Choosing and justifying your methods

Demonstrating that your methods are sound and appropriate for your question will help your reader see that the results and conclusions you reach are valid and reliable.

You can present your overarching research approach or methods in a central methods chapter in your thesis. If you use different methods for different parts of the thesis, these methods can be integrated into the parts.

Choosing your methods

To help you in this process:

  • Clarify your stance or paradigm as a researcher if relevant to your discipline
    • Are you an observer, experimenter or involved agent?
    • How would this affect your data collection and/or analysis
  • Align your methods to your research aim
    For example, if your question asks about a quantifiable variable, consider a quantitative method for measuring it.
  • Compare your methods to alternative methods
    Demonstrate that your choice best suits your investigation.
  • Show awareness of potential confounding factors
    What are the biases or pitfalls? Show how you’re accounting for or guarding against them.
  • Show awareness of your own assumptions
    For example, show how a chosen method assumes a relationship between variables, and why that is reasonable.
  • Consider the type of data you’re collecting
    • How will it allow you to answer your research question or test your hypothesis?
    • What criteria and thresholds have you established for data collection and analysis?
    • What type of answer will you be able to generate if these criteria and thresholds are satisfied?

Asking these questions will help you design your methods to be part of a consistent line of reasoning that will take you from raw data to conclusions.

Presenting your methods

This activity provides two examples of presenting research methods in a thesis. The first one shows how the methods are being aligned and justified with the research aim. The second shows how clear measurements, criteria and thresholds are being established.

Drag and drop the main writing moves in each example, such as ‘defining the method’ and ‘establishing the threshold’ into their corresponding places.

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Use the side menu to go the next section: Analysing data and reporting results, where we examine how to maximise the impact of your data.