodology include:
- Identifying appropriate research method to solve the chosen issue
- Ensuring the efficiency of the selected research method
- Determining the accuracy of the obtained results
Unlike research method, methodology isn’t a collection of tools or techniques. Instead offers detailed explanation to the reader pertaining to the techniques or tools used to collect data, perform data analysis, equipment used to conduct an experiment (in case of study in science), etc. A well-crafted methodology section should:
- Introduce and describe reasons for research methods (qualitative, quantitative or mixed) used for investigation of an issue
- Offer rationale for selecting the specific research method
- Explain how the research methods are relevant to the study
- Demonstrate specific data collection approach
- Provide an explanation on data analysis procedures
| Features | Research Methods | Research Methodology |
| Meaning | Implies approaches used by the scholar to perform the research | Signifies ways to solve research problems |
| What is it? | Behaviour and tools used to collect data and perform data analysis | Provides an explanation and rationale behind choosing a specific research method |
| What it encompasses? | Includes tests, surveys, experiments, etc. | Studies the technique utilised in conducting tests, survey, experiment, etc. |
| Objective | Identify solution to research problem | Apply suitable procedures to identify solutions |
| Scope of practice | Has narrow scope of practice | Has wider scope of practice |
| When is it used? | Used in later stages of research | Used in initial stages of research |
Sample of research methodology section
To summarise, research methodology is required to solve the research problem systematically by evaluating the logic behind implementation of research methods. On the other hand, research method is the facet of methodology providing an avenue to determine the solutions for the research problem.
Undoubtedly, the scope of research methodology is wider than that of methods as it the base which lets you determine the effectiveness of the method used.
