Writing the Methodology Chapter of Your Dissertation/Thesis

I see the methodology chapter, as the engine of the study. Without it a study can’t reach its destination. However, writing about your methodology can be a challenging task. Not knowing what to write about, how to clearly present your actions, what research tools and strategies to use, and how to justify your decisions and actions can be frustrating.

In this course, I simplify what is expected of you in the methodology chapter – providing a review of each section under this chapter and sharing what is expected of you. I provide simple steps you could take to determine the right research method for your study. I also share an effective way of communicating the data collection process. Here are the topics I treat in this course:

1. What the methodology chapter entails
2. Essence of writing a methodology chapter
3. Components of the methodology chapter
   1. Overview
   2. Research questions or hypotheses and their justification
   3. Research design
   4. Population and Sample
   5. Procedure
   6. Instrumentation
   7. Data processing
   8. Quality assurance
   9. Limitations
   10. Ethical assurance

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Recognize the features of a methodology chapter
• Determine an appropriate research method for your study
• State, describe, and justify the methodology related decisions and actions made
• Write your methodology chapter

I have provided additional resources to help you write your methodology chapter. I hope you learn a lot in this course.