Research Methods | Definitions, Types, Examples

Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analysing data. Developing
research methods for specific type of research is an integral part of particular research design.
When planning methods for a study, there are two key decisions we have to make.

First, deciding how data will be collected. Selecting research methods depend on what type of
data we need to answer research question:

 Qualitative vs. quantitative: Will your data take the form of words or numbers?
 Primary vs. secondary: Will you collect original data yourself, or will you use data that
has already been collected by someone else?
 Descriptive vs. experimental: Will you take measurements of something as it is, or will
you perform an experiment?

Second, decide how you will analyze the data.

 For quantitative data, you can use statistical analysis methods to test relationships
between variables.
 For qualitative data, you can use methods such as thematic analysis to interpret
patterns and meanings in the data.

Methods for collecting data

Data is the information that you collect for the purposes of answering your research question.
The type of data you need depends on the aims of your research.

1. Qualitative vs. quantitative data

Your choice of qualitative or quantitative data collection depends on the type of knowledge you
want to develop.

For questions about ideas, experiences and meanings, or to study something that can’t be
described numerically, collect qualitative data.

If you want to develop a more mechanistic understanding of a topic, or your research

involves hypothesis testing, collect quantitative data.

Pros Cons

Qualitative  Flexible – you can often adjust  Can’t be analyzed statistically, and
your methods as you go to not generalizable to broader populations.
develop new knowledge.  Difficult to standardize research, at higher risk
 Can be conducted with small for research bias.
samples.
 Pros Cons

Quantitative  Can be used to systematically  Requires statistical training to analyze data.

describe large collections of
things.  Requires larger samples.

 Generates reproducible
knowledge.

You can also take a mixed methods approach, where you use both qualitative and quantitative
research methods.

2. Primary vs. secondary research

Primary research is any original data that you collect yourself for the purposes of answering your
research question (e.g. through surveys, observations and experiments). Secondary research is
data that has already been collected by other researchers (e.g. in a government census or previous
scientific studies).

If you are exploring a novel research question, you’ll probably need to collect primary data. But
if you want to synthesize existing knowledge, analyze historical trends, or identify patterns on a
large scale, secondary data might be a better choice.

Pros Cons

Primary  Can be collected to answer your  More expensive and time-consuming to collect.
specific research question.
 Requires training in data collection methods.
 You have control over the sampling
and measurement methods.

Secondary  Easier and faster to access.  No control over how data was generated.

 You can collect data that spans longer  Requires extra processing to make sure it works
timescales and broader geographical for your analysis.
locations.

3. Descriptive vs. experimental data

 In descriptive research, you collect data about your study subject without intervening.
The validity of your research will depend on your sampling method.
 In experimental research, you systematically intervene in a process and measure the outcome.
The validity of your research will depend on your experimental design.
 To conduct an experiment, you need to be able to vary your independent variable, precisely
measure your dependent variable, and control for confounding variables. If it’s practically
and ethically possible, this method is the best choice for answering questions about cause and
effect.

Pros Cons

Descriptive  Allows you to describe your  No control over confounding variables.

research subject without
influencing it.  Can’t establish causality.

 Accessible – you can gather

more data on a larger scale.

Experimental  More control over  You might influence your research subject
confounding variables. in unexpected ways.

 Can establish causality.  Usually requires more expertise and

resources to collect data.

Examples of data collection methods

Research methods for collecting data

Research Primary or Qualitative or When to use
method secondary? quantitative?
Experiment Primary Quantitative To test cause-and-effect relationships.
Survey Primary Quantitative To understand general characteristics of a population.
Interview/ Primary Qualitative To gain more in-depth understanding of a topic.
focus group
Observation Primary Either To understand how something occurs in its natural setting.
Literature Secondary Either To situate your research in an existing body of work, or to evaluate
review trends within a research topic.
Case study Either Either To gain an in-depth understanding of a specific group or context, or
when you don’t have the resources for a large study.

Methods for analyzing data

Your data analysis methods will depend on the type of data you collect and how you prepare it
for analysis.
Data can often be analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, survey
responses could be analysed qualitatively by studying the meanings of responses or
quantitatively by studying the frequencies of responses.

Qualitative analysis methods

Qualitative analysis is used to understand words, ideas, and experiences. You can use it to
interpret data that was collected:

 From open-ended surveys and interviews, literature reviews, case studies, ethnographies, and
other sources that use text rather than numbers.
 Using non-probability sampling methods.

Qualitative analysis tends to be quite flexible and relies on the researcher’s judgement, so you
have to reflect carefully on your choices and assumptions and be careful to avoid research bias.

Quantitative analysis methods

Quantitative analysis uses numbers and statistics to understand frequencies, averages
and correlations (in descriptive studies) or cause-and-effect relationships (in experiments).

You can use quantitative analysis to interpret data that was collected either:

 During an experiment.
 Using probability sampling methods.

Because the data is collected and analysed in a statistically valid way, the results of quantitative
analysis can be easily standardized and shared among researchers.

Examples of data analysis methods

Research methods for analyzing data

Research Qualitative When to use
method or
quantitative?
Statistical Quantitative To analyze data collected in a statistically valid manner (e.g. from experiments,
analysis surveys, and observations).
Meta- Quantitative To statistically analyze the results of a large collection of studies.
analysis Can only be applied to studies that collected data in a statistically valid manner.
Thematic Qualitative To analyze data collected from interviews, focus groups, or textual sources.
analysis To understand general themes in the data and how they are communicated.
Content Either To analyze large volumes of textual or visual data collected from surveys,
analysis literature reviews, or other sources.
Can be quantitative (i.e. frequencies of words) or qualitative (i.e. meanings of
words).
 1. What’s the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods

Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with
words and meanings.

Quantitative methods allow you to systematically measure variables and test hypotheses.
Qualitative methods allow you to explore concepts and experiences in more detail.

2. What is mixed methods research?

In mixed methods research, you use both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
methods to answer your research question.

3. What is sampling?

A sample is a subset of individuals from a larger population. Sampling means selecting the group
that you will actually collect data from in your research. For example, if you are researching the
opinions of students in your university, you could survey a sample of 100 students.

In statistics, sampling allows you to test a hypothesis about the characteristics of a population.

4. How to decide appropriate research methods to use?

The research methods you use depend on the type of data you need to answer your research
question.

• If you want to measure something or test a hypothesis, use quantitative methods. If you want to
explore ideas, thoughts and meanings, use qualitative methods.

• If you want to analyze a large amount of readily-available data, use secondary data. If you want
data specific to your purposes with control over how it is generated, collect primary data.

• If you want to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables, use experimental

methods. If you want to understand the characteristics of a research subject, use descriptive
methods.

What’s the difference between method and methodology?

• Methodology refers to the overarching strategy and rationale of your research project. It
involves studying the methods used in your field and the theories or principles behind them, in
order to develop an approach that matches your objectives.

• Methods are the specific tools and procedures you use to collect and analyze data (for example,
experiments, surveys, and statistical tests).
• In shorter scientific papers, where the aim is to report the findings of a specific study, you
might simply describe what you did in a methods section.

• In a longer or more complex research project, such as a thesis or dissertation, you will probably
include a methodology section, where you explain your approach to answering the research
questions and cite relevant sources to support your choice of methods.