In research, the methodology is defined as a systematic approach to resolving a research issue by collecting data using various methodologies, providing an interpretation of the data collected, and drawing conclusions based on the study data. A research technique is essentially a research or study plan.

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After attending a course that included a topic on research methods, I felt encouraged and confident that I could organize and begin my research. When I first started reading research publications, I couldn’t comprehend why the writers chose a particular methodology and what they based their decision on. I sought advice from colleagues who had recently graduated from medical school to help me grasp research methods, but it was ultimately my supervisor who assisted me in understanding how to develop the approach for my study.

I was moI was moved, but I also recognized that it would necessitate knowledge and expertise. I used a conventional methodology for setting up the project, beginning with what was already known (literature review) and moving to define the format by which we would study the unknown.ved, but I also recognized that it would necessitate knowledge and expertise. I used a conventional methodology for setting up the project, beginning with what was already known (literature review) and moving to define the format by which we would study the unknown.

The methodology is a step-by-step protocol that contains all of the stages involved in conducting the research, from data collecting to data analysis. Declaring our methods clearly not only allows us as researchers to focus on the best strategy to addressing our research question, but it also allows others to examine the quality of our study design and reproduce it if necessary.
In this post, we continue our Research Series to help researchers perform and write about research , focusing on Methods as part of the conventional IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure for publishing an original research report .

Methodology – the most crucial part of a research report?

The Methods section provides a thorough explanation of study methodologies. There should be enough material for readers to evaluate the study’s persuasiveness for themselves and, if necessary, duplicate the study.
This is an important component of any manuscript since it is where individuals who evaluate your study will look to determine the legitimacy of your results and conclusions. The methodology section persuades the reader of several things:

1. Your data collection approach is appropriate for answering your study topic.
2. Data has been properly maintained and examined.
3. You have considered bias causes (systematic error (problems) with data collection that modify results, confounding (outside factors that produce erroneous statistical relationships), and error to assure internal and external validity).
4. The research was conducted in an ethical manner.

Style of writing

Your language should always be correct, simple, clear, and objective. Throughout, use proper English, paying attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Tense: The present tense should be used to convey known and established facts, whereas the past tense should be used to describe your experiment and the findings you obtained.
Grammar: Unlike the remainder of your research work, the methods section should be written in the passive voice (for example, “the data were collected” rather than “we collected the data”). Be succinct by removing unnecessary words or phrases, but avoid contractions or obscure abbreviations. If you frequently use an abbreviation, such as “World Health Organization (WHO),” write it out the first time it appears in your article. Sentences should be kept short and to the point, with only one piece of information given per sentence.

Study type:

Describe the type of research that was conducted. If your study design is well known and an acknowledged kind of research methodology, you do not need to explain it in depth; but, if your study design is more sophisticated, new, or qualitative, you should describe the study in such detail that it can be duplicated.
Consider why you choose a particular methodology and be prepared to justify your decision as well as admit the specific risks of error and confounding inherent in your study.

Study population

A comprehensive description of the study population should be provided.

Internal and external validity: 

Describe the processes needed to obtain an internally and externally valid population. Poorly controlled trials that allow confounders to influence outcomes to reduce internal validity. External validity is related to the features of the community being examined and refers to how well conclusions may be extended to “external” populations of interest.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria:

To keep enrolment constant and objective, study subject selection should be governed by predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Describe in detail the conditions that must be met in order for a subject to be enrolled. Describe any factors that would prevent the individual from being enrolled; however, do not just list the inverses of the inclusion criterion.

Recruitment & enrollment of participants:

Provide a detailed account of how you recruited and enrolled subjects who met the aforementioned inclusion and exclusion criteria. Was it opportunistic, continuous sampling, or something else?

Guarding against selection bias:

To avoid selection bias, study subjects should be chosen with care. The method of study selection and the location of the study can result in certain factors influencing observations and outcomes among the study population. Describe how you avoided selection bias, such instance through random sampling.

Determine cases and controls, exposed and non-exposed:

It is critical to describe which subjects are cases (have the condition being researched) or controls (do not have the condition), exposed or non-exposed, in relevant studies. Describe how each subject group was discovered and enrolled.

Randomization and blinding procedures (where applicable):

Prior to the start of a controlled trial, randomization (random assignment to intervention and non-intervention groups) and blinding (hiding group status from patients and investigators to avoid bias) should be prepared. Several strategies are available. If you conducted a randomized and/or blind trial, don’t just say it was “randomized” or “blind”; instead, provide a detailed description of how patients were randomized and/or blinded. This allows the reader to assess whether your procedures were strong enough to minimize biases.

Setting and location of study:

The setting and location of your study will have an impact on the validity of your investigation or the findings you have drawn. Your study may be urban or rural, clinic, hospital, or lab-based, done over a short period of time or over several years, and it is best practice to specify the precise circumstances under which you did your study. These elements will have a significant impact on the external validity of the results. As a result, these must be adequately detailed so that the reader may assess whether the results are applicable to persons in their local demographic.
Multicenter studies pose a special issue; make sure to indicate how coordination happened between cites to maintain uniformity.

Sample size (power calculation):

Increasing the sample size is an important strategy to lessen the impact of “random error” on your study outcomes. With bigger sample sizes, it is possible to be more certain that the results are the product of an effect rather than chance. If a study is “underpowered” (i.e. there were not enough subjects), then any “non-significant” results (i.e. p-value >0.05) are irrelevant because there may be a meaningful difference between the groups, but your groups were not large enough to identify the difference. As a result, a brief discussion of the sample-size calculation will assist the reader in determining if the study is sufficiently powered to draw accurate results.

Variables and results:

It is critical to identify and objectively classify distinct groups in your experiment in order to reduce information bias. These could be exposures, variables that can be controlled or uncontrolled, or your primary outcomes of interest. It is helpful to employ well-known and verified assessment tools, such as staging systems and objective testing (such as blood tests), and to analyze how these categorization schemes can be weakened or discredited. Using objective measurement methods rather than subjective measures not only improves the validity of your results, but it also makes the study easier to duplicate.

You must explain how each result and variable was categorized and measured. Interviews, physical examination findings, questionnaires, case notes, investigation results, readouts from measurement devices, and data acquired in other research should all be well described.
You should explain your “principal outcome.” The major outcome is the principal consequence under investigation and is directly related to your research topic.

Data management

Data management entails how you collected, stored, and accessed your data, as well as any quality control measures you implemented. These processes ensure that the information gathered is accurately translated into an up-to-date, error-free, secure database. Describe the processes you implemented to ensure the security and confidentiality of your data, such as password protection for electronic databases and physical barriers for hardcopy material. Describe any computer programs that are used to enter and access data. Any pre-analysis software used, such as for stratification or randomization based on and matching of confounding factors, should also be indicated.

Statistical analysis:

Describe all of the statistical tests you used on your data; there are generally relevant tests for the sort of study done.

Oversight of ethics/study:

You must report on your study’s ethical considerations and permission.

• Subject risk:

Include a detailed explanation of all the hazards in your study, as well as any safeguards you’ve put in place to protect your participants from those risks. Sort the hazards into the following categories: Physical hazards, social risks, emotional risks, legal risks, and financial risks are all factors to consider.

• Funding & Sponsors:

Describe any sponsors or funders who have contributed to your work. • Potential conflict of interest: Describe any relationships that could be regarded as creating a conflict of interest.

• Confidentiality:

Describe how you have handled sensitive or confidential material.

• Informed consent:

Describe how you enrolled participants and obtained their informed consent (and assent for minors).

• Subject incentives:

If you have rewarded subject involvement in your study in any way, you must indicate it.

• Institutional review board (IRB):

If the study was authorized by an IRB (as all human research should be), specify which board it was approved by and provide a reference number.