Method-ology in your Project Madness

After your Literature Review, the next major chapter that you need to write in any Dissertation or extended project concerns your Methodology.

In this section you must justify your choice of data collection techniques (eg Questionnaires, Interviews, etc) and outline why/whether you will be applying mostly Quantitative or Qualitative Methods. (Think N for Numbers - techniques that generate statistics, like questionnaires, experiments or observations; L for Letters - techniques that gather people's precise words, such as interviews or focus groups).

"Quantative research aims to show WHAT is happening; Qualitative research, on the other hand, sets out to tell you WHY it is happening." (Moore, 2000, p.121)

To help you get started, I've been gathering together a collection of useful quotations from a whole range of Research Methodology books over the years, which you are more than welcome to include in your own discussion. Fully Harvard Referenced, these not only outline the key features of each approach, they also evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each, so you can substantiate your choice with the authority of established practitioners.

To access the collection click here, and if you find any other good quotations to add to the list, then please let me know.

Further information and guidance for writing extended projects is available in the "Dissertations" folder here.

Moore, Nick (2000) How to do research - the complete guide to designing and managing research projects. 3rd ed. London: Library Association