A key part of your dissertation is the methodology that you are going to choose in arriving at your decision. Extra care should be taken here to ensure that you are sure of the methodology before beginning this technical aspect of your paper. There is no room for any form of assumptions here. It is neither here nor there; you have to be sure and follow a definite methodology.

It is important to decide if you are opting for the quantitative analysis method or you are going for the qualitative method of analysis. You can decide to go for a mixture of both; in that case, you have to be convinced of the reason why you are going for any method of research.

What are you to include in the methodology?

In the case where you are to submit your methodology before you undertake the research properly; the methodology should go on to state what you intended to achieve through the research. The approach to it should be linked to the literature that you used

The research methods that are common in social sciences

• Interviews

This is a quantitative method that can be used to gain people’s experiences, views, and feelings. This can be used as a good forum to interact with people and in the end; you are going to learn something useful from your informant. You are free to adopt any method for the interview. It must be stated that this method is not considered ideal for gaining information from a large number of people. You have to select your informants because the exercise is time-consuming.

• Questionnaire

If the research question demands that you collect standardized and comparable information from several people; then you can use this methodology to arrive at a definite conclusion. You can use this method as a mixed solution because you can collect both quantitative and qualitative data through it. You have to be brilliant in the design of your questionnaire. This methodology is best suited for research that wants to measure some parameters

• Documentary analysis

You can opt for getting your data from existing documents without actually interviewing real people. Historians use this method to obtain information through archaeological records. It will be easy to get facts and figures through documents because they go all the way to reveal a lot about the organization or people that produced them. Where the document is not in the free domain; then you have to g into an agreement with the holder of the document on the terms of use. 

• Observations

Another method that can be used to gather relevant information is through observation. This can be achieved by watching the people under such circumstances. This method can be used as qualitative or quantitative analysis in methodology. It will take the time of the researcher to watch the reaction of people to certain events. There are potential ethical concerns that can come up with this methodology. Are the people under observation aware of it? If they are aware; can then all give their consent? They are puzzles that need to be resolved.

The choice of your methodology

You are expected to link your methodology with your research question. You need to visit your university library and ask the librarian for help. You will be led to the relevant research books that will suit your purpose. The availability of such books at your disposal will help you get the standard textbooks that will help your course. 

Conclusion

The methodology is crucial to the success of your dissertation. Make sure you make assurances doubly sure that you are adopting a methodology that will suit the purpose of the questions that you want to address. There should be no room for any form of guesswork