Research Methodology

Every concept, idea, and subject has inner meanings to it. Research is the ideal tool to bring out this innate understanding. Research has helped us reach a potential understanding of a topic, covering almost all its aspects. Just imagine yourself buying apples for the first time. Would you not like to know about its origin and growth? This is where research plays an important role in familiarising all that you need to know. The process of research includes a particular set. This is termed research methodology. 

Various types of research methodology can be used by researchers. Let us begin with understanding research methodology and then we will also understand the types of research methodology and their distinctness.

What Is Research Methodology?

Research methodology refers to the systematic following of predetermined stages and processes involved in research. It involves the process of identifying, choosing, structuring, and evaluating the topic. Research methodology is also known as the framework to conduct reliable, informative, and synthesised research. 

Research methodology covers all the aspects of research. It helps in the selection of data, research designs, and synthesis of accurate information. Further, research methodology also emphasises the lack of overlaps in the information collection. With research methodology, every researcher can scrutinise the latest addition to the topic they are researching. 

Research methodology provides the guidelines to condense the information and bring clear tonality to the research. It stretches one’s horizon in knowing new things and doing new things. With the research methodology, the researcher can take a reliable source. It also helps in knowing the previous expertise in their research domain or any other related domain. 

Benefits Of Research Methodology

Knowing research methodology brings in handy and simplified ways of conducting research. You stay less frenzied when you follow research methodology steps to conduct your research. Some advantages or benefits of research methodology are-

• Saves Your Time

Research methodology helps you in investing your time appropriately for the research. With this methodology, you do not have all the processes and stages aligned properly for your research. Once you understand it, you just have to follow the procedures and have your research done in time. 

• Helps In Developing Strategy

With research methodology, you can develop the right strategy for your research. It helps you in defining your topic, locating the right source of information and selecting an apt research design. It also provides the scope of self-evaluating your topic and preventing plagiarised content. 

• Assists In Choosing Appropriate Research Design

Research design varies according to the context of your research. Usually, there are chances that you might get confused with the research designs. There are various research designs like exploratory research, qualitative research, quantitative research, correlation design, and more. With research methodology, you can choose the right approach and design for your topic or thesis. 

• Gives The ‘How’ Aspect Of Research

Research methodology teaches you how to choose a particular aspect of research. Right from selecting your topic to conducting the research, following the research methodology can help you. It covers everything that you need to execute while doing the research. 

Apart from this, research methodology helps in acquiring the right material and techniques for the subject.

Types Of Research Methodology

There are 6 types of research methodology. They indicate the spectrum of application while researching a particular subject. They also provide insight into choosing the right pattern to do the research. Different types of research methodology are-

• Quantitative Research Methodology  

This type of research deals with the managing, curating, and analysing of statistical data. These statistical data include graphs, figures, numerical charts, and mathematical problems. Quantitative research indicates the results or conclusion in terms of quantity. The researcher can use the relevant methods to conduct quantitative research. In the end, the expected quantified results are yielded. For example, research on the effects of the Great Depression on the economy is an example of quantitative research. 

• Qualitative Research Methodology  

This type of research confines the research using textual data. The textual data includes documents, reviews, journals, novels, and more. In qualitative research, we follow an inductive pattern. We generalise and reach the specifications through the textual data. This type of research demands more time for analysis. The results of the research heavily depend on the researcher’s skills. 

• Diagnostic Research Methodology  

This type of research involves finding the underlying causes, interpretations, and meanings of the topic. It tries to investigate the less apparent side of the topic. Further, after knowing the cause or the interpretation, the researcher also provides the solutions. In this type of research, the researcher must take care of the two aspects. That is, to investigate and solve the issues related to the topic. 

• Explanatory Research Methodology  

This is one of the lengthiest types of research methodology. In this type of research, the researcher delts into exploring the subject. In the other sense, the researcher is involved in explaining the subject through every angle of the lens. Here, the mind, rumination, and thoughts on the subject are inculcated. 

• Exploratory Research Methodology  

In this type of research methodology, the researcher investigates what has not been explained in depth. Here, the research is open and flexible. That is, as a researcher, your research is open to be researched by other experts too.

• Descriptive Research Methodology  

In this type of research methodology, the researcher is involved in case studies. Here there are naturalistic observations done by the researcher over the research period of time. This research methodology involves longitudinal and cross-sectional research. In longitudinal research, the variables are studied over a period of time. In cross-sectional research, there are categories of research. 

Conclusion

Research methodology is the stepping stone to conduct reliable and accurate research. The above information highlights what research methodology is. It brings out the relevancy and importance of research methodology.  Further, the information also brings in the detailed concepts related to research methodology. It also emphasises the 6 main types of research methodology. Each kind of research methodology is distinct and available for your research, as per the subject of it.