methodology for phd research

15 Kinds Of Research Methodologies For PhD. Pupils

Basic research.

Pure research or fundamental research or basic research zooms on enhancing scientific knowledge for the exhaustive understanding of a topic or certain natural phenomena, essentially in natural sciences; knowledge that is obtained for the purpose of knowledge it is called fundamental research.

1.Applied research

Research that covers real life applications of the natural sciences; aimed at offering an answer to particular practical issues and develops novel technologies

2.Fixed research versus flexible research

In fixed research, the design of the study is fixed prior to the main phase of data gathering; moreover, fixed designs are essentially theoretical. Variables that need to be controlled and measured need to be known in advance and they are measured quantitatively.

3.Quantitative research and qualitative research

Quantitative research denotes gauging phenomena in various grades; on the other hand, qualitative research sometimes deems Boolean measurements alone; solution can be studied qualitatively for its appropriateness. However, comparison between candidate solutions requires quantitative observation.

4.Experimental research and non-experimental research

In an experimental design , operationalize the variables to be measured; moreover, operationalize in the best manner. Consider the study expectations, outcome measurement, variable measurement, and the methods to answer research questions.

Think of the practical limitations such as the availability of data-sets and experimental set-ups that represent actual scenarios.

Experimental research and non-experimental research

5.Exploratory research and confirmatory research

Confirmatory research tests a priori hypotheses—outcome predictions done prior to the measurement stage. Such a priori hypotheses are usually derived from a theory or the results of previous studies.

Exploratory research generates a posteriori hypotheses by investigating a data-set and ascertaining potential connection between variables.

6.Explanatory research or casual research

Causal research is also called explanatory research ; conducted to ascertain the extent and type of cause-effect relationships. Causal research are conducted to evaluate effects of specific changes on existing norms, various processes etc.

7.Descriptive research

Descriptive research is the available statement of affairs; researcher has no control over variable. Descriptive studies are characterised as simply an effort to ascertain, define or recognize. Not “why it is that way” nor “how it came to be,” which is the objective of analytical research.

8.Historical research

Historical research explores and explains the meanings, phases and traits of a phenomena or process at a certain phase of time in the past; historical research is a research strategy from the research of history.

9.Casual comparative research

Also called as “ex-post facto” research (In Latin, implies “after the fact”); researchers determine the causes or consequences of differences that already exist between or among groups of individuals.

An effort to ascertain a causative relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable; relationship between the independent variable and dependent variable are usually a suggested relationship (not proved yet) because you do not have complete control over the independent variable

10.Correlational research

Correlational research is a form of non-experimental research technique wherein a researcher measures 2 variables and assesses the statistical connection between them with no influence from any external variable.

The correlation between two variables is given through correlation coefficient, which is a statistical measure that calculates the strength of the relationship between two variables that is a value measured between -1 and +1.

11.Evaluation research method

Evaluation research technique is known as program evaluation and refers to a research purpose instead of a particular technique; objective is to assess the effect of social involvements such as new treatment techniques, innovations in services, etc.

A form of applied research to have some real-world effect. Methods such as surveys and experiments are used in evaluation research.

12.Formative and summative evaluation

While learning is in progress, formative assessment offers feedback and information; measures participant’s progress and also assess researcher’s own progress as well.

For example, when implementing a new program, you can determine whether or not the activity should be used again (or modified) with the help of observation and/or surveying.

Summative assessment happens after the learning has ended and offers info and feedback to sum up the process; essentially, no formal learning is happening at this phase other than incidental learning which might take place through the completion of program.

13.Diagnostic research

Descriptive research studies define the characteristics of a particular individual, or of a group.

Studies showing whether certain variables are linked are examples of diagnostic research.

Researcher defines what he or she wants to measure and finds adequate methods for measuring it along with a clear description of ‘population’.

Aim is to obtain complete and accurate information. And the researcher plans the procedure carefully.

14.Prognostic research

Prognostic research (specifically in clinical research) examines chosen predictive variables and risk factors; prognostic research assesses influence on the outcome of a disease. Clinicians have a better understanding of the history of the ailment.

This understanding facilitates clinical decision-making via providing apt treatment alternatives and helps to predict accurate disease outcomes.

Assessing prognostic studies involves ascertaining the internal validity of the study design and assessing the effects of bias or systemic errors.

15.Action research

A systematic inquiry for improving and/or honing researchers’ actions. Researchers find it an empowering experience.

Action research has positive result for various reasons; most important is that action research is pertinent to the research participants.

Relevance is assured because the aim of each research project is ascertained by the researchers, who are also the main beneficiaries of the research observations.

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What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips

What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips

Published on August 25, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 20, 2023.

Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research. A key part of your thesis, dissertation , or research paper , the methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research and your dissertation topic .

It should include:

The type of research you conducted
How you collected and analyzed your data
Any tools or materials you used in the research
How you mitigated or avoided research biases
Why you chose these methods
Your methodology section should generally be written in the past tense .
Academic style guides in your field may provide detailed guidelines on what to include for different types of studies.
Your citation style might provide guidelines for your methodology section (e.g., an APA Style methods section ).

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How to write a research methodology, why is a methods section important, step 1: explain your methodological approach, step 2: describe your data collection methods, step 3: describe your analysis method, step 4: evaluate and justify the methodological choices you made, tips for writing a strong methodology chapter, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about methodology.

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Your methods section is your opportunity to share how you conducted your research and why you chose the methods you chose. It’s also the place to show that your research was rigorously conducted and can be replicated .

It gives your research legitimacy and situates it within your field, and also gives your readers a place to refer to if they have any questions or critiques in other sections.

You can start by introducing your overall approach to your research. You have two options here.

Option 1: Start with your “what”

What research problem or question did you investigate?

Aim to describe the characteristics of something?
Explore an under-researched topic?
Establish a causal relationship?

And what type of data did you need to achieve this aim?

Quantitative data , qualitative data , or a mix of both?
Primary data collected yourself, or secondary data collected by someone else?
Experimental data gathered by controlling and manipulating variables, or descriptive data gathered via observations?

Option 2: Start with your “why”

Depending on your discipline, you can also start with a discussion of the rationale and assumptions underpinning your methodology. In other words, why did you choose these methods for your study?

Why is this the best way to answer your research question?
Is this a standard methodology in your field, or does it require justification?
Were there any ethical considerations involved in your choices?
What are the criteria for validity and reliability in this type of research ? How did you prevent bias from affecting your data?

Once you have introduced your reader to your methodological approach, you should share full details about your data collection methods .

Quantitative methods

In order to be considered generalizable, you should describe quantitative research methods in enough detail for another researcher to replicate your study.

Here, explain how you operationalized your concepts and measured your variables. Discuss your sampling method or inclusion and exclusion criteria , as well as any tools, procedures, and materials you used to gather your data.

Surveys Describe where, when, and how the survey was conducted.

How did you design the questionnaire?
What form did your questions take (e.g., multiple choice, Likert scale )?
Were your surveys conducted in-person or virtually?
What sampling method did you use to select participants?
What was your sample size and response rate?

Experiments Share full details of the tools, techniques, and procedures you used to conduct your experiment.

How did you design the experiment ?
How did you recruit participants?
How did you manipulate and measure the variables ?
What tools did you use?

Existing data Explain how you gathered and selected the material (such as datasets or archival data) that you used in your analysis.

Where did you source the material?
How was the data originally produced?
What criteria did you use to select material (e.g., date range)?

The survey consisted of 5 multiple-choice questions and 10 questions measured on a 7-point Likert scale.

The goal was to collect survey responses from 350 customers visiting the fitness apparel company’s brick-and-mortar location in Boston on July 4–8, 2022, between 11:00 and 15:00.

Here, a customer was defined as a person who had purchased a product from the company on the day they took the survey. Participants were given 5 minutes to fill in the survey anonymously. In total, 408 customers responded, but not all surveys were fully completed. Due to this, 371 survey results were included in the analysis.

Information bias
Omitted variable bias
Regression to the mean
Survivorship bias
Undercoverage bias
Sampling bias

Qualitative methods

In qualitative research , methods are often more flexible and subjective. For this reason, it’s crucial to robustly explain the methodology choices you made.

Be sure to discuss the criteria you used to select your data, the context in which your research was conducted, and the role you played in collecting your data (e.g., were you an active participant, or a passive observer?)

Interviews or focus groups Describe where, when, and how the interviews were conducted.

How did you find and select participants?
How many participants took part?
What form did the interviews take ( structured , semi-structured , or unstructured )?
How long were the interviews?
How were they recorded?

Participant observation Describe where, when, and how you conducted the observation or ethnography .

What group or community did you observe? How long did you spend there?
How did you gain access to this group? What role did you play in the community?
How long did you spend conducting the research? Where was it located?
How did you record your data (e.g., audiovisual recordings, note-taking)?

Existing data Explain how you selected case study materials for your analysis.

What type of materials did you analyze?
How did you select them?

In order to gain better insight into possibilities for future improvement of the fitness store’s product range, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 returning customers.

Here, a returning customer was defined as someone who usually bought products at least twice a week from the store.

Surveys were used to select participants. Interviews were conducted in a small office next to the cash register and lasted approximately 20 minutes each. Answers were recorded by note-taking, and seven interviews were also filmed with consent. One interviewee preferred not to be filmed.

The Hawthorne effect
Observer bias
The placebo effect
Response bias and Nonresponse bias
The Pygmalion effect
Recall bias
Social desirability bias
Self-selection bias

Mixed methods

Mixed methods research combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. If a standalone quantitative or qualitative study is insufficient to answer your research question, mixed methods may be a good fit for you.

Mixed methods are less common than standalone analyses, largely because they require a great deal of effort to pull off successfully. If you choose to pursue mixed methods, it’s especially important to robustly justify your methods.

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Next, you should indicate how you processed and analyzed your data. Avoid going into too much detail: you should not start introducing or discussing any of your results at this stage.

In quantitative research , your analysis will be based on numbers. In your methods section, you can include:

How you prepared the data before analyzing it (e.g., checking for missing data , removing outliers , transforming variables)
Which software you used (e.g., SPSS, Stata or R)
Which statistical tests you used (e.g., two-tailed t test , simple linear regression )

In qualitative research, your analysis will be based on language, images, and observations (often involving some form of textual analysis ).

Specific methods might include:

Content analysis : Categorizing and discussing the meaning of words, phrases and sentences
Thematic analysis : Coding and closely examining the data to identify broad themes and patterns
Discourse analysis : Studying communication and meaning in relation to their social context

Mixed methods combine the above two research methods, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches into one coherent analytical process.

Above all, your methodology section should clearly make the case for why you chose the methods you did. This is especially true if you did not take the most standard approach to your topic. In this case, discuss why other methods were not suitable for your objectives, and show how this approach contributes new knowledge or understanding.

In any case, it should be overwhelmingly clear to your reader that you set yourself up for success in terms of your methodology’s design. Show how your methods should lead to results that are valid and reliable, while leaving the analysis of the meaning, importance, and relevance of your results for your discussion section .

Quantitative: Lab-based experiments cannot always accurately simulate real-life situations and behaviors, but they are effective for testing causal relationships between variables .
Qualitative: Unstructured interviews usually produce results that cannot be generalized beyond the sample group , but they provide a more in-depth understanding of participants’ perceptions, motivations, and emotions.
Mixed methods: Despite issues systematically comparing differing types of data, a solely quantitative study would not sufficiently incorporate the lived experience of each participant, while a solely qualitative study would be insufficiently generalizable.

Remember that your aim is not just to describe your methods, but to show how and why you applied them. Again, it’s critical to demonstrate that your research was rigorously conducted and can be replicated.

1. Focus on your objectives and research questions

The methodology section should clearly show why your methods suit your objectives and convince the reader that you chose the best possible approach to answering your problem statement and research questions .

2. Cite relevant sources

Your methodology can be strengthened by referencing existing research in your field. This can help you to:

Show that you followed established practice for your type of research
Discuss how you decided on your approach by evaluating existing research
Present a novel methodological approach to address a gap in the literature

3. Write for your audience

Consider how much information you need to give, and avoid getting too lengthy. If you are using methods that are standard for your discipline, you probably don’t need to give a lot of background or justification.

Regardless, your methodology should be a clear, well-structured text that makes an argument for your approach, not just a list of technical details and procedures.

If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Normal distribution
Measures of central tendency
Chi square tests
Confidence interval
Quartiles & Quantiles

Methodology

Cluster sampling
Stratified sampling
Thematic analysis
Cohort study
Peer review
Ethnography

Research bias

Implicit bias
Cognitive bias
Conformity bias
Hawthorne effect
Availability heuristic
Attrition bias

Methodology refers to the overarching strategy and rationale of your research project . It involves studying the methods used in your field and the theories or principles behind them, in order to develop an approach that matches your objectives.

Methods are the specific tools and procedures you use to collect and analyze data (for example, experiments, surveys , and statistical tests ).

In shorter scientific papers, where the aim is to report the findings of a specific study, you might simply describe what you did in a methods section .

In a longer or more complex research project, such as a thesis or dissertation , you will probably include a methodology section , where you explain your approach to answering the research questions and cite relevant sources to support your choice of methods.

In a scientific paper, the methodology always comes after the introduction and before the results , discussion and conclusion . The same basic structure also applies to a thesis, dissertation , or research proposal .

Depending on the length and type of document, you might also include a literature review or theoretical framework before the methodology.

Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings.

Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses . Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail.

Reliability and validity are both about how well a method measures something:

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure (whether the results can be reproduced under the same conditions).
Validity refers to the accuracy of a measure (whether the results really do represent what they are supposed to measure).

If you are doing experimental research, you also have to consider the internal and external validity of your experiment.

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population . Sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from in your research. For example, if you are researching the opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students.

In statistics, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population.

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What Is Research Methodology?

I f you’re new to formal academic research, it’s quite likely that you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by all the technical lingo that gets thrown around. And who could blame you – “research methodology”, “research methods”, “sampling strategies”… it all seems never-ending!

In this post, we’ll demystify the landscape with plain-language explanations and loads of examples (including easy-to-follow videos), so that you can approach your dissertation, thesis or research project with confidence. Let’s get started.

Research Methodology 101

What exactly research methodology means
What qualitative , quantitative and mixed methods are
What sampling strategy is
What data collection methods are
What data analysis methods are
How to choose your research methodology
Example of a research methodology

What is research methodology?

Research methodology simply refers to the practical “how” of a research study. More specifically, it’s about how a researcher systematically designs a study to ensure valid and reliable results that address the research aims, objectives and research questions . Specifically, how the researcher went about deciding:

What type of data to collect (e.g., qualitative or quantitative data )
Who to collect it from (i.e., the sampling strategy )
How to collect it (i.e., the data collection method )
How to analyse it (i.e., the data analysis methods )

Within any formal piece of academic research (be it a dissertation, thesis or journal article), you’ll find a research methodology chapter or section which covers the aspects mentioned above. Importantly, a good methodology chapter explains not just what methodological choices were made, but also explains why they were made. In other words, the methodology chapter should justify the design choices, by showing that the chosen methods and techniques are the best fit for the research aims, objectives and research questions.

So, it’s the same as research design?

Not quite. As we mentioned, research methodology refers to the collection of practical decisions regarding what data you’ll collect, from who, how you’ll collect it and how you’ll analyse it. Research design, on the other hand, is more about the overall strategy you’ll adopt in your study. For example, whether you’ll use an experimental design in which you manipulate one variable while controlling others. You can learn more about research design and the various design types here .

Need a helping hand?

What are qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods?

Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods are different types of methodological approaches, distinguished by their focus on words , numbers or both . This is a bit of an oversimplification, but its a good starting point for understanding.

Let’s take a closer look.

Qualitative research refers to research which focuses on collecting and analysing words (written or spoken) and textual or visual data, whereas quantitative research focuses on measurement and testing using numerical data . Qualitative analysis can also focus on other “softer” data points, such as body language or visual elements.

It’s quite common for a qualitative methodology to be used when the research aims and research questions are exploratory in nature. For example, a qualitative methodology might be used to understand peoples’ perceptions about an event that took place, or a political candidate running for president.

Contrasted to this, a quantitative methodology is typically used when the research aims and research questions are confirmatory in nature. For example, a quantitative methodology might be used to measure the relationship between two variables (e.g. personality type and likelihood to commit a crime) or to test a set of hypotheses .

As you’ve probably guessed, the mixed-method methodology attempts to combine the best of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to integrate perspectives and create a rich picture. If you’d like to learn more about these three methodological approaches, be sure to watch our explainer video below.

What is sampling strategy?

Simply put, sampling is about deciding who (or where) you’re going to collect your data from . Why does this matter? Well, generally it’s not possible to collect data from every single person in your group of interest (this is called the “population”), so you’ll need to engage a smaller portion of that group that’s accessible and manageable (this is called the “sample”).

How you go about selecting the sample (i.e., your sampling strategy) will have a major impact on your study. There are many different sampling methods you can choose from, but the two overarching categories are probability sampling and non-probability sampling .

Probability sampling involves using a completely random sample from the group of people you’re interested in. This is comparable to throwing the names all potential participants into a hat, shaking it up, and picking out the “winners”. By using a completely random sample, you’ll minimise the risk of selection bias and the results of your study will be more generalisable to the entire population.

Non-probability sampling , on the other hand, doesn’t use a random sample . For example, it might involve using a convenience sample, which means you’d only interview or survey people that you have access to (perhaps your friends, family or work colleagues), rather than a truly random sample. With non-probability sampling, the results are typically not generalisable .

To learn more about sampling methods, be sure to check out the video below.

What are data collection methods?

As the name suggests, data collection methods simply refers to the way in which you go about collecting the data for your study. Some of the most common data collection methods include:

Interviews (which can be unstructured, semi-structured or structured)
Focus groups and group interviews
Surveys (online or physical surveys)
Observations (watching and recording activities)
Biophysical measurements (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, etc.)
Documents and records (e.g., financial reports, court records, etc.)

The choice of which data collection method to use depends on your overall research aims and research questions , as well as practicalities and resource constraints. For example, if your research is exploratory in nature, qualitative methods such as interviews and focus groups would likely be a good fit. Conversely, if your research aims to measure specific variables or test hypotheses, large-scale surveys that produce large volumes of numerical data would likely be a better fit.

What are data analysis methods?

Data analysis methods refer to the methods and techniques that you’ll use to make sense of your data. These can be grouped according to whether the research is qualitative (words-based) or quantitative (numbers-based).

Popular data analysis methods in qualitative research include:

Qualitative content analysis
Thematic analysis
Discourse analysis
Narrative analysis
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
Visual analysis (of photographs, videos, art, etc.)

Qualitative data analysis all begins with data coding , after which an analysis method is applied. In some cases, more than one analysis method is used, depending on the research aims and research questions . In the video below, we explore some common qualitative analysis methods, along with practical examples.

Descriptive statistics (e.g. means, medians, modes )
Inferential statistics (e.g. correlation, regression, structural equation modelling)

How do I choose a research methodology?

As you’ve probably picked up by now, your research aims and objectives have a major influence on the research methodology . So, the starting point for developing your research methodology is to take a step back and look at the big picture of your research, before you make methodology decisions. The first question you need to ask yourself is whether your research is exploratory or confirmatory in nature.

If your research aims and objectives are primarily exploratory in nature, your research will likely be qualitative and therefore you might consider qualitative data collection methods (e.g. interviews) and analysis methods (e.g. qualitative content analysis).

Conversely, if your research aims and objective are looking to measure or test something (i.e. they’re confirmatory), then your research will quite likely be quantitative in nature, and you might consider quantitative data collection methods (e.g. surveys) and analyses (e.g. statistical analysis).

Designing your research and working out your methodology is a large topic, which we cover extensively on the blog . For now, however, the key takeaway is that you should always start with your research aims, objectives and research questions (the golden thread). Every methodological choice you make needs align with those three components.

Example of a research methodology chapter

In the video below, we provide a detailed walkthrough of a research methodology from an actual dissertation, as well as an overview of our free methodology template .

Learn More About Methodology

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Triangulation is one of the best ways to enhance the credibility of your research. Learn about the different options here.

Research Limitations 101: What You Need To Know

Learn everything you need to know about research limitations (AKA limitations of the study). Includes practical examples from real studies.

In Vivo Coding 101: Full Explainer With Examples

Learn about in vivo coding, a popular qualitative coding technique ideal for studies where the nuances of language are central to the aims.

Process Coding 101: Full Explainer With Examples

Learn about process coding, a popular qualitative coding technique ideal for studies exploring processes, actions and changes over time.

Qualitative Coding 101: Inductive, Deductive & Hybrid Coding

Inductive, Deductive & Abductive Coding Qualitative Coding Approaches Explained...

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We can’t write your methodology for you. If you’re looking for samples, you should be able to find some sample methodologies on Google. Alternatively, you can download some previous dissertations from a dissertation directory and have a look at the methodology chapters therein.

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Great to hear that, Ngwisa. Good luck with your research methodology!

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I was given an assignment to research 2 publications and describe their research methodology? I don’t know how to start this task can someone help me?

Sure. You’re welcome to book an initial consultation with one of our Research Coaches to discuss how we can assist – https://gradcoach.com/book/new/ .

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I’m currently working on my Ph.D. thesis. Thanks a lot, Derek and Kerryn, Well-organized sequences, facilitate the readers’ following.

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I am a bit confused about research design and methodology. Are they the same? If not, what are the differences and how are they related?

Thanks in advance.

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Am a new researcher trying to learn how best to write a research proposal. I find your article spot on and want to download the free template but finding difficulties. Can u kindly send it to my email, the free download entitled, “Free Download: Research Proposal Template (with Examples)”.

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how do i reference this?

MLA Jansen, Derek, and Kerryn Warren. “What (Exactly) Is Research Methodology?” Grad Coach, June 2021, gradcoach.com/what-is-research-methodology/.

APA Jansen, D., & Warren, K. (2021, June). What (Exactly) Is Research Methodology? Grad Coach. https://gradcoach.com/what-is-research-methodology/

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What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips

What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips

Published on 25 February 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 10 October 2022.

Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research. A key part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, the methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research.

It should include:

The type of research you conducted
How you collected and analysed your data
Any tools or materials you used in the research
Why you chose these methods
Your methodology section should generally be written in the past tense .
Academic style guides in your field may provide detailed guidelines on what to include for different types of studies.
Your citation style might provide guidelines for your methodology section (e.g., an APA Style methods section ).

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It gives your research legitimacy and situates it within your field, and also gives your readers a place to refer to if they have any questions or critiques in other sections.

You can start by introducing your overall approach to your research. You have two options here.

Option 1: Start with your “what”

What research problem or question did you investigate?

Aim to describe the characteristics of something?
Explore an under-researched topic?
Establish a causal relationship?

And what type of data did you need to achieve this aim?

Quantitative data , qualitative data , or a mix of both?
Primary data collected yourself, or secondary data collected by someone else?
Experimental data gathered by controlling and manipulating variables, or descriptive data gathered via observations?

Option 2: Start with your “why”

Depending on your discipline, you can also start with a discussion of the rationale and assumptions underpinning your methodology. In other words, why did you choose these methods for your study?

Why is this the best way to answer your research question?
Is this a standard methodology in your field, or does it require justification?
Were there any ethical considerations involved in your choices?
What are the criteria for validity and reliability in this type of research ?

Once you have introduced your reader to your methodological approach, you should share full details about your data collection methods .

Quantitative methods

In order to be considered generalisable, you should describe quantitative research methods in enough detail for another researcher to replicate your study.

Here, explain how you operationalised your concepts and measured your variables. Discuss your sampling method or inclusion/exclusion criteria, as well as any tools, procedures, and materials you used to gather your data.

Surveys Describe where, when, and how the survey was conducted.

How did you design the questionnaire?
What form did your questions take (e.g., multiple choice, Likert scale )?
Were your surveys conducted in-person or virtually?
What sampling method did you use to select participants?
What was your sample size and response rate?

Experiments Share full details of the tools, techniques, and procedures you used to conduct your experiment.

How did you design the experiment ?
How did you recruit participants?
How did you manipulate and measure the variables ?
What tools did you use?

Existing data Explain how you gathered and selected the material (such as datasets or archival data) that you used in your analysis.

Where did you source the material?
How was the data originally produced?
What criteria did you use to select material (e.g., date range)?

The survey consisted of 5 multiple-choice questions and 10 questions measured on a 7-point Likert scale.

The goal was to collect survey responses from 350 customers visiting the fitness apparel company’s brick-and-mortar location in Boston on 4–8 July 2022, between 11:00 and 15:00.

Qualitative methods

In qualitative research , methods are often more flexible and subjective. For this reason, it’s crucial to robustly explain the methodology choices you made.

Interviews or focus groups Describe where, when, and how the interviews were conducted.

How did you find and select participants?
How many participants took part?
What form did the interviews take ( structured , semi-structured , or unstructured )?
How long were the interviews?
How were they recorded?

Participant observation Describe where, when, and how you conducted the observation or ethnography .

What group or community did you observe? How long did you spend there?
How did you gain access to this group? What role did you play in the community?
How long did you spend conducting the research? Where was it located?
How did you record your data (e.g., audiovisual recordings, note-taking)?

Existing data Explain how you selected case study materials for your analysis.

What type of materials did you analyse?
How did you select them?

In order to gain better insight into possibilities for future improvement of the fitness shop’s product range, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 returning customers.

Here, a returning customer was defined as someone who usually bought products at least twice a week from the store.

Mixed methods

Next, you should indicate how you processed and analysed your data. Avoid going into too much detail: you should not start introducing or discussing any of your results at this stage.

In quantitative research , your analysis will be based on numbers. In your methods section, you can include:

How you prepared the data before analysing it (e.g., checking for missing data , removing outliers , transforming variables)
Which software you used (e.g., SPSS, Stata or R)
Which statistical tests you used (e.g., two-tailed t test , simple linear regression )

In qualitative research, your analysis will be based on language, images, and observations (often involving some form of textual analysis ).

Specific methods might include:

Content analysis : Categorising and discussing the meaning of words, phrases and sentences
Thematic analysis : Coding and closely examining the data to identify broad themes and patterns
Discourse analysis : Studying communication and meaning in relation to their social context

Mixed methods combine the above two research methods, integrating both qualitative and quantitative approaches into one coherent analytical process.

Quantitative: Lab-based experiments cannot always accurately simulate real-life situations and behaviours, but they are effective for testing causal relationships between variables .
Qualitative: Unstructured interviews usually produce results that cannot be generalised beyond the sample group , but they provide a more in-depth understanding of participants’ perceptions, motivations, and emotions.
Mixed methods: Despite issues systematically comparing differing types of data, a solely quantitative study would not sufficiently incorporate the lived experience of each participant, while a solely qualitative study would be insufficiently generalisable.

1. Focus on your objectives and research questions

2. Cite relevant sources

Your methodology can be strengthened by referencing existing research in your field. This can help you to:

Show that you followed established practice for your type of research
Discuss how you decided on your approach by evaluating existing research
Present a novel methodological approach to address a gap in the literature

3. Write for your audience

Regardless, your methodology should be a clear, well-structured text that makes an argument for your approach, not just a list of technical details and procedures.

Methodology refers to the overarching strategy and rationale of your research. Developing your methodology involves studying the research methods used in your field and the theories or principles that underpin them, in order to choose the approach that best matches your objectives.

Methods are the specific tools and procedures you use to collect and analyse data (e.g. interviews, experiments , surveys , statistical tests ).

In a dissertation or scientific paper, the methodology chapter or methods section comes after the introduction and before the results , discussion and conclusion .

Depending on the length and type of document, you might also include a literature review or theoretical framework before the methodology.

Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings.

Quantitative methods allow you to test a hypothesis by systematically collecting and analysing data, while qualitative methods allow you to explore ideas and experiences in depth.

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population. Sampling means selecting the group that you will actually collect data from in your research.

For example, if you are researching the opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students.

Statistical sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population. There are various sampling methods you can use to ensure that your sample is representative of the population as a whole.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2022, October 10). What Is a Research Methodology? | Steps & Tips. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 September 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/methodology/

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PhD/Doctorate

What are acceptable dissertation research methods?

August 16, 2023

Reading time: 3â4 minutes

Doctoral research is the cornerstone of a PhD program .

In order to write a dissertation, you must complete extensive, detailed research. Depending on your area of study, different types of research methods will be appropriate to complete your work.

âThe choice of research method depends on the questions you hope to answer with your research,â says Curtis Brant, PhD, Capella University dean of research and scholarship.

Once youâve identified your research problem, youâll employ the methodology best suited for solving the problem.

There are two primary dissertation research methods: qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative

Qualitative research focuses on examining the topic via cultural phenomena, human behavior or belief systems. This type of research uses interviews, open-ended questions or focus groups to gain insight into peopleâs thoughts and beliefs around certain behaviors and systems.

Dr. Brant says there are several approaches to qualitative inquiry. The three most routinely used include:

Generic qualitative inquiry. The researcher focuses on peopleâs experiences or perceptions in the real world. This often includes, but is not limited to, subjective opinions, attitudes and beliefs .

Case study. The researcher performs an in-depth exploration of a program, event, activity or process with an emphasis on the experience of one or more individuals. The focus of this kind of inquiry must be defined and often includes more than one set of data, such as interviews and field notes, observations or other qualitative data.

Phenomenological. The researcher identifies lived experiences associated with how an individual encounters and engages with the real world .

Qualitative research questions seek to discover:

A participantâs verbal descriptions of a phenomenon being investigated
A researcherâs observations of the phenomenon being investigated
An integrated interpretation of participantâs descriptions and researchers observations

Quantitative

Quantitative research involves the empirical investigation of observable and measurable variables. It is used for theory testing, predicting outcomes or determining relationships between and among variables using statistical analysis.

According to Dr. Brant, there are two primary data sources for quantitative research.

Surveys: Surveys involve asking people a set of questions, usually testing for linear relationships, statistical differences or statistical independence. This approach is common in correlation research designs.

Archival research (secondary data analysis). Archival research involves using preexisting data to answer research questions instead of collecting data from active human participants.

Quantitative research questions seek to address:

Descriptions of variables being investigated
Measurements of relationships between (at least two) variables
Differences between two or more groupsâ scores on a variable or variables

Which method should you choose?

Choosing a qualitative or quantitative methodology for your research will be based on the nature of the questions you ask, the preferred method in your field, the feasibility of the approach and other factors. Many programs offer doctoral mentors and support teams that can help guide you throughout the process.

Capella University offers PhD and professional doctorate degree programs ranging from business to education and health to technology. Learn more about Capella doctoral programs and doctoral support.

Can I transfer credits into a doctoral program?

January 8, 2020

What are the steps in writing a dissertation?

December 11, 2019

The difference between a dissertation and doctoral capstone

November 25, 2019

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What is Research Methodology? Definition, Types, and Examples

Research methodology 1,2 is a structured and scientific approach used to collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative or qualitative data to answer research questions or test hypotheses. A research methodology is like a plan for carrying out research and helps keep researchers on track by limiting the scope of the research. Several aspects must be considered before selecting an appropriate research methodology, such as research limitations and ethical concerns that may affect your research.

The research methodology section in a scientific paper describes the different methodological choices made, such as the data collection and analysis methods, and why these choices were selected. The reasons should explain why the methods chosen are the most appropriate to answer the research question. A good research methodology also helps ensure the reliability and validity of the research findings. There are three types of research methodology—quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method, which can be chosen based on the research objectives.

What is research methodology ?

A research methodology describes the techniques and procedures used to identify and analyze information regarding a specific research topic. It is a process by which researchers design their study so that they can achieve their objectives using the selected research instruments. It includes all the important aspects of research, including research design, data collection methods, data analysis methods, and the overall framework within which the research is conducted. While these points can help you understand what is research methodology, you also need to know why it is important to pick the right methodology.

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Having a good research methodology in place has the following advantages: 3

Helps other researchers who may want to replicate your research; the explanations will be of benefit to them.
You can easily answer any questions about your research if they arise at a later stage.
A research methodology provides a framework and guidelines for researchers to clearly define research questions, hypotheses, and objectives.
It helps researchers identify the most appropriate research design, sampling technique, and data collection and analysis methods.
A sound research methodology helps researchers ensure that their findings are valid and reliable and free from biases and errors.
It also helps ensure that ethical guidelines are followed while conducting research.
A good research methodology helps researchers in planning their research efficiently, by ensuring optimum usage of their time and resources.

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Types of research methodology.

There are three types of research methodology based on the type of research and the data required. 1

Quantitative research methodology focuses on measuring and testing numerical data. This approach is good for reaching a large number of people in a short amount of time. This type of research helps in testing the causal relationships between variables, making predictions, and generalizing results to wider populations.
Qualitative research methodology examines the opinions, behaviors, and experiences of people. It collects and analyzes words and textual data. This research methodology requires fewer participants but is still more time consuming because the time spent per participant is quite large. This method is used in exploratory research where the research problem being investigated is not clearly defined.
Mixed-method research methodology uses the characteristics of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in the same study. This method allows researchers to validate their findings, verify if the results observed using both methods are complementary, and explain any unexpected results obtained from one method by using the other method.

What are the types of sampling designs in research methodology?

Sampling 4 is an important part of a research methodology and involves selecting a representative sample of the population to conduct the study, making statistical inferences about them, and estimating the characteristics of the whole population based on these inferences. There are two types of sampling designs in research methodology—probability and nonprobability.

Probability sampling

In this type of sampling design, a sample is chosen from a larger population using some form of random selection, that is, every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. The different types of probability sampling are:

Systematic —sample members are chosen at regular intervals. It requires selecting a starting point for the sample and sample size determination that can be repeated at regular intervals. This type of sampling method has a predefined range; hence, it is the least time consuming.
Stratified —researchers divide the population into smaller groups that don’t overlap but represent the entire population. While sampling, these groups can be organized, and then a sample can be drawn from each group separately.
Cluster —the population is divided into clusters based on demographic parameters like age, sex, location, etc.
Convenience —selects participants who are most easily accessible to researchers due to geographical proximity, availability at a particular time, etc.
Purposive —participants are selected at the researcher’s discretion. Researchers consider the purpose of the study and the understanding of the target audience.
Snowball —already selected participants use their social networks to refer the researcher to other potential participants.
Quota —while designing the study, the researchers decide how many people with which characteristics to include as participants. The characteristics help in choosing people most likely to provide insights into the subject.

What are data collection methods?

During research, data are collected using various methods depending on the research methodology being followed and the research methods being undertaken. Both qualitative and quantitative research have different data collection methods, as listed below.

Qualitative research 5

One-on-one interviews: Helps the interviewers understand a respondent’s subjective opinion and experience pertaining to a specific topic or event
Document study/literature review/record keeping: Researchers’ review of already existing written materials such as archives, annual reports, research articles, guidelines, policy documents, etc.
Focus groups: Constructive discussions that usually include a small sample of about 6-10 people and a moderator, to understand the participants’ opinion on a given topic.
Qualitative observation : Researchers collect data using their five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing).

Quantitative research 6

Sampling: The most common type is probability sampling.
Interviews: Commonly telephonic or done in-person.
Observations: Structured observations are most commonly used in quantitative research. In this method, researchers make observations about specific behaviors of individuals in a structured setting.
Document review: Reviewing existing research or documents to collect evidence for supporting the research.
Surveys and questionnaires. Surveys can be administered both online and offline depending on the requirement and sample size.

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What are data analysis methods.

The data collected using the various methods for qualitative and quantitative research need to be analyzed to generate meaningful conclusions. These data analysis methods 7 also differ between quantitative and qualitative research.

Quantitative research involves a deductive method for data analysis where hypotheses are developed at the beginning of the research and precise measurement is required. The methods include statistical analysis applications to analyze numerical data and are grouped into two categories—descriptive and inferential.

Descriptive analysis is used to describe the basic features of different types of data to present it in a way that ensures the patterns become meaningful. The different types of descriptive analysis methods are:

Measures of frequency (count, percent, frequency)
Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode)
Measures of dispersion or variation (range, variance, standard deviation)
Measure of position (percentile ranks, quartile ranks)

Inferential analysis is used to make predictions about a larger population based on the analysis of the data collected from a smaller population. This analysis is used to study the relationships between different variables. Some commonly used inferential data analysis methods are:

Correlation: To understand the relationship between two or more variables.
Cross-tabulation: Analyze the relationship between multiple variables.
Regression analysis: Study the impact of independent variables on the dependent variable.
Frequency tables: To understand the frequency of data.
Analysis of variance: To test the degree to which two or more variables differ in an experiment.

Qualitative research involves an inductive method for data analysis where hypotheses are developed after data collection. The methods include:

Content analysis: For analyzing documented information from text and images by determining the presence of certain words or concepts in texts.
Narrative analysis: For analyzing content obtained from sources such as interviews, field observations, and surveys. The stories and opinions shared by people are used to answer research questions.
Discourse analysis: For analyzing interactions with people considering the social context, that is, the lifestyle and environment, under which the interaction occurs.
Grounded theory: Involves hypothesis creation by data collection and analysis to explain why a phenomenon occurred.
Thematic analysis: To identify important themes or patterns in data and use these to address an issue.

How to choose a research methodology?

Here are some important factors to consider when choosing a research methodology: 8

Research objectives, aims, and questions —these would help structure the research design.
Review existing literature to identify any gaps in knowledge.
Check the statistical requirements —if data-driven or statistical results are needed then quantitative research is the best. If the research questions can be answered based on people’s opinions and perceptions, then qualitative research is most suitable.
Sample size —sample size can often determine the feasibility of a research methodology. For a large sample, less effort- and time-intensive methods are appropriate.
Constraints —constraints of time, geography, and resources can help define the appropriate methodology.

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How to write a research methodology .

A research methodology should include the following components: 3,9

Research design —should be selected based on the research question and the data required. Common research designs include experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, descriptive, and exploratory.
Research method —this can be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method.
Reason for selecting a specific methodology —explain why this methodology is the most suitable to answer your research problem.
Research instruments —explain the research instruments you plan to use, mainly referring to the data collection methods such as interviews, surveys, etc. Here as well, a reason should be mentioned for selecting the particular instrument.
Sampling —this involves selecting a representative subset of the population being studied.
Data collection —involves gathering data using several data collection methods, such as surveys, interviews, etc.
Data analysis —describe the data analysis methods you will use once you’ve collected the data.
Research limitations —mention any limitations you foresee while conducting your research.
Validity and reliability —validity helps identify the accuracy and truthfulness of the findings; reliability refers to the consistency and stability of the results over time and across different conditions.
Ethical considerations —research should be conducted ethically. The considerations include obtaining consent from participants, maintaining confidentiality, and addressing conflicts of interest.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are the key components of research methodology?

A1. A good research methodology has the following key components:

Research design
Data collection procedures
Data analysis methods
Ethical considerations

Q2. Why is ethical consideration important in research methodology?

A2. Ethical consideration is important in research methodology to ensure the readers of the reliability and validity of the study. Researchers must clearly mention the ethical norms and standards followed during the conduct of the research and also mention if the research has been cleared by any institutional board. The following 10 points are the important principles related to ethical considerations: 10

Participants should not be subjected to harm.
Respect for the dignity of participants should be prioritized.
Full consent should be obtained from participants before the study.
Participants’ privacy should be ensured.
Confidentiality of the research data should be ensured.
Anonymity of individuals and organizations participating in the research should be maintained.
The aims and objectives of the research should not be exaggerated.
Affiliations, sources of funding, and any possible conflicts of interest should be declared.
Communication in relation to the research should be honest and transparent.
Misleading information and biased representation of primary data findings should be avoided.

Q3. What is the difference between methodology and method?

A3. Research methodology is different from a research method, although both terms are often confused. Research methods are the tools used to gather data, while the research methodology provides a framework for how research is planned, conducted, and analyzed. The latter guides researchers in making decisions about the most appropriate methods for their research. Research methods refer to the specific techniques, procedures, and tools used by researchers to collect, analyze, and interpret data, for instance surveys, questionnaires, interviews, etc.

Research methodology is, thus, an integral part of a research study. It helps ensure that you stay on track to meet your research objectives and answer your research questions using the most appropriate data collection and analysis tools based on your research design.

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Research methodologies. Pfeiffer Library website. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://library.tiffin.edu/researchmethodologies/whatareresearchmethodologies
Types of research methodology. Eduvoice website. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://eduvoice.in/types-research-methodology/
The basics of research methodology: A key to quality research. Voxco. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.voxco.com/blog/what-is-research-methodology/
Sampling methods: Types with examples. QuestionPro website. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.questionpro.com/blog/types-of-sampling-for-social-research/
What is qualitative research? Methods, types, approaches, examples. Researcher.Life blog. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://researcher.life/blog/article/what-is-qualitative-research-methods-types-examples/
What is quantitative research? Definition, methods, types, and examples. Researcher.Life blog. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://researcher.life/blog/article/what-is-quantitative-research-types-and-examples/
Data analysis in research: Types & methods. QuestionPro website. Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.questionpro.com/blog/data-analysis-in-research/#Data_analysis_in_qualitative_research
Factors to consider while choosing the right research methodology. PhD Monster website. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://www.phdmonster.com/factors-to-consider-while-choosing-the-right-research-methodology/
What is research methodology? Research and writing guides. Accessed August 14, 2023. https://paperpile.com/g/what-is-research-methodology/
Ethical considerations. Business research methodology website. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/ethical-considerations/

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School of Education

Qualitative and quantitative research methodology, ph.d. in qualitative and quantitative research methodology, (formerly ph.d. in inquiry methodology).

This unique program enables students to focus on quantitative research, qualitative research, or an integrated program of study.

The flexible curriculum enables you to delve deeply into your chosen area of interest, from statistical modeling to ethnography, from discourse and narrative analysis to psychometrics and assessment.

Yet our program is rigorous enough to ensure that all graduates are able to meaningfully contribute to the study of social and behavioral research.

Application Deadlines


Fall	Dec 1
is the priority funding deadline for the Dean’s Fellowship and University Graduate School diversity fellowships. Eligible applicants will automatically be considered for fellowships – no separate application is necessary.

Admission Requirements

The Graduate Studies Office will accept unofficial transcripts and self-reported test scores for admission reviews. Any admission made with these documents would be conditioned on receipt of official documents, which should be provided as soon as possible.

If you are currently enrolled or have applied in the past year, you are eligible for a reduced application fee of $35. Learn more »

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 out of 4.00
Personal statement
Resume (required from international students only)
Three letters of recommendation
Minimum 79 TOEFL score or minimum 6.5 IELTS score or minimum 115 Duolingo score (international students only)

Learn more about how to apply

Program Requirements

Ph.D. in Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology – (formerly Ph.D. in Inquiry Methodology) Requirements

Costs listed are per credit hour.

2023-2024 Academic Year


Indiana resident	$460.00
Non-resident	$1545.50

2024-2025 Academic Year


Indiana resident	$469.20
Non-resident	$1576.40

*Does not include all fees, which will vary depending on the number of credits enrolled. Find more information and calculate your expected costs at Student Central .

Learn about the variety of fellowships and assistantships available to graduate students.
Visit Student Central for information about financial assistance.
Consult your employer about the availability of tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance programs.
Active duty military, veterans, and military families should visit the Center for Veteran and Military Students to take full advantage of available financial assistance and educational benefits.

Qualifying Examination

At the completion of course work and before the dissertation, doctoral students specializing in Inquiry Methodology will need to pass a qualifying exam in the form of portfolio of work and an oral examination. This examination is tailored to the student's program of study. All students with a minor in education must also take a minor qualifying examination. Some departments outside of the School of Education waive the minor qualifying examination, under certain conditions.

Request info
Graduate Student Portal

As a student you will have the opportunity to focus on methodology through theory and practice that cuts across a divide in qualitative and quantitative methods.

We are dedicated to advancing the understanding of social inquiry, especially with respect to the field of education, and we imagine these possibilities to be necessarily inclusive of methods typically disenfranchised from one another.

This 90-credit hour degree program requires students to spend at least two consecutive semesters on campus. Up to 30 credit hours may be transferred from another institution.

A 12-credit hour minor is also available to doctoral students majoring in other disciplines.

Dubravka Svetina Valdivia Associate Professor dsvetina@iu.edu (812) 856-3750

Start your life-changing journey

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PhD in Research Methodology

Use numbers and data to drive systematic change in education.

A number is not simply a number in our research methodology program. Here, unlike in math or statistics, numbers are not the final answer. With a PhD in Research Methodology, you can work in educational and institutional research, using numbers to tell the story of the human experience and create meaningful change.

Our commitment to you

Upon graduation with a PhD in research methodology from Loyola, you will possess the following knowledge, skills, and professional values necessary to commence a career as an institutional researcher, evaluator, college professor, or researcher at large professional organizations, testing companies, or consulting agencies that provide educational evaluation services.

You will develop expertise in evaluation, statistics, and measurement, and recognize when research findings are being misrepresented or data misused. Our expert faculty will train you in both qualitative and quantitative methodology, including applied statistics and psychometrics. You'll also learn how numbers relate to action, policy, and advocacy.

You will be able to critically evaluate bodies of knowledge from a variety of methodological traditions, use a variety of software programs to implement analyses, and conduct all stages of a research study in applied settings. Plus, you'll participate in a required consulting experience, where you'll conduct a research study and then provide consulting advice to a researcher or organization.

Professional Values

We strive to ensure that our graduates never lose sight of the humanity that number reflect, and become responsible researchers whose conclusions align with their findings. You will engage in ethical, just, and culturally competent research practices.

Program Faculty

Our dedicated Research Methodology Faculty are experts in their fields who will support students throughout each stage of the program.

Program Length

Students typically take up to two or three courses each term and up to two courses during the summer, and completion times for this degree vary with the topic of each student's dissertation. The typical length for this program is five years.

Continuous Enrollment Doctoral students in research methodology are required to maintain continuous enrollment during their program of studies. This means that during each semester of each academic year (excluding Summer Sessions), each student must enroll in at least one course. A formal leave of absence may be granted upon request and the approval of the School of Education’s Associate Dean of Student Academic Services.

Admission Requirements

Interested in applying? Check out the PhD Research Methodology application requirements .

For application related questions, contact Graduate Enrollment Management .
For program structure and academics related questions, contact: Ken Fujimoto , Program Chair

Tuition, Financial Aid and Scholarships

The School of Education and Loyola's Financial Aid Office are committed to helping students secure the necessary financial resources to make their education at Loyola affordable. You can learn more on the Financial Assistance page.

How long will it take to finish the program?

Five years is about the average length of time, especially if the student is not full-time. However a full-time student who transfers the maximum 30 credit hours from another university could complete the PhD in as few as three years. Please note that a maximum of six years is allowed to complete your coursework and dissertation.

Much will depend upon how many courses a student is able to take during any given term. Since the minimum is 20 courses, one should count on two or three years of coursework, another year for taking and passing comprehensive exams and developing a proposal, and at least one more year for the dissertation research.

What can I do with a degree in research methodology?

This degree offers many professional opportunities. Recent graduates work at research firms, testing companies, professional associations or accrediting agencies, nonprofits, and in higher education, including institutional research.

How is the consulting experience structured?

The consulting experience is fulfilled by providing research or statistical consulting. Students, in consultation with their advisor, will determine the form of the consulting. For example, some students have provided statistical analysis assistance to faculty members or other doctoral students at the university, working on a research team with a faculty member in the School of Education. Others have completed a project associated with the student's full-time employment.

PhD in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies

If you have a deep interest in the methodological, theoretical, and ethical procedures and challenges inherent to social science research and evaluation, this is a program for you. Our students contribute to the methodological and theoretical development of qualitative research and program evaluation.

Our program prepares research methodologists to study and develop theories and methods for conducting empirical and conceptual social science research and evaluation in education and other social science fields. Specifically, this program develops scholars and methodologists who are prepared to contribute to the advancement of innovative theories and methods used in qualitative research and program evaluation.

Focus on qualitative methodologies with interdisciplinary topics
Open to students with a variety of educational backgrounds and experiences
Small cohorts support individual faculty attention and mentorship

Video: Overview of Programs Offered by the Qualitative Research Program

Video: Meet the Qualitative Research Faculty

The organization of the research and evaluation methods degree program recognizes the wide variety of specialties in which you might develop research agendas.

Our mission is to build your capacity to contribute methodological expertise to collaborative research efforts through real-world opportunities in which you develop and practice the skills needed in your area of emphasis. As a result of this experience, you will have a broad knowledge of research methods along with specific expertise in a focused methodology. You can use this knowledge to pursue careers as research methodologists and evaluation specialists in higher education, corporations, and non-profit agencies.

The Ph.D. degree is a 54-credit hour degree program in which students engage in advanced study of qualitative theories and methods, mixed methods, and approaches to evaluation.

Core Coursework - 21 hours
Research Seminar - 3 hours
Elective Coursework - 18 hours
Internship - 6 hours
Doctoral hours Minimum of - 3 hours
Dissertation Minimum of - 3 hours
TOTAL - 54 hours

Part 1: Apply to the University of Georgia

The Graduate School handles admission for all graduate programs at the University of Georgia, including those in the College of Education. The Graduate School website contains important details about the application process, orientation, and many other useful links to guide you through the process of attending UGA at the graduate level.

Start A Graduate School Application

Part 2: Apply to the Ph.D. in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies

Please upload the following materials in your online application:

Personal statement
Curriculum vitae
Writing sample (20-25 pages maximum)

Summary of Application Materials

Both the Graduate School and the academic department review application materials simultaneously. The Graduate School then reviews the department’s recommendation and makes the final determination on admission. As an applicant you will receive a formal letter regarding your admission from the Office of Graduate Admissions. You must be admitted to a program to be eligible to register for courses. Admission is granted for a specific semester and is validated by registration for that semester. Applicants must be admitted to the Graduate School before they are eligible to register. International applicants whose primary language is not English must submit scores from the TOEFL or IELTS tests in addition to a Certificate of Finances form. No application will be considered until all materials are received. To apply to the Ph.D. in Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies, applicants must have completed a master’s degree. GRE scores are required for all applications.

Personal Statement

The program requires a personal statement, usually in the form of a letter of 2 to 3 pages, describing your background, work and research experience, interests in research and/or evaluation methodologies, and career aspirations. Specifically, you should be sure to address the following questions:

What experience or background do you have in research methodologies?
Why are you interested in the study of qualitative or evaluation methodologies?
What research or evaluation questions do you hope to pursue, and why?
In what way will the study of research or evaluation methodologies shape your career?

Writing Sample

You are required to submit a sample of formal writing (20-25 pages maximum). Scholarly or academic writing is preferred whether or not it has been published. If you have not published, recent course papers or work-related reports are appropriate.

Admissions Interviews

After a review of applications, selected applicants will be interviewed by the Ph.D. in Research and Evaluation Methodologies (REM) Admissions Committee early in the Spring semester for a subsequent Fall semester admission.

Deadline To Apply

Log Into Existing Application

Additional Resources

Please use our online form if you have any questions for the department. Please be as specific as possible so that we may quickly assist you.

The College’s programs are taught by dedicated faculty who are experts in a range of areas and are passionate about helping students succeed both in their programs and professionally.

Meet the Faculty View Affiliated Faculty

Most graduate students at UGA are not assigned to a faculty advisor until after admittance. A close working relationship with your advisor is paramount to progressing through your program of study.

Almost all in-state students begin their studies at UGA paying limited tuition or fees. Please note that these amounts are subject to change and are meant to give prospective students an idea of the costs associated with a degree at the University of Georgia College of Education.

Students may qualify for a variety of assistantships, scholarships, and other financial awards to help offset the cost of tuition, housing, and other expenses.

Tuition Rates Browse Financial Aid

In this program, you will take focused coursework with individual attention from faculty mentors .

Each semester, you will also take part in a seminar that brings together faculty in the qualitative research program to discuss topics of relevance to scholarship and teaching in qualitative research methodologies in higher education.

See for yourself how much UGA College of Education has to offer! Schedule a tour of campus to learn more about the UGA student experience.

Schedule A Visit

Useful Links

Affiliate Faculty
Course List
Graduate Handbook
Summary of Materials Required by Area of Emphasis
Projected QUAL Course Schedule
Qualitative Research Program Community Practices

Testimonials

What first attracted me to the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Ph.D. program was the balance it offers between the philosophy of science and the practical application of research and evaluation. The program’s faculty members are amazing at supporting students’ learning, and at pushing us to be creative, deep thinking, and daring as we explore methodologies. Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, Doctoral Student

My path through the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Ph.D. program had me exploring the depths of qualitative research rarely visited by researchers in the health sciences but that have been essential in my current position as Senior Research Associate at Evidera. Now I find myself often referencing qualitative research theory and history when selecting strategies for new studies or when arranging trainings across my organization. Moreover, the breadth of interests across students in the program provided unique perspectives that enriched my journey. Most of all though, I am impressed with how well the faculty helped guide me through the program, making theory, history, and applied work relevant for my own career goals. Sean Halpin, Former Doctoral Student

I really discovered the world of qualitative research with the Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methodologies Ph.D. program, and the instructors made me adore it. Their support for the students’ learning was so impeccable. They had genial ways to encourage students to think outside the box and to be creative from every point of view, especially when it comes to methodologies. Bidossessi Mariano Ghislain Dossou Kpanou, Former Doctoral Student

Research Methodology in Doctoral Research: Understanding the Meaning of Conducting Qualitative Research

Massey University

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Sample PhD Research Methodology Chapter

1.0 introduction.

This chapter designs a comprehensive research methodology tailored to the aim and objectives of the study. Specifically, the research methodology chapter is responsible for explaining the philosophical underpinnings, as well as explaining their role in examining the selected research phenomenon. Second, the researcher’s philosophical orientation is explained and the rationale for the chosen methods is provided. Finally, this chapter defends the selected data collection instruments and analysis procedures, paying close attention to their advantages and limitations. Ethical issues and methodological limitations are covered in the end.

2.0 Ontological Perspective

The process of designing a research methodology starts with the branch of ontology, which is primarily concerned with what exists in the human world and what knowledge could be acquired about this world (Anfara & Mertz, 2014). With the help of ontology, researchers can recognise the extent to which the objects they are researching are ‘real’ and what ‘truth claims’ can be made about these objects (Chawla & Sodhi, 2011). The spectrum of ontological stances ranges from naïve realism to relativism; the former assumes that there is a single reality, which could be understood using appropriate research methods, whereas the latter implies that realities exist as multiple mental constructions that change depending on the subject and context in which they exist (Crotty, 2020).

This study follows a bounded relativist position, according to which there is one shared reality within a bounded group (Easterby-Smith et al., 2012). This choice has been made because organisational culture is a context-specific phenomenon, meaning each organisation has its own culture that is manifested in its values, artefacts, stories, and symbols (Kumar, 2014). The existing literature shows that organisational culture is something that is shared by all employees, suggesting there is a single reality within this group (Crotty, 2020). Although there may be outliers, organisational culture is often viewed as the glue that connects the employees of the same organisation and communicates the reality in which they exist.

3.0 Epistemological Perspective

Having identified how ‘things’ are, it is relevant to identify how the researcher creates knowledge by selecting and justifying an epistemological stance. The methodology literature distinguishes between three major epistemological positions, depending on the relationship between the object and the subject (Anfara & Mertz, 2014). Objectivism implies that meaning exists within an object and there is an objective reality that exists independently of the subject (Dew & Foreman, 2020). On the other end of the spectrum lies subjectivism, according to which it is the subject that creates meaning and imposes it on an object (Saunders & Lewis, 2014). Finally, constructionism is a more balanced epistemological position, where the interplay between the subject and the object creates meaning but the reality of the object is still constructed by the subject (Kumar, 2008).

Since the phenomenon of organisational culture exists independently from the researcher, this study is in keeping with the constructionist stance, which allows for generating a contextual understanding of organisational culture and its role in employees’ well-being perception in the selected company. On the one hand, each employee has their views, values, and beliefs, which inevitably affect their perception of well-being (Pruzan, 2016). This fact implies that multiple realities are likely to exist, which are shaped and formed by the company’s employees, as well as the meanings they attach to the world in general and their employer’s organisational culture, in particular (Dew & Foreman, 2020). Still, since the researcher attempts to establish the relationship between organisational culture and employees’ perceptions of well-being and achieve an adequate level of generalisation, the adoption of subjectivist epistemology seems counterproductive. In turn, objectivism fully excludes the possibility of the existence of multiple sources of meaning, which explains why this epistemology has not been adopted either (Chawla & Sodhi, 2011).

4.0 Theoretical Perspective

The next step in designing a comprehensive research methodology would be to have a look at the researcher’s philosophical orientation that guides their action (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Per Singh and Nath (2010), all theoretical perspectives could be broadly divided into two groups, namely those that are applied to predict the phenomenon in question and those that help in getting a better understanding of this phenomenon. Since this study is focused on the establishment of the relationship between organisational culture and employees’ well-being perceptions, using more than one method to identify the valid and logical truth seems reasonable. Therefore, the theoretical perspective of post-positivism, according to which a valid belief could be properly identified only using multiple methods because all methods are imperfect, has been selected (Anfara & Mertz, 2014). The research design of this study, including its ontological and epistemological standpoints, is presented as follows.

Figure 1: Research Design

Source: Constructed for this study

Post-positivism can be viewed as a natural evolution of the positivist theoretical stance, primarily driven by the growing complexity of the social sciences, which requires examining social phenomena from multiple vantage points to make relevant and accurate predictions (Khan, 2011). As previously noted, employees’ values, attitudes, and beliefs, which form their realities and affect their perceptions of well-being in the organisational context, make this social phenomenon multifaceted and complex (Bryman & Bell, 2015). That is why using several methods is expected to help the researcher decipher this relationship and possibly extrapolate the produced findings to different contexts (Daniel & Sam, 2011). While post-positivism is less rigorous and ‘scientific’ as compared to positivism, some scholars argue that the social world is too complex to be explained by applying natural science methods. Interpretations of reality cannot be isolated from the cultural and social context, in which the research phenomenon is taking place (Easterby-Smith et al., 2012). Still, the application of natural science methods enables the researcher to identify certain patterns, allowing for examining the relationship between organisational culture and employees’ well-being perceptions in more detail.

5.0 Methodology

Based on the above explanation and justification, this doctoral project follows a mixed-method approach, which implies the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data within the same study (Singh & Nath, 2010). A mixed-method research design enables the researcher to obtain data using multiple data collection instruments, adding to the breadth of this investigation and allowing for assessing the relationship between organisational culture and employees’ perceptions of well-being more comprehensively (Cohen et al., 2017). With that being stated, following a mono method can ensure a much higher level of detalisation as compared to a mixed-method approach (Howell, 2012). Still, within the organisational context, different truths are likely to exist among different stakeholder groups, which substantiates the need to examine and compare these truths in order to identify how they are similar or different (Daniel & Sam, 2011).

This project follows the research strategy of a case study, which enables the researcher to develop an in-depth description of the target organisation and its culture. One of the main advantages of this strategy is that it implies using multiple data collection techniques, which goes in keeping with the selected research design (Bryman & Bell, 2015). Although the case study strategy does not represent the world, it focuses on a single case in relation to the selected research problem and illustrates the contextualised case of the relationship between corporate culture and employee perceptions (Singh & Nath, 2010). Although some scholars believe that case studies have limited generalisation because they are primarily focused on a single object or case, it is still possible to compare the case study findings to existing theory and, hence, provide broader implications to similar contexts outside the selected case (Yin, 2014). Since this project not only draws on existing theory but also attempts to come up with a new theory linking organisational culture to employee well-being in the workplace, it incorporates certain aspects of both inductive and deductive approaches (Pruzan, 2016).

6.0 Data and Methods of Collection

Two primary data collection methods, namely self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured interviews have been selected for this study. The former method implies collecting primary quantitative data from individuals who self-report their perceptions of and attitudes towards the research phenomenon (Singh, 2010). In turn, in semi-structured interviews, a researcher asks questions within a predetermined thematic framework but the questions are not set in order or phrasing (Billups, 2019). Self-administered questionnaires have been selected because they not only enable the researcher to obtain a large amount of primary data in a short period. They also generate primary data that could easily be quantified and processed graphically and statistically, which goes in keeping with the post-positivist nature of this study (Saunders & Lewis, 2014). In turn, semi-structured interviews allow for generating highly detailed data that answers the ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions, leading to more comprehensive and detailed research findings (Cohen et al., 2017).

The decision to incorporate both self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in the research design allows for offsetting the drawbacks of each of these data collection instruments. For example, in questionnaire surveys, respondents’ answers are usually limited to a set of predefined, concise response options, which may not necessarily reflect how they feel about certain things (Novikov & Novikov, 2013). Concurrently, during interviews, interviewees can provide whatever responses they want, regardless of their length or content. At the same time, interviews are commonly considered a time-consuming data collection procedure (Carson et al., 2001). Due to this reason, as well as potential access issues, it is problematic to engage a relatively large number of individuals in interviews. Alternatively, questionnaires can be distributed among a sizeable population of social actors in a fraction of the time needed to conduct an interview (Daniel & Sam, 2011). Therefore, by utilising both self-administered questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, it is possible to make the most of these instruments while overcoming their drawbacks.

7.0 Sampling

For this study, two samples were drawn to approach the relationship between corporate culture and employees’ perceptions of well-being from different vantage points. First, judgemental sampling, a non-probability sampling technique where units to be sampled are selected by the researcher based on their professional judgement, was chosen to approach the most knowledgeable and experienced managers of the target company (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). While the researcher was not intended to cap the number of interviewees included in the sample, a total of 14 top managers agreed to participate. The selection of this sampling strategy is explained by its ability to ensure a deep focus on the researched phenomenon because the interviewees exist in the same context and share similar opinions and values. In turn, managers were selected because they are expected to have a more profound knowledge of the selected company’s organisational culture and its nuances than their subordinates. Interviews were conducted online using Zoom.

Second, the researcher followed the strategy of convenience sampling, which allows for collecting research data from the most easily accessed respondents, to draw a questionnaire survey sample (Gray, 2017). At this point, around 760 employees of the target multinational company were contacted via social media platforms and asked to participate. According to the existing methodology literature, the sample size plays a crucial role when it comes to data validity and reliability, which explains why the researcher intended to include as many employees in the sample as possible (Easterby-Smith et al., 2012). 549 questionnaires were returned to the researcher, out of which 32 were excluded due to missing values. Therefore, the questionnaire survey sample consisted of 517 participants. This sample size should be enough to ensure an adequate level of validity and reliability and make sure the produced findings are generalisable to a certain extent (Dew & Foreman, 2020). All questionnaires were distributed online using Google Forms.

8.0 Analysis Strategy

As previously noted, post-positivist studies tend to use multiple methods, which translates into employing several analysis instruments within the same research project (Novikov & Novikov, 2013). This study is not the exception to this rule. The primary data obtained using self-administered questionnaires was processed both graphically and statistically. This data was quantified by assigning a code (e.g., ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, ‘4’, etc.) to each response and inserting the constructed set of raw data in Microsoft Excel, which was also used to design charts and graphs. The quantified data was then inserted into an SPSS spreadsheet to make it suitable for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to analyse the primary quantitative data and establish the relationship between organisational culture and employees’ perceptions of well-being and test the Null Hypothesis and Hypothesis 1 presented in Chapter 2. In addition, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test Hypothesis 2 and identify whether those employees who belonged to an older generation perceived the role of organisational culture in their well-being differently than their young colleagues. The key methodological choices, including analysis methods, are presented as follows.

Figure 2: Methodological Choices

The researcher also used a content analysis technique to process the primary data generated by the interviewees. Unlike graphical or statistical analyses, the content analysis does not demonstrate cause-and-effect links between variables but rather enables the researcher to get a deeper understanding of interviewees’ perceptions, feelings, and lived experiences (Carson et al., 2001). The recorded interviews were first converted into text transcripts using word processing software. Afterwards, the transcribed data was processed by NVivo to create codes and nodes according to the main themes of this project, such as ‘organisational culture’, ‘employee well-being’, ‘work-life balance’, ‘employee recognition’, and ‘job satisfaction’. This software was also used to identify the frequency of the aforementioned themes and other tendencies in the interviewees’ responses.

9.0 Ethical Issues

Before obtaining primary data from the participants, they were provided with an information sheet that covered all the important aspects of this project, including its aim and objectives, anticipated outcomes, and research procedure (Saunders & Lewis, 2014). Informed consent was obtained from each potential interviewee and survey participant to make sure their participation was voluntary. They were explicitly communicated both verbally and in writing that they were able to withdraw from the data collection process at will. Moreover, this process was made fully anonymous to prevent the potential leakage of personal data and contribute to the participants’ intention to take part (Singh, 2010).

10.0 Methodological Limitations

Although the designed research methodology is characterised by a relatively high level of replicability, it could be argued that the adoption of bounded relativism does not add to the generalisability of the produced empirical outcomes (Daniel & Sam, 2011). The point is that the mental constructions of reality held by those managers and employees who participated in this project may not necessarily match one another, leading to multiple interpretations of how their well-being is affected by the employer’s organisational culture (Saunders & Lewis, 2014). Another limitation is that self-administered questionnaires significantly limit the researcher’s ability to decipher hidden meaning that exists in organisational practices and events, which makes this study biased towards making predictions rather than deepening our understanding of the research phenomenon (Novikov & Novikov, 2013).

11.0 Chapter Summary

Ontologically, this study is framed within bounded relativism, which implies that reality constructions exist within a boundary of a peculiar group. In turn, from an epistemological viewpoint, this project adopts constructionism and the post-positivist theoretical perspective. Since this study follows a mixed-method approach, the researcher obtained primary qualitative and quantitative data from 14 top managers and 517 employees of the target business entity by means of semi-structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires, respectively. The collected data was processed, thematically, graphically, and statistically using NVivo, Microsoft Excel, and SPSS.

Anfara, V., & Mertz, N. (2014). Theoretical Frameworks in Qualitative Research . SAGE.

Billups, F. (2019). Qualitative Data Collection Tools: Design, Development, and Applications . SAGE.

Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods . OUP.

Carson, D., Gilmore, A., Perry, C., & Gronhaug, K. (2001). Qualitative Marketing Research . SAGE.

Chawla, D., & Sodhi, N. (2011). Research Methodology: Concepts and Cases . Vicas Publishing House.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research Methods in Education . Routledge.

Creswell, J., & Creswell, D. (2017). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches . SAGE.

Crotty, M. (2020). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process . Routledge.

Daniel, S., & Sam, A. (2011). Research methodology . Gyan Publishing House.

Dew, J., & Foreman, M. (2020). How Do We Know?: An Introduction to Epistemology . InterVarsity Press.

Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. (2012). Management Research . SAGE.

Gray, D. (2017). Doing Research in the Real World . SAGE.

Howell, K. (2012). An introduction to the philosophy of methodology . SAGE.

Khan, J. (2011). Research methodology . APH Publishing.

Kumar, R. (2008). Research methodology . APH Publishing.

Kumar, R. (2014). Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners . SAGE.

Novikov, A., & Novikov, D. (2013). Research methodology: From philosophy of science to research design . CRC Press.

Pruzan, P. (2016). Research Methodology: The Aims, Practices and Ethics of Science . Springer.

Saunders, M., & Lewis, P. (2014). Doing Research in Business and Management: An Essential Guide to Planning Your Project . Pearson Education.

Singh, Y. (2010). Research methodology . APH Publishing.

Singh, Y., & Nath, R. (2010). Research methodology . APH Publishing.

Yin, R. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods . SAGE.

Course: 2025-08 – Marching Off to War: Advanced Military Research and Methodology

Coordinator: Michael L. Strauss, AG®

Description:

The women of our families – mothers, sisters, wives – and the children they bore and raised comprise far more than just a hidden half of our families: women and children greatly outnumbered the menfolk. Yet they left fewer traces in the records, and researching these family members effectively poses challenges for any genealogist. From the obvious topics of school and work records to the way these family members were disguised behind tick marks in the census, from clues hidden away in manuscript collections to the clues hidden away in our very genetic code, the focus of this course is on the research methods that help us find and learn more about these hidden members of the family.

Other Instructors:

Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD Catherine Becker Wiest Desmarais, CG Alec Ferretti Michael Ramage, JD, CG Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA Ari Wilkins

Student Prerequisites: None

Recommendations: None

All times are listed in Eastern Time. • Refer to your student’s Dropbox for the full schedule, including breaks. (Provided one week prior to the start of the course) • Live sessions may be subject to schedule adjustments by your course coordinator.

Day	Session	Description	Instructor
	INTRO 10 – 10:30 AM	Take this opportunity to connect with your peers and gain insights into what exciting adventures await you this week.
Mon	1 10:30 – 11:45 AM	The women of our families and the children they bore and raised comprise far more than just a hidden half of our families: women and children greatly outnumbered the menfolk. Yet they left fewer traces in the records, and researching these family members effectively poses challenges for any genealogist. This session will include introductions, an overview of the course, and begin to answer the question of why we should – and how we can – research women and children first.	Russell
	2 12:00 – 1:15 PM	How old did someone have to be to marry in 1700 Virginia? In 1800 Kentucky? In 1900 Pennsylvania? What records would be created for those of age – and those under age? When and where were common law marriages recognized? What grounds existed for divorce, and how did that change over time? And what happened to the children when their parents’ marriage dissolved? This session will focus on marriage and divorce as they impact our research into the lives of our families’ women and children.	Russell
	3 2:15 – 3:30 PM	Free public schools are such a staple of American life that we sometimes forget that early schools often weren’t free and weren’t public. This session will explore the history of public education in terms of the law and the practice of the day – and what records exist to help understand the education the children of our families received.	Russell
	4 3:45 – 5 PM	Military pension records and bounty land files provide some of the strongest and most direct clues to the women and children of our families: benefits were provided by the law to the widows, the wives, the children–even the parents and brothers and sisters of those killed or injured in the line of duty. This session will focus on the rules of eligibility as they changed over time, the records created as they changed over time, and where those records may be found.	Sayre
Tue	5 10:30 – 11:45 AM	From colonial to modern times, some social safety net has existed for the poorest members of society, usually the poorest women and children. This session will focus on the types of relief available, the rules for granting relief, and the astounding array of genealogically valuable records created as a result of being on the dole.	Russell
	6 12 – 1:15 PM	Many children in early America were apprenticed by their parents to learn a trade. Poor, illegitimate, or orphaned children were indentured or bound out by local legal authority. This session will focus on the many types of indentures and apprenticeships, both legal and not-so-legal. Who could be apprenticed, why, and for how long? We will discuss what records exist, where to find them, and how to access them. Numerous examples will be used.	Wilkins
	7 2:15 – 3:30 PM	Wives and daughters, mothers and sisters all fared poorly under common law when it came to the right to inherit from husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers. The law favored men over women and, often, older sons over younger sons. But there were provisions for females in the law: in some cases, to inherit, in others, to receive a dower right. This session will focus on the special rules and records of inheritance and the widow’s thirds: the right of dower.	Russell
	8 3:45 – 5 PM	While poor children were bound out or sent to orphanages, children of propertied families were put under guardianship when a parent died or when property came to the child by inheritance from another family member. This session will focus on the records of these guardianships to help understand the detailed look they provide into the lives of these children and, sometimes, the lives of siblings, parents, and others as well.	Russell
Wed	9 10:30 – 11:45 AM	The details of women’s lives are often absent from historical records, with a notable exception: court records. Though underutilized by genealogists, these records offer unique insight into the lives of our foremothers. Women managed estates, served as witnesses, were parties to divorce, requested financial support for out-of-wedlock children, asked for fair solutions to disputes, and were judged for the their conduct. Hear women’s voices in civil, criminal, and chancery court records, and learn where to find these records to help tell your ancestor’s story.	Desmarais
	10 12 – 1:15 PM	Placing children in formal orphanages was rare but not unheard of in early America: the first asylums specifically for children were opened in the 1790s. When adoption laws were first enacted in the 1850s, permanent legal placements became more common, and the Civil War escalated the number of children affected. This session will look at the records of orphans and orphanages and will also include some methodologies useful in unknown parentage cases (adoptions, orphan trains, and the like).	Russell
	11 2:15 – 3:30 PM	What is the meaning of feme covert? What is a feme sole trader? How did coverture (the condition of a married woman) affect a woman’s rights? What entrepreneurial rights existed in days of yore for our ancestral women folk? The English common law, civil law, court case law, legislation, custom, and more shaped whether or not early married women could enter into contracts, own property, or engage in commerce. Learn about these laws and the records that may reveal whether or not your early female ancestor was, in fact, working for profit. A survey of the relevant laws across the Colonies and the United States will be provided from Colonial times to World War II.	Ramage
	12 3:34 – 5 PM	British common law impacted women throughout much of colonial America and the early United States – but not everywhere. Women and children wearing the lace of the French or Spanish colonies, or the wooden shoes of the Dutch, lived under a very different legal system – one that continues to impact women and children in parts of North America even today. This session will explore the differences between the common law and the civil law, and the records that reflect those differences.	Russell
Thu	13 10:30 – 11:45 AM	Only children were treated as delinquents, yet children as young as nine and ten could be executed for murder. Only women could be prosecuted as common scolds, and some penalties differed greatly depending on the gender of the convict. The criminal justice system drew distinctions between men and women and treated children often with too much or too little attention to their needs. This session will focus on the criminal justice records of the otherwise hidden women and children of our families.	Russell
	14 12 – 1:15 PM	The 21st-century genealogist’s toolkit includes DNA testing, and — properly used — DNA tests can shed light on the hidden members of our families. This session will provide an overview of the major types of DNA testing and focus particularly on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and autosomal DNA as means to identify women and children.	Bettinger
	15 2:15 – 3:30 PM	Special labor laws to protect the health and safety of women and children in the workplace are a modern phenomenon. This session will trace the history of these laws and the records created under them that allow us to trace the work history of the hidden members of our families and to understand their lives as laborers in mills, mines, and more.	Russell
	16 3:45 – 5 PM	From the earliest days of the American colonies to modern times, the newspapers have been among the best sources of information about the women and children who would otherwise be hidden members of our families. From birth and death notices, to society columns, to reports of school and athletic success, newspapers chronicled family history as much as they did the general news of the day. This session will focus on finding and making effective use of newspaper accounts of women and children.	Russell
Fri	17 10:30 – 11: 45 AM	At common law, citizenship followed the father: if he was a citizen, so was his spouse, and so were his children. But American law didn’t always follow the common law, and this session will provide the foundations for understanding the statutory framework for citizenship is key to understanding whether the women and children of a family were citizens or not – and what records might exist of their citizenship and naturalization status.	Ferretti
	18 12 – 1:15 PM	The little that is known of the ordinary day-to-day lives of ordinary women and children through history tends to come to us in bits and pieces: a scrap of a diary, a letter, a set of home recipes. This session focuses on finding these bits and pieces, principally in manuscript collections, and integrating them effectively into a family’s history.	Russell

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Department of History and Tourism - Ten Days Research Methodology Course for M.Phil/Ph.D/PDF Research scholars in Social sciences sponsored by ICSSR

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15 Kinds Of Research Methodologies For PhD. Pupils

1.Applied research

2.Fixed research versus flexible research

3.Quantitative research and qualitative research

4.Experimental research and non-experimental research

5.Exploratory research and confirmatory research

6.Explanatory research or casual research

7.Descriptive research

8.Historical research

9.Casual comparative research

10.Correlational research

11.Evaluation research method

12.Formative and summative evaluation

13.Diagnostic research

14.Prognostic research

15.Action research

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