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How to write methodology for a dissertation

Today, you will be learning about the structure of a dissertation. Most importantly, you will be focusing on how to write a methodology for your dissertation. You should know that every part of the dissertation holds specific importance. The way you conduct all these parts while writing puts a major impact on your overall writing performance. 

The basic structure of a dissertation is constructed in the following manner

  1. Title Page
  2. Abstract
  3. Introduction
  4. Literature Review
  5. Methodology
  6. Results 
  7. Discussion
  8. Conclusion
  9. References 
  10. Appendices

All the elements that are mentioned above contribute to becoming the structure of a dissertation. You need to have a deeper perspective and understanding to deliver every single part effectively. Therefore, it is always advised to take help from online assignment helping sources to have an absolute idea of how to write a methodology for your dissertation.

You may have studied them briefly. Now, you will be learning every part in detail. Today, the main focus will be on writing a methodology for a dissertation.  

Methodology

The methodology is one of the most important elements of the dissertation structure. It is all about the methods that you used in your dissertation. Describing the methods is not just enough. You need to explain and justify your methods.

The main purpose of the methodology is to let know the reader about your research techniques. Therefore, writing the methodology of a dissertation is the subtle way of demonstrating your research methods that contributed to writing your dissertation. 

How to Write the Methodology

First,  let us find out how the methodology is written. Once you are done writing a literature review of the dissertation, the next part comes the methodology. The methodology comes in continuation after the literature review. You should continue from the strand where the previous part ended. A dissertation proposal is also closely linked to the dissertation methodology as the methods are mostly derived after contemplating the proposal.

The reason why this point is stressed here is because of the research questions and gaps that you have mentioned in the literature review. The research question you have put forth and the gaps in the research of the previous scholar both will be interlinked in your methodology. Your methods will work as an inspiration to the researchers and readers. 

Research Analysis and Gaps

Your research work will be key to the next researcher. So, It will work as a key to find new aspects and theory on the original topic. That’s how it works. Same way, you would have conducted the research. The research methods are what you are going to explain in your methodology. 

First of all, Your entire methodology depends on what the previous researchers would have done. The way they conducted their research, logics, proposed theory, conclusions, methodology etc. Then, based on your observation, you discuss with your tutor. Finally, you will plan on how you are going to administrate your research technique. This is how you frame your methodology. 

There is a plan for everything. Here, the plan is to find models and methods to find the data and present it to the reader. Following all the criteria, Your methodology will account in producing the best dissertation and the scope of your dissertation. 

How to Write a Methodology for a Dissertation.

Steps to writing methodology for the dissertation

Now that you have got a brief idea of how to write a methodology. We will get into the deeper analysis. Below, you will learn to write the best methodology using the following steps

Step 1 – Approach

The approach of your methodology depends upon the research problems and the questions that you framed after reading the previous research. Therefore, the methodology begins by noting down the issues and questions. There are two types of research methodology

  • Quantitative Methodology
  • Qualitative Methodology

Qualitative Methodology

This kind of research methodology is based on interviews. Finding theories and investigating the facts. You contextualize the theory acquired from different resources. Regardless, It could be an interview or referring to published books. 

The main aim to interact as an interviewer and interpreting the acquired knowledge to find out how it may have influenced the cause. 

Quantitative Methodology

Quantitative Methodology is primarily based on statistical data. So, you meddle through a number of surveys and collect data to manipulate into meaningful information. The information that could help you in justifying your arguments and research questions. 

The main purpose is to generalize the acquired data and finding the impact. Also, Concluding the results and explaining its cause. 

Step 2 – Gathering the Data

Both the research methodologies have different ways of gathering information. Therefore, let us find out how it’s done in both cases. 

Quantitative Research

Surveys

The first step is to find ways of framing the questions and how the answers are going to contribute to finding a conclusion. The questions could be in the form of MCQs or Rating scale. There is the whole questionnaire that needs to be created in order to explain the reader. 

Experiments

Always remember, all these are techniques or methods used to conduct the methodology. So, here you will need to expose the tools, attributes or elements that you have used in your experiment to find a conclusion. 

Make sure you mention the scale and limits of your experiments. It will help the next researcher in doing further research. 

Original Data

Here, you explain the reader, how did you gather the data and how did you construct your questions based on them. Once you had gathered extra data. Explain how that influenced the current theory. 

Qualitative Research

Interviews

Here, you mention the groups or individuals that you have interviewed. Most importantly, the reason behind the cause of the interview and how it helped in constructing your theory. 

Finally, you might want to mention the number of people. Also, the way the interview was conducted and the length of the interviews.

Observation

This is an important step that comes after the interview part. So, you should note down your observations gathered from the interview and connect it with your theory and put forth the final statement based on that. 

Original Data

Unlike the way, you gather data in Quantitative research. Qualitative research has a different approach. You gather information from published books and journals. Explain about your approach and references used. 

Step 3 – Data Analysis

Both the research methods have different forms of data. Both the forms are completely different from one another. 

Quantitative methods have data in the form of numbers. You must explain how you manipulate the data before analyzing it. What were the methods used to manage the data? If you had used any specific software, you mention it. 

Qualitative methods have data in the form of theories. You should mention the questionnaire to the reader. Explain the communication held in the interviews and your personal experience during those interviews. Observations that you gathered during the research. 

Step 4 – Justification of your methods

This is the final and most important part of your methodology. Using a particular method is not enough. There should be a proper reason behind it. Thus, the cause of your research must support your theory and conclusions of your entire dissertation. 

The reason behind stressing on this point is to explain the audience why did you choose the specific method. What was the significance of it? How did it help you in concluding your observation? 

Reasonable Justification

The reasoning is much needed in the case where you have chosen unorthodox or completely strange methods. You must also reason why you did not opt for the usual methods. Did it make any major difference in discovering a new theory or result? In order to write a competitive methodology, you should follow all the measures.

You should be very precisive when it comes to delivering the information. You should avoid any unnecessary details. Your justification should be reasonable. You should not provide any vague explanations. But if you take an approach that is less common in your field, you might need to explain and justify your methodological choices. To know more, you can refer to some of the useful tips for writing an assignment.

By Sara Jason

Sara has been closely working with academic websites for last 8 years. Sara has been associated with makemyassignments.co.uk for last 4 years a s a leading academic writer. She writes majorly about marketing, general management and human resources.