Category Archives: research methods

methodology isn’t methods.. or… what goes in a methods chapter

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

Since I’ve been posting about methods and methodology, I’ve been asked several times to discuss the difference between methodology and methods and how these appear in a methods chapter. This post is by way of an answer. Not all dissertations … Continue reading →

Posted in epistemology, methodology, methods chapter, ontology, research design, research methods, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

thirteen reasons researchers get asked to write their methods chapter again

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Dissertation examiners always check the methods chapter or methodological writings carefully. And the more the doctorate is seen as research training, the more important it will be for examiners to make sure that the relevant writings in the thesis really … Continue reading →

Posted in dissertation, doctoral research, epistemology, methods chapter, research methods, research project, theory, thesis | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

a little worry about methods ‘assignments’

Posted on January 10, 2013 by

In the last two weeks I’ve spoken to three doctoral researchers about writing on methodology and methods. They were in the social sciences, and this post is written from that perspective, although I suspect it may apply to some humanities … Continue reading →

Posted in argument, assignment, methods chapter, research methods, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

#acwrimo work in progress: how to research academic blogging?

Posted on November 8, 2012 by

In this post Thesis Whisperer opens up the issues around METHODS – how to actually do the research we need to do on our joint paper on academic blogs. The methods section, especially in a project that includes empirical research, … Continue reading →

Posted in academic blogging, research methods, snowball sample | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

can you write about mess in your thesis and if so how? part two

Posted on July 16, 2012 by

Peter Matthews continues his post about writing about the messy bits of his research. In my previous post I reported the “positive story” of my fieldwork – reflecting on that feeling of “connection” with my research participants in the narrative … Continue reading →

Posted in crafting writing, Dr, informants, publishing, reflection, research methods, rules of engagement, snowball sample, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

can you write about mess in your thesis, and if so, how? part one

Posted on July 13, 2012 by

This post is written by Dr Peter Matthews who works in the School of the Built Environment at Herriott Watt. Peter’s blog is Urbanity…History and he tweets as @urbaneprofessor. I asked him to show and tell how he talked about … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, interview, mess, PhD, reflection, research methods, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

doctoral training and the messiness of research

Posted on July 9, 2012 by

This post is written by Simon Bailey, a Research Fellow in the Business School at the University of Manchester. As a unique contribution to knowledge, doctorates are by definition very individual things. Though planning is very important, plans must be … Continue reading →

Posted in doctoral education, learning, mess, PhD, research methods, research project, scholarly identity | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

messy research: the ethics of recruiting participants

Posted on June 15, 2012 by

This guest blog by Dr Simon Bailey, a research fellow at the Manchester Business School, addresses a very messy area in research – that of the basis on which we recruit people to our projects. WHAT’VE THE RESEARCHERS EVER DONE … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, ethics, mess, research methods, research plan, rules of engagement | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

academic travel diary: coping with mess

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

So on this trip home to Australia my passport disappeared. I maintain it was stolen in Tullamarine somewhere in the jostle between Customs and the car park. This was almost a disaster because not only did it mean that I … Continue reading →

Posted in mess, research methods, research project | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

what do research questions want?

Posted on December 27, 2011 by

Understanding what research questions want can be helpful. Different kinds of questions produce different kinds of knowledge contributions and often imply particular kinds of methods. Descriptive questions aim to provide some qualitative or quantitative information about something – they want … Continue reading →

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