Writing a Methodology for your Dissertation | Complete Guide & Steps

Dissertation Methodology

The methodology is perhaps the most challenging and laborious part of the dissertation. The methodology helps in understanding the broad, philosophical approach behind the methods of research you chose to employ in your study. The research methodology elaborates on the ‘how’ part of your research.

This means that your methodology chapter should clearly state whether you chose to use quantitative or qualitative data collection techniques or a mix of both.

Your research methodology should explain the following:

  • What was the purpose of your research?
  • What type of research method was used?
  • What were the data-collecting methods?
  • How did you analyse the data?
  • What kind of resources were used in your research?
  • Why did you choose these methods?

You will be required to provide justifications as to why you preferred a certain method over the others. If you are trying to figure out exactly how to write methodology or the structure of a methodology for a dissertation, this article will point you in the right direction.

Why Is Dissertation Methodology Important?
Your methodology allows others to replicate your research or critically evaluate your approach. It demonstrates your academic integrity, research depth, and critical thinking.
A well-written methodology:

  • Adds credibility to your research
  • Shows critical thinking and academic rigour
  • Helps readers understand the logic behind your study design

What Should a Dissertation Methodology Include?

Here is a clear breakdown of what your methodology chapter should cover:

Section Description
Purpose Why are you conducting the research?
Research Type Is it experimental, observational, theoretical, etc.?
Approach Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods?
Data Collection Surveys, interviews, secondary data, etc.
Data Analysis Statistical methods, thematic analysis, etc.
Justification Why were these methods chosen over others
Limitations What challenges or biases may affect your findings?
Ethical Considerations How did you address confidentiality, consent, etc.?

How To Choose Your Dissertation Methodology

Check out a simplified process to select the right methodology:

  • Identify your research problem
  • Align methods with objectives
  • Choose qualitative if you seek depth (e.g., interviews, case studies)
  • Choose quantitative for numerical validation (e.g., surveys, experiments)
  • Use mixed methods for balance
  • Check for data accessibility and feasibility

Tip
To research well, you should read well! Read as many research articles (from reputed journals) as you can. Seeing how other researchers use methods in their studies and why will help you justify, in the long run, your own research method(s).

How To Structure Your Dissertation Methodology?

The typical structure of the methodology chapter is as follows:

  1. Research design and strategy
  2. Philosophical approach
  3. Methods of data collection and data analysis
  4. Ethical considerations, reliability, limitations, and generalisability

Note
In research jargon, generalisability is termed external validity . It means how generalisable your research findings are to other contexts, places, times, people, etc. External validity is expected to be significantly high, especially in quantitative studies

Here are the main sections that you need to add in your dissertation methodology:

1. Introduction

Start your methodology chapter with a short overview that sets the context. Explain the purpose of this section, why methodology matters, and briefly state your research aims and objectives.

2. Research Design

Describe the overall research strategy that guided your study. Mention whether your approach is:

Research Design Purpose
Exploratory Explore a new area or phenomenon
Descriptive Describe characteristics or patterns
Explanatory or Correlational Examine relationships
Experimental or Causal Determine cause-and-effect relationships
Longitudinal or Cross-sectional Based on time horizon

3. Data Collection Methods

Here, explain how you collected your data. Detail the tools, techniques, and procedures you used, such as:

  • Surveys/questionnaires
  • Interviews (structured, semi-structured, or unstructured)
  • Focus groups
  • Observations
  • Case studies
  • Secondary data sources (e.g. journals, databases)
  • Also, mention:

  • Who participated (sample characteristics)
  • How participants were recruited (sampling method)
  • How data was recorded (manual notes, transcription tools, software)

4. Data Analysis Methods

Describe the techniques you used to analyse the collected data. Include:

  • For Quantitative Data: statistical analysis, SPSS, regression, ANOVA, descriptive stats, etc.
  • For Qualitative Data: thematic analysis, coding frameworks, NVivo, discourse analysis, etc.

5. Justifications for Chosen Methods

You have to defend your methods.

  • Why you selected qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods
  • Why a particular tool or approach was more suitable than alternatives
  • How the chosen method aligns with your research aims

6. Reliability and Validity

Here, you must show that your research is trustworthy, credible, and replicable.

  • Reliability refers to consistency – would repeating the study yield the same results?
  • Validity refers to accuracy – does the method truly measure what it claims?
  • You also have to mention:

  • Pilot studies or test-runs (if any)
  • Steps taken to reduce bias or error

7. Ethical Considerations

Address ethical responsibilities related to:

  • Informed consent from participants
  • Anonymity and confidentiality of data
  • Right to withdraw from the study
  • Ethics approvals from your institution or board
  • Data protection practices in line with GDPR or relevant laws

8. Limitations of the Methodology

This section shows your awareness of research boundaries and increases academic honesty. You need to include the following:

  • Sample size limitations
  • Geographic or demographic constraints
  • Potential participant bias
  • Limited access to resources or tools
  • Time constraints

Types Of Research Methodologies Explained

There are three primary types of research methodologies:

Type Focus Techniques Ideal For
Qualitative Meaning, experience, insight Interviews, focus groups, case studies Exploring subjective experiences and deep insights
Quantitative Numbers, measurement, testing Surveys, experiments, statistical modelling Measuring relationships and testing hypotheses
Mixed Methods Integration of both Surveys + interviews, statistical + thematic Holistic analysis using both breadth and depth

1. Qualitative Methodology

Qualitative research focuses on exploring meanings, experiences, perceptions, and social phenomena. Instead of numbers, it relies on rich, non-numerical data such as words, narratives, and observations. It includes:

  • Semi-structured or unstructured interviews
  • Focus groups
  • Case studies
  • Ethnographic research
  • Participant observations
  • Content or discourse analysis

When to use qualitative methodology?

  • When your goal is to understand emotions, motivations, or behaviours
  • When your research is exploratory in nature
  • When working with smaller sample sizes in-depth

2. Quantitative Methodology

Quantitative research focuses on collecting and analysing numerical data to uncover patterns, relationships, or causal effects. It often involves statistical tools and aims for objectivity and generalisability. The methods consists of:

  • Surveys and structured questionnaires
  • Experiments
  • Longitudinal or cross-sectional studies
  • Use of software like SPSS, Excel, or R for statistical analysis

When to use quantitative methodology?

  • When you want to measure, quantify, or test hypotheses
  • When your research questions begin with “how many,” “to what extent,” “what is the correlation between...”
  • When you need results that can be generalised to a larger population

3. Mixed Methods Approach

Mixed methods research integrates both qualitative and quantitative approaches within a single study to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem.

Common Combinations:

  • Surveys + follow-up interviews
  • Experiments + observational case studies
  • Statistical analysis + thematic coding

When to use a mixed methods approach?

  • When your research problem requires both depth and breadth
  • When one method alone may not provide sufficient insight

Philosophical Foundations Of Research Methodology

Before selecting your research method, it is essential to understand the philosophical foundation that underpins your study. These research philosophies shape how you interpret data, approach your research questions, and justify your methodological choices.

Your chosen philosophy helps you:

  • Align your research methods with your worldview
  • Justify your research design to academic examiners
  • Show consistency and coherence in your dissertation

Here are the three most commonly used philosophical paradigms in dissertation writing:

1. Positivism

Positivism is a scientific, objective research philosophy. It assumes that reality is stable and can be observed and described from an external, measurable perspective.

Use positivism when your research seeks to measure variables or test a theory using numerical data.

2. Interpretivism

Interpretivism is a subjective and contextual research philosophy. It suggests that reality is socially constructed and best understood through the perspectives of those experiencing it.

You can use interpretivism when your goal is to explore complex human behaviours, motivations, or cultural phenomena in depth.

3. Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a flexible, practical philosophy that prioritises the research problem itself over any one method or worldview. It blends both objective and subjective perspectives to find workable solutions.

When your research problem is complex and needs both numbers and narratives for a complete understanding, pragmatism is an excellent choice.

Data Collection & Data Analysis In Dissertations

Data Collection & Data Analysis In Dissertations

Whether you are using primary or secondary data, qualitative or quantitative approaches, your methodology must clearly explain how and why your data was collected and analysed in a specific way.

Data Collection

Your dissertation should clearly describe:

  • The source of your data
  • How your data supports your research objectives
  • Your process

Here is the main difference between primary and secondary data.

Data Type Description Examples
Primary Data Data you collected first-hand Responses from interviews, survey results
Secondary Data Existing data collected by others Government reports, academic databases, datasets like Eurostat or Statista

Data Analysis

Your data analysis section should focus on what you did with the data once it was collected. It needs to cover

1. Preparation and organisation of data

  • Did you transcribe interviews? Clean survey responses?
  • Mention how you managed missing or inconsistent data.

2. Analytical strategy

  • What logical process did you follow? (e.g., coding → theming → interpretation)
  • Was your approach inductive (data-driven) or deductive (theory-driven)?

3. Tools and frameworks used

  • Did you use software? (e.g., SPSS, NVivo, Excel, R, Python)

4. Interpretation of results

Justification

You must go beyond listing tools or steps. Always include:

  • Why you selected a particular data analysis method
  • How the method aligns with your research question and design
  • Why the tool or software was suitable for your data type or volume

Example
“NVivo was used to analyse interview transcripts because it supports thematic coding and allows pattern recognition across qualitative responses.”

Example
“Multiple regression analysis was chosen due to the need to test the relationship between three independent variables and one dependent variable.”

Validity, Reliability, and Transparency

Criterion Considerations
Reliability How consistent are your analysis results if repeated? Mention any coding reliability checks or standardisation steps.
Validity How accurately does your analysis reflect the reality you are studying? Did you triangulate data sources or cross-validate results?
Transparency Make your process repeatable. Share coding frames, statistical models, or analysis steps in appendices if needed.

Dissertation Methodology Example

Here is a brief example:

This study adopted a mixed-methods approach using both surveys and interviews. Quantitative data was collected via an online questionnaire with 150 respondents. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. SPSS and NVivo were used for data analysis. The approach was justified based on the complexity of the research question.

For a detailed example of dissertation methodology, click here.

Ethical Considerations & Limitations

Your research must adhere to ethical guidelines, such as:

  • Informed consent
  • Confidentiality
  • Voluntary participation
  • Avoiding harm or bias

You also have to mention limitations in your dissertations like:

  • Small sample size
  • Response bias
  • Lack of access to specific data
  • Time/resource constraints

Frequently Asked Questions

A methodology should include your research design, data collection methods, analysis techniques, justifications, ethical considerations, reliability, validity, and limitations. Each section should explain how and why specific methods were used to address your research questions.

Choose a methodology based on your research questions, objectives, data availability, and philosophical stance. Qualitative works well for exploring experiences, quantitative for testing theories, and mixed methods for combining both depth and breadth.

Qualitative methodology explores meanings and experiences using interviews or observations. Quantitative methodology focuses on measurable data using surveys and statistical analysis. The choice depends on whether your research seeks depth (qualitative) or measurement (quantitative).

Yes, using both is called a mixed methods approach. It offers a comprehensive view by combining numerical data with personal insights. It is useful for complex research questions that require both statistical evidence and contextual understanding.

More Interesting Articles