This handout gives general information on what to include when writing a methodology for a BRP, dissertation or research project. Different terms are sometimes used to discuss aspects of a methodology (e.g. research framework/approach). Check with your course team if you have concerns, and always use guidance provided by your course tutors or handbook where available.

What is a methodology?  A methodology is part of a research assignment.  Whether you are conducting primary research (new research starting from scratch) or secondary research (based on existing research or sources, such as business reports and statistics), you will usually be expected to include a methodology

What goes into a methodology?  It includes a practical explanation of how your research will be carried out (your methods), but involves more than just saying what you will be doing  You are also usually expected to explain and justify your approach to your research, and your understanding of knowledge

Some of the areas you may be expected to cover in your methodology include:

Your understanding of the concept of knowledge This is where you state the philosophy behind your research and your approach to knowledge, as it will determine the way in which you conduct the research. These are theoretical positions, and so things may differ in practice, but two common opposing stances taken by researchers are as follows: - Do you believe that all knowledge can be measured? This is referred to as positivism, and if you adopt it you will probably be looking to research hard facts and scientific observations - Or do you believe that knowledge and experiences are subjective, and that opinions are valid sources of research? If so, interpretivism may suit you best. A textbook on research methods will provide more detail about these approaches

Qualitative or quantitative? Depending on your research philosophy, you may be more interested in using qualitative or quantitative research (or a mixture of both). If you are unsure about the difference between

Produced by: Aron Truss: Faculty of Business and Law Study Support: [email protected] qualitative and quantitative information, see our handout on this subject, on our Moodle site. In some cases, even if you are conducting secondary research, you may still be asked to explain your approach to knowledge, and will need to consider the difference between qualitative and quantitative sources of information.

Your research strategy This means the overarching approach to your research. For example, will you be conducting an experiment? Using secondary research? Doing a survey? You may need to tell your marker which strategy you are choosing and why.

Your research methods This is where you explain how you are actually going to undertake your research. You will need to explain and justify why you are choosing a particular method (e.g. questionnaires or interviews), and exactly how your research will work.

Your sample You need to explain who or what you will be researching on (your sample). Your marker will expect you to justify your choice of sample, and any criteria you have used to select it. They may also expect you to demonstrate how the data that you obtain will be reliable.

Ethics This section is very important for both primary and secondary research. You are always expected to produce work which is reliable and ethically sound. The ESRC produce helpful guidelines on this topic. Some key things to consider are: - If you are researching with people, it is important that you cause no harm to your subjects. The purpose of your research should be to do good. Are you being honest with your participants/information sources? It is important to ensure that they have provided consent for their participation in the research, and that they fully understand what they are agreeing to before doing so - Can you guarantee confidentiality or anonymity for your research subjects? If you are conducting secondary research, or researching within an organisation, do you need to consider these issues? - How you are reporting your information, and how will you avoid bias when doing this? Will participants in your study know about the purposes of your research? It is vital that you are open and honest about what you are researching. Participants must be free to choose whether or not to participate in your research

2

Pilot study If you are conducting primary research, you may also be expected to conduct a pilot study (a small test version of your research). For example, if you are conducting a questionnaire, it is a good idea to get some participants to complete it first, to check that the questions make sense.

What does a methodology look like? Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill have produced a model that shows how some of these elements of a methodology fit together. This can be a good way of checking that you have thought about all of these elements, even if you are not expected to write about them in your methodology. This model is often referred to as the research onion: See Research Methods for Business Students (3rd ed) b Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill (2009)

Your supervisor or course tutor may not want all of these areas to be covered in your methodology, so check with them if you are unsure about this. The Study Support Tutors are available to help with the academic principles of producing a methodology.

3