Dealing With Methodology For A Research Paper
Methodology is not just one of
the main sections of a research paper; in many ways, it’s the most
important step you’ll take. By demonstrating a thorough explanation
of what you did to arrive at your results, you’re not only
verifying that your work is genuine, you’re also providing a great
place for future investigators to take off from if they wish to
continue your experiments, taking them to the next level. In other
words, the pressure is on! It can be a real struggle, finding the
right tone and tempo and technique for this portion of your paper, so
we’re on the scene today, here to help you master the art of
methodology.
Be Thorough In Explaining Your
Results
Readers need to know the manner
with which you have obtained your data because how we conduct
our experiments directly correlates with our findings. There are
generally multiple ways to test out any given hypothesis, and parties
interested in carrying on your studies won’t know if they’re
repeating the exact same conditions or developing new ones if they
can’t easily parse what you have done.
Check your drafts for issues of
grammar and flow as many times as necessary, reading them aloud and
having your peers do the same so that you can spot dodgy issues ahead
of time. There are few types of papers in need of greater clarity
than this one.
Questions like these may as well
be Greek if you lack context, which we’re about to provide!
Essentially, there are two core methods of writing a
methodology paper, and understanding this before beginning
your writing is imperative because it shapes the entire structure.
Empirical style means you’re
approaching this on the topic of an experiment which can be directly
answered with either a “yes" or a “no" – for example, if
your subject of interest involves whether a certain brand of car or
truck passes specific health and safety regulations, you’re going
to walk away from this with either a yes or a no; it either does or
it does not.
Conversely, holistic is a
favorite word of anthropologists the world over because it regards
subjects which cannot be answered in this vein, and are
instead studied under an “all-encompassing" viewpoint. It’s a
lot harder, for example, to answer whether relocated refugees are
happy with their new homes, because some will say yes, some will say
no, and some others still will have a difficult time answering so
loaded a question. What you can do is poll refugees in your
area, investigate various internet and media data, and so forth, and
then determine trends and examine the various responses.
Obviously,
there’s a lot that can be said on this field alone, so follow this
link for further explanation!
All Sorts Of Other Suggestions
There’s a lot more to a great
methodology than just what we’ve previously covered, so here’s
some miscellaneous stuff to bear in mind:
Avoid irrelevant detail.
You should stay focused in your writing, boiling things down to the
essence of your research. If it was a sunny day when you tested the
durability of a certain plastic, it’s worth noting the sunniness
because it will impact your results. But if a cat was playing with a
ball of yarn across the street from you during your experiment,
that’s all well and cute, but probably not worth noting.
Describe your intended
analysis. Before you list the steps you’ve taken in your
experiments, you should make clear how you plan on analyzing your
findings. This ties in with what we’ve said concerning clarity;
complete clairvoyance is key.
Explain yourself. Kind of a
loaded statement, huh? What we mean by this is that you need to be
able to justify your procedure, your sample size, and more. This is
all for verification purposes, but it also enables the reader to
feel more confident in what you’ve written, and a confident reader
is a satisfied reader.
Don’t Pretend There Were No
Difficulties With Your Investigation
If you encountered any setbacks
while you were tackling the procedure portion of your research, you
need to note them in your paper. Even if they feel inconsequential,
they’re worth recognizing so that anyone else who wishes to carry
out your experimentation is aware of the hazards, and besides, you’re
being academically dishonest if you do not inform your reader base of
any mistakes or unforeseen detrimental conditions you encountered.
This may seem like a rote and
elementary way to end this article, but the importance here cannot be
understated. Penning a paper of this magnitude is a difficult task
for even the most accomplished writers, but finding a good mentality
will reduce stress considerably. This is helpful not just for this
assignment but for all others during your learning experience, so
study your best “you" and all these crazy assignments will feel
just a bit less crazy!
