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Dissertation Research Methods - What Procedures are Available

20 October 2008 1,373 views 230 Comments

The methodology chapter of a dissertation paper is one of the most important sections as it shows the reader the steps you took to answer the question posed at the beginning of the paper. The hardest part, however, is deciding which methods are best for your paper and which ones can only hinder your research. What will decide your method of research is your subject matter. Some methods are best for some research topics, while others are not. In some instances, you may need chemical materials or an Internet laboratory, depending on what your topic is.

One form of methodology is conducting a survey. This allows you to come up with raw data for you to analysis and make decisions. If the subject matter involves the opinions or lifestyles of a general population, than a survey is a convenient and helpful way to go. You just need to make sure that you design the survey accordingly, and that it stays true to the topic; make sure that the answers are able to answer your posed question.

External referencing is the most common form of methodology as it only involves research from books, Internet websites, journals, or other scholarly articles. When using external resources, such as the library or the Internet, make sure that they are reliable and credible. False information will only hinder your research paper.

Combining research methods can also be helpful, such as doing a survey and doing external referencing. The more information you have to back up your topic, the more reliable it will be for your reader. However, you also need to make sure that you do not use a method that will not be helpful to your paper, though it is okay to briefly mention those methods and why they would not work. It would show the reader that you are knowledgeable in the ways of proper research.

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