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Methodology
Published on June 19, 2020 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on September 5, 2024.
Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences. It can be used to gather in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research.
Qualitative research is the opposite of quantitative research , which involves collecting and analyzing numerical data for statistical analysis.
Qualitative research is commonly used in the humanities and social sciences, in subjects such as anthropology, sociology, education, health sciences, history, etc.
Approaches to qualitative research, qualitative research methods, qualitative data analysis, advantages of qualitative research, disadvantages of qualitative research, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about qualitative research.
Qualitative research is used to understand how people experience the world. While there are many approaches to qualitative research, they tend to be flexible and focus on retaining rich meaning when interpreting data.
Common approaches include grounded theory, ethnography , action research , phenomenological research, and narrative research. They share some similarities, but emphasize different aims and perspectives.
Approach | What does it involve? |
---|---|
Grounded theory | Researchers collect rich data on a topic of interest and develop theories . |
Researchers immerse themselves in groups or organizations to understand their cultures. | |
Action research | Researchers and participants collaboratively link theory to practice to drive social change. |
Phenomenological research | Researchers investigate a phenomenon or event by describing and interpreting participants’ lived experiences. |
Narrative research | Researchers examine how stories are told to understand how participants perceive and make sense of their experiences. |
Note that qualitative research is at risk for certain research biases including the Hawthorne effect , observer bias , recall bias , and social desirability bias . While not always totally avoidable, awareness of potential biases as you collect and analyze your data can prevent them from impacting your work too much.
Each of the research approaches involve using one or more data collection methods . These are some of the most common qualitative methods:
Qualitative researchers often consider themselves “instruments” in research because all observations, interpretations and analyses are filtered through their own personal lens.
For this reason, when writing up your methodology for qualitative research, it’s important to reflect on your approach and to thoroughly explain the choices you made in collecting and analyzing the data.
Qualitative data can take the form of texts, photos, videos and audio. For example, you might be working with interview transcripts, survey responses, fieldnotes, or recordings from natural settings.
Most types of qualitative data analysis share the same five steps:
There are several specific approaches to analyzing qualitative data. Although these methods share similar processes, they emphasize different concepts.
Approach | When to use | Example |
---|---|---|
To describe and categorize common words, phrases, and ideas in qualitative data. | A market researcher could perform content analysis to find out what kind of language is used in descriptions of therapeutic apps. | |
To identify and interpret patterns and themes in qualitative data. | A psychologist could apply thematic analysis to travel blogs to explore how tourism shapes self-identity. | |
To examine the content, structure, and design of texts. | A media researcher could use textual analysis to understand how news coverage of celebrities has changed in the past decade. | |
To study communication and how language is used to achieve effects in specific contexts. | A political scientist could use discourse analysis to study how politicians generate trust in election campaigns. |
Qualitative research often tries to preserve the voice and perspective of participants and can be adjusted as new research questions arise. Qualitative research is good for:
The data collection and analysis process can be adapted as new ideas or patterns emerge. They are not rigidly decided beforehand.
Data collection occurs in real-world contexts or in naturalistic ways.
Detailed descriptions of people’s experiences, feelings and perceptions can be used in designing, testing or improving systems or products.
Open-ended responses mean that researchers can uncover novel problems or opportunities that they wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.
Researchers must consider practical and theoretical limitations in analyzing and interpreting their data. Qualitative research suffers from:
The real-world setting often makes qualitative research unreliable because of uncontrolled factors that affect the data.
Due to the researcher’s primary role in analyzing and interpreting data, qualitative research cannot be replicated . The researcher decides what is important and what is irrelevant in data analysis, so interpretations of the same data can vary greatly.
Small samples are often used to gather detailed data about specific contexts. Despite rigorous analysis procedures, it is difficult to draw generalizable conclusions because the data may be biased and unrepresentative of the wider population .
Although software can be used to manage and record large amounts of text, data analysis often has to be checked or performed manually.
If you want to know more about statistics , methodology , or research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Research bias
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.
There are five common approaches to qualitative research :
Data collection is the systematic process by which observations or measurements are gathered in research. It is used in many different contexts by academics, governments, businesses, and other organizations.
There are various approaches to qualitative data analysis , but they all share five steps in common:
The specifics of each step depend on the focus of the analysis. Some common approaches include textual analysis , thematic analysis , and discourse analysis .
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Publications, private and covert communications: fundamentals, methods, and applications, publication date, first quarter 2026, manuscript submission deadline, 15 april 2025, call for papers.
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With the proliferation of terminal devices in fifth-generation (5G) and upcoming sixth-generation (6G) wireless communications, modern society is becoming increasingly reliant on information transmission. Wireless communications offer convenience, but information privacy is increasingly critical and cannot be overlooked. Research into transmission security and privacy is advancing, particularly with the rise of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) era. Transmitted data often includes sensitive individual information, such as personal health and location data. In addition to ensuring the secrecy and integrity of transmitted information, there may be scenarios where a transmitter wishes to send messages over wireless networks without being detected. This is particularly important to protect the transmitter's privacy, especially in situations involving government and military operations where stealth is essential.
Private and covert communications aim to conceal the transmission's existence from adversarial wardens. They are also known as low probability of detection/intercept communications. By concealing the transmission within environmental or artificial noise, private and covert communications can offer a higher level of security to preserve the privacy compared to cryptography and physical layer security. Wardens are less likely to attempt decoding signals they are unaware of, thereby reducing the risk of detection and interception. Concealing wireless communication through covert methods has received significant research attention and has various applications. By leveraging inherent or man-made uncertainties such as background noise uncertainty, channel uncertainty, location uncertainty, artificial noise, and other factors, private and covert communications can degrade the detection performance of potential adversaries.
Furthermore, research in private and covert communications has flourished across various applications, including cognitive radio, non-orthogonal multiple access, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications, IoT networks, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted networks, remote networks, satellite networks, and more. The evolution of wireless technologies necessitates the evolution of methodologies for private and covert communications to introduce additional uncertainty and adapt to new security requirements in emerging applications and scenarios. This is crucial to counteract the increasing computational capabilities of potential adversaries.
Based on these observations, this Special Issue will provide a comprehensive collection of the state-of-the-art theory, design, optimization, and applications of private and covert communications. We solicit high-quality original research papers on topics including, but not limited to:
Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts following the IEEE JSAC guidelines . Papers should be submitted through EDAS according to the following schedule.
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 15 April 2025 First Notification: 30 July 2025 Acceptance Notification: 1 November 2025 Final Manuscript Due: 15 November 2025 Planned Publication: First Quarter 2026
Nan Zhao Dalian University of Technology, China
Chengwen Xing Beijing Institute of Technology, China
Derrick Wing Kwan Ng University of New South Wales, Australia
Arumugam Nallanathan Queen Mary University of London, UK
George K. Karagiannidis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Naofal Al-Dhahir University of Texas at Dallas, USA
Lexi Xu Research Institute, China Unicom, China
Home » Research Techniques – Methods, Types and Examples
Table of Contents
Definition:
Research techniques refer to the various methods, processes, and tools used to collect, analyze, and interpret data for the purpose of answering research questions or testing hypotheses.
The methods of research techniques refer to the overall approaches or frameworks that guide a research study, including the theoretical perspective, research design, sampling strategy, data collection and analysis techniques, and ethical considerations. Some common methods of research techniques are:
There are several types of research techniques used in various fields. Some of the most common ones are:
Here’s an example of how research techniques might be used by a student conducting a research project:
Let’s say a high school student is interested in investigating the impact of social media on mental health. They could use a variety of research techniques to gather data and analyze their findings, including:
Overall, by using a combination of research techniques, the student can investigate their research question thoroughly and systematically, and make meaningful contributions to the field of social media and mental health research.
The Purposes of Research Techniques are as follows:
Here are some applications of research techniques:
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OCR A-level Psychology - Research Methods Autumn Term Lessons, Activities, Revision and Assessment
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Covers: Experiments Variables Experimental Designs Sampling Aims and Hypotheses Validity and Reliability 35-mark Assessment Assessment Answers Assessment Feedback (in depth, question by question with examples)
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Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of your research design. When planning your methods, there are two key decisions you will make. First, decide how you will collect data. Your methods depend on what type of data you need to answer your research question:
These methods are useful when a detailed understanding of a phenomenon is sought. 1. Ethnographic Research. Ethnographic research emerged out of anthropological research, where anthropologists would enter into a setting for a sustained period of time, getting to know a cultural group and taking detailed observations.
Quantitative research methods are used to collect and analyze numerical data. This type of research is useful when the objective is to test a hypothesis, determine cause-and-effect relationships, and measure the prevalence of certain phenomena. Quantitative research methods include surveys, experiments, and secondary data analysis.
About Research Methods. This guide provides an overview of research methods, how to choose and use them, and supports and resources at UC Berkeley. As Patten and Newhart note in the book Understanding Research Methods, "Research methods are the building blocks of the scientific enterprise. They are the "how" for building systematic knowledge.
Research design: Research design refers to the overall plan and structure of the study, including the type of study (e.g., observational, experimental), the sampling strategy, and the data collection and analysis methods. Sampling strategy: Sampling strategy refers to the method used to select a representative sample of participants or units ...
Qualitative Research Methodology. This is a research methodology that involves the collection and analysis of non-numerical data such as words, images, and observations. This type of research is often used to explore complex phenomena, to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular topic, and to generate hypotheses.
You can also take a mixed methods approach, where you use both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Primary vs secondary data. Primary data are any original information that you collect for the purposes of answering your research question (e.g. through surveys, observations and experiments). Secondary data are information that has already been collected by other researchers (e.g. in ...
1. Understanding the options. Before we jump into the question of how to choose a research methodology, it's useful to take a step back to understand the three overarching types of research - qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods -based research. Each of these options takes a different methodological approach.
A research design is a strategy for answering your research question using empirical data. Creating a research design means making decisions about: Your overall research objectives and approach. Whether you'll rely on primary research or secondary research. Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting subjects. Your data collection methods.
Other interesting articles. If you want to know more about statistics, methodology, or research bias, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples. Statistics. Normal distribution. Skewness. Kurtosis. Degrees of freedom. Variance. Null hypothesis.
Each method has its strengths and is chosen based on the research question and available resources. In summary, research methods are diverse, each suited to answering different types of questions. By selecting the appropriate method, researchers can gather the insights needed to advance our understanding of the world.
What are research methods. Research methods are the strategies, processes or techniques utilized in the collection of data or evidence for analysis in order to uncover new information or create better understanding of a topic. There are different types of research methods which use different tools for data collection.
Understand the Purpose of Each Methodology. Becoming familiar with the four types of research - descriptive, correlational, experimental, and diagnostic - will enable you to select the most appropriate method for your research. Many times, you will want to use a combination of methods to gather meaningful data.
Conclusion: Choosing an optimal research methodology is crucial for the success of any research project. The methodology you select will determine the type of data you collect, how you collect it, and how you analyse it. Understanding the different types of research methods available along with their strengths and weaknesses, is thus imperative ...
Research methods are different from research methodologies because they are the ways in which you will collect the data for your research project. The best method for your project largely depends on your topic, the type of data you will need, and the people or items from which you will be collecting data.
A research method is a type of research or a research tool, like an interview or survey, that you use to collect and evaluate data in pursuit of answers. Show Transcript Video: Types of Research: Definitions and Examples Data-informed decisions are critical to a successful business.
Most frequently used methods include: Observation / Participant Observation. Surveys. Interviews. Focus Groups. Experiments. Secondary Data Analysis / Archival Study. Mixed Methods (combination of some of the above) One particular method could be better suited to your research goal than others, because the data you collect from different ...
When collecting and analyzing data, quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings. Both are important for gaining different kinds of knowledge. Quantitative research. Quantitative research is expressed in numbers and graphs. It is used to test or confirm theories and assumptions.
Results are immediately applicable. Applications: Used in healthcare, engineering, and technology development. 6. Fundamental Research. Fundamental research, also known as basic research or pure research, is a type of scientific research method that aims to expand the existing knowledge base.
Qualitative Methods "How-To" Guides Edited by Patricia Leavy. This series provides researchers and students with step-by-step, practical instruction on established and emerging qualitative methods. Authors are leaders in their respective areas of expertise who demystify the research process and share innovative practices and invaluable insider ...
Qualitative Research. Qualitative research is a type of research methodology that focuses on exploring and understanding people's beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and experiences through the collection and analysis of non-numerical data. It seeks to answer research questions through the examination of subjective data, such as interviews, focus groups, observations, and textual analysis.
It is designed to provide a strong all round training in research methods allied to further specialisation within the fields of politics, international relations and security for those intending to go on to register for a PhD. As such it implements the ESRC research training guidelines for '1+3' PhD students, and includes compulsory elements in ...
Research methods training, co-ordinated through the Durham Research Methods Centre, therefore forms a central part of the MA course, including both quantitative and qualitative research methods. One third of the course is also devoted to the dissertation which may be carried out in any area of psychology related to development. The taught ...
Welcome to the research guide for CJ 3170: Criminal Justice Research Methods! Following each Library session, notes and follow-up information will be listed here. Use the tabs on the left to select the session you need. At the end of each session, use the survey on the right to tell us what you need additional help with.
Although the benefit of qualitative research and design methods is clear in social sciences and other fields, little is known about the need and impact of adding qualitative methods training for engineering students and professionals. The curriculum for undergraduate engineering students is heavily focused on developing quantitative skills that ...
Qualitative research methods. Each of the research approaches involve using one or more data collection methods.These are some of the most common qualitative methods: Observations: recording what you have seen, heard, or encountered in detailed field notes. Interviews: personally asking people questions in one-on-one conversations. Focus groups: asking questions and generating discussion among ...
Concealing wireless communication through covert methods has received significant research attention and has various applications. By leveraging inherent or man-made uncertainties such as background noise uncertainty, channel uncertainty, location uncertainty, artificial noise, and other factors, private and covert communications can degrade ...
Some common methods of research techniques are: Quantitative research: This is a research method that focuses on collecting and analyzing numerical data to establish patterns, relationships, and cause-and-effect relationships. Examples of quantitative research techniques are surveys, experiments, and statistical analysis.
The main research problem addressed in this article is the time-fractional diffusion-wave equation on nonuniform grids. We use the order reduction method and discrete complementary convolution kernel to discretize the Caputo derivative of the equation and obtain the L1-type finite element method on nonuniform grids.
OCR A-level Psychology - Research Methods Autumn Term Lessons, Activities, Revision and Assessment. Covers: Experiments Variables Experimental Designs Sampling Aims and Hypotheses Validity and Reliability 35-mark Assessment Assessment Answers Assessment Feedback (in depth, question by question with examples) 22 files. Powerpoint for each lesson ...