Research Methodology

Various methods and techniques used to present the research beautifully is called research methodology. The procedures enhance the research process and it exposes the way research is carried out. It helps to explain the methods used in research and presents the idea to the audience in an elegant manner that depends mainly on the researcher. Various methods are used in the research to explain the ideas and we will see the types in this article. However, the selection of the method purely depends on the researcher and the type does not adhere to any requirements. Researchers have to be satisfied with the methods.

Types of Research Methodology

Introduction to Types of Research Methodology

Various methods and techniques used to present the research beautifully is called research methodology. The procedures enhance the research process and it exposes the way research is carried out. It helps to explain the methods used in research and presents the idea to the audience in an elegant manner that depends mainly on the researcher. Various methods are used in the research to explain the ideas and we will see the types in this article. However, the selection of the method purely depends on the researcher and the type does not adhere to any requirements. Researchers have to be satisfied with the methods. In thsi topic List of Types in Research Methodology

Research methods are classified based on different criteria. They are a general category, nature of the study, the purpose of the study, and research design. Also, there are interviews and case studies based on research methodology. In some researches, more than two methods are combined while in some, very few methods are taken into account for the study.

Based on General Category

Quantitative Research

As the name suggests, quantitative refers to the numbers where data is collected based on numbers, and a summary is taken from these numbers. Graphs help to quantify the results in quantitative research.

When you are considering a quantitative approach to your research, you need to identify why types of measures you will use in your study. This will determine what type of numbers you will be using to collect your data. There are four levels of measurement:

1. Nominal: These are numbers where the order of the numbers do not matter. They aim to identify separate information. One example is collecting zip codes from research participants. The order of the numbers does not matter, but the series of numbers in each zip code indicate different information (Adamson and Prion, 2013).

2. Ordinal: Also known as rankings because the order of these numbers matter. This is when items are given a specific rank according to specific criteria. A common example of ordinal measurements include ranking-based questionnaires, where participants are asked to rank items from least favorite to most favorite. Another common example is a pain scale, where a patient is asked to rank their pain on a scale from 1 to 10 (Adamson and Prion, 2013).

3. Interval: This is when the data are ordered and the distance between the numbers matters to the researcher (Adamson and Prion, 2013). The distance between each number is the same. An example of interval data is test grades.

4. Ratio: This is when the data are ordered and have a consistent distance between numbers, but has a "zero point." This means that there could be a measurement of zero of whatever you are measuring in your study (Adamson and Prion, 2013). An example of ratio data is measuring the height of something because the "zero point" remains constant in all measurements. The height of something could also be zero.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative refers to the non- numerical elements in the research. When the information or data cannot be grasped in terms of numbers, qualitative research comes for the rescue. Though not reliable as much as quantitative, qualitative research helps to form a better summary in terms of theories in the data.

Focus Groups

This is when a select group of people gather to talk about a particular topic. They can also be called discussion groups or group interviews (Dawson, 2019). They are usually lead by a moderator to help guide the discussion and ask certain questions. It is critical that a moderator allows everyone in the group to get a chance to speak so that no one dominates the discussion. The data that are gathered from focus groups tend to be thoughts, opinions, and perspectives about an issue.

Advantages of Focus Groups

Only requires one meeting to get different types of responses.
Less researcher bias due to participants being able to speak openly.
Helps participants overcome insecurities or fears about a topic.
The researcher can also consider the impact of participant interaction.

Disadvantages of Focus Groups

Participants may feel uncomfortable to speak in front of an audience, especially if the topic is sensitive or controversial.
Since participation is voluntary, not every participant may contribute equally to the discussion.
Participants may impact what others say or think.
A researcher may feel intimidated by running a focus group on their own.
A researcher may need extra funds/resources to provide a safe space to host the focus group.
Because the data is collective, it may be difficult to determine a participant's individual thoughts about the research topic.

Observation

There are two ways to conduct research observations:

Direct Observation: The researcher observes a participant in an environment.  The researcher often takes notes or uses technology to gather data, such as a voice recorder or video camera.  The researcher does not interact or interfere with the participants.  This approach is often used in psychology and health studies (Dawson, 2019).
Participant Observation:  The researcher interacts directly with the participants to get a better understanding of the research topic.  This is a common research method when trying to understand another culture or community.  It is important to decide if you will conduct a covert (participants do not know they are part of the research) or overt (participants know the researcher is observing them) observation because it can be unethical in some situations (Dawson, 2019).

Open-Ended Questionnaires

These types of questionnaires are the opposite of "multiple choice" questionnaires because the answer boxes are left open for the participant to complete. This means that participants can write short or extended answers to the questions. Upon gathering the responses, researchers will often "quantify" the data by organizing the responses into different categories. This can be time consuming because the researcher needs to read all responses carefully.

Semi-structured Interviews

This is the most common type of interview where researchers aim to get specific information so they can compare it to other interview data. This requires asking the same questions for each interview, but keeping their responses flexible. This means including follow-up questions if a subject answers a certain way. Interview schedules are commonly used to aid the interviewers, which list topics or questions that will be discussed at each interview (Dawson, 2019).

Theoretical Analysis

Often used for nonhuman research, theoretical analysis is a qualitative approach where the researcher applies a theoretical framework to analyze something about their topic. A theoretical framework gives the researcher a specific "lens" to view the topic and think about it critically. it also serves as context to guide the entire study. This is a popular research method for analyzing works of literature, films, and other forms of media. You can implement more than one theoretical framework with this method, as many theories complement one another.

Common theoretical frameworks for qualitative research are (Grant and Osanloo, 2014):

1. Behavioral theory
2. Change theory
3. Cognitive theory
4. Content analysis
5. Cross-sectional analysis
6. Developmental theory
7. Feminist theory
8. Gender theory
9. Marxist theory
10. Queer theory
11. Systems theory
12. Transformational theory

Unstructured Interviews

These are in-depth interviews where the researcher tries to understand an interviewee's perspective on a situation or issue. They are sometimes called life history interviews. It is important not to bombard the interviewee with too many questions so they can freely disclose their thoughts (Dawson, 2019).

Based on the nature of the research

Descriptive Research

Facts are considered in descriptive methods and surveys and case studies are done to clarify the facts. These help to determine and explain with examples, the facts, and they are not rejected. Many variables can be used in descriptive research to explain the facts.

Analytical Research

Analytical research uses the facts that have been confirmed already to form the basis for the research and critical evaluation of the material is carried out in this method. Analytical methods make use of quantitative methods as well.

Based on the purpose of the study

Applied Research

Applied research is action research where only one domain is considered and mostly the facts are generalized. Variables are considered constant and forecasting is done so that the methods can be found out easily in applied research. The technical language is used in the research and the summary is based on technical facts.

Fundamental Research

Fundamental research is the basic or pure research done to find out an element or a theory that has never been in the world yet. Several domains are connected and the aim is to find out how traditional things can be changed or something new can be developed. The summary is purely in common language and logical findings are applied in the research.

Based on research design

Exploratory Research

Exploratory studies are based on the theories and their explanation and it does not provide any conclusion for the research topic. The structure is not proper and the methods offer a flexible and investigative approach for the study. The hypothesis is not tested and the result will not be of much help to the outside world. The findings will be topic related that helps in improving the research more.

Conclusive Research

Conclusive Research aims at providing an answer to the research topic and has a proper design in the methodology. A well-designed structure helps in formulating and solving the hypotheses and give the results. The results will be generic and help the outside world. Researchers will have an inner pleasure to solve the problems and to help society in general.

Surveys

Not least considered, but Surveys play a main role in the research methodology. It helps to collect a vast amount of real-time data and helps in the research process. It is done at a low cost and can be done faster than any other method. Surveys can be done in both quantitative and qualitative methods. Always, quantitative surveys must be considered above qualitative surveys as they provide numerical outputs and the data is real. Surveys are mainly used in the business to know the demand for a product in the market and to forecast the production based on the results from the survey.

Case Studies

Case studies are another method of research methodology where different cases are considered and the proper one for the research is selected. Case studies help to form an idea of the research and helps in the foundation of the research. Various facts and theories can be considered from the case studies that help to form proper reviews about the research topic. Researchers can either make the topic general or specific according to the literature reviews from the studies. A proper understanding of the research can be made from the case study.