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Top 5 Research Methods For Dissertation That May Not Have Crossed Your Mind

Research methods are the tools through which you discover something new or find out some long-forgotten facts. There are different research methods that can help you achieve your aim of writing a good dissertation. These methods help to decide right from wrong and the other way round. A research method helps you in determining which topic to choose for your dissertation and how you should work upon it. Suppose, if you are wondering what are the best research methods for dissertation; then give our article a read.

The Research Methods And Their Relevance?

The research method explains how a researcher plans to conduct his research and compile it in a dissertation or thesis. These methods define the researcher’s approach to confirm the consistent and effective results that answer the research’s main objectives and purposes. Choosing a research methodology is very important for a researcher as it defines the type of research he will be conducting. It gives validity and provides a complete research design that keeps a researcher on track. He also needs to know about the limitations and requirements of chosen methodology.

What Are The Top Five Research Methods For A Dissertation?

Different research methods are used in dissertation research, and these methods influence how much and what kinds of data you can collect. It’s important to choose the best method so that you have enough material to support your research question. Expert researchers of the best dissertation writing service have shared a brief overview of some of the most common forms of dissertation research, which is as follows.

Observational research method: 

In observational research, the researcher observes the participants in their natural environment to collect data. This method requires the researcher to submerge himself in the place where his recipients are and observe them. Data can be collected by watching, listening, reading, or recording the characteristics of participants.

Survey research method:

Survey research is a data collection tool that researchers use to collect data in an easy way by asking questions from people with proper consent. The respondents answer the questions according to their experience and knowledge. This healthy exchange of information between people and researchers carrying out the research enables a better understanding of views, opinions and experiences.

There are two major formats of surveys: paper surveys and online surveys. Paper surveys are the more traditional form, whereas online surveys allow for quicker responses.

Interview research method:

An interview is a research method where a researcher enables some conversation with participants to gather authentic information for his research. This conversation can happen easily face to face, via telephone or using an audio-video conference platform.

Interviews are categorized into three types. They can be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured.

Structured interviews:

A researcher sticks to the arrangement of pre-planned questions in these interviews

Semi-structured:

A researcher has a set of pre-planned questions, but he can deviate from them to gather more useful information for his research.

Unstructured:

In these interviews, a researcher does not rely on any set questions. He gathers relevant information spontaneously. Because of its informal nature, it is very similar to everyday conversations.

Focus Groups Research Method:

Focus groups are a method of qualitative research and considered as one of the most important research methods for dissertation. They are used to collect data on a topic by getting people’s opinions, attitudes and beliefs through group interviewing. Focus groups are usually held in a meeting room with a moderator who guides the discussion and ensures that everyone has an opportunity to speak their mind. The focus group consists of eight to twelve individuals selected for their ability to give opinions about the topic under investigation.

The moderator introduces the topic and asks the participants to express themselves freely. The interviewee is encouraged to take part in open-ended discussions and share experiences, attitudes and feelings on the issue at hand. The moderator can also ask questions during the discussion to ensure that all participants have had an opportunity to contribute their views. The key benefit of using focus groups is that it allows you to quickly get feedback from many people when compared with other methods such as surveys and interviews which require more time and effort. The other benefits include:

  • Cost-effective – Focus group participants pay for their own travel, food, and accommodation expenses. You don’t have to worry about paying for things like this.
  • Can be done on-site – Focus groups can be conducted on-site so that you can get feedback from customers directly at their location (e.g., while they are shopping) or at events like trade shows or fairs where potential customers gather together at once.

Experimental Research Method:

This is one of the most commonly used research methods for PhD dissertation. In an experimental research method, a researcher establishes the relationship between two variables. First, we need to know key terms that a researcher defines before using experimental techniques for his research which include:

  • Independent variable – This is the factor that you want to manipulate or change in order to observe its effect on dependent variable. For example, if you want to study the effect of temperature on plant growth, then temperature would be independent variable and plant growth would be dependent variable.
  • Dependent variable – This is what you want to measure or observe in order to study its relationship with independent variable(s). For example, if you want to study the effect of temperature on plant growth, then plant growth would be dependent variable.
  • Hypothesis – A hypothesis is an educated guess about what will happen in the future. For example, if you mix water and oil together, you can form a hypothesis that they will not mix. This hypothesis can be supported or rejected by conducting experiments like pouring oil and water in a jar to see if they mix.

There are a number of experiments that a researcher can apply while performing his or her research. Some of these methods are discussed below:

  • Lab experiments: Lab experiments are conducted in a laboratory under controlled conditions. In this type of an experiment, the results obtained from the experiment can be generalized to other situations.
  • Quasi experiments: A quasi-experiment is an experiment that does not satisfy all the requirements for a true experiment but is similar to it in many ways. These experiments are useful for studying how well one treatment works compared to another treatment or no treatment at all.
  • Field experiments: Field experiments are conducted in real-world settings where the researcher can manipulate some variables in order to see their effects on other variables. In this type of an experiment, there is no control group as such and hence its results cannot be generalized to other situations easily.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, at the end of this article, you’ll be able to grasp different research methods for dissertation and know how to decide the best one for your requirements which will guarantee you a good essay grade. But what do we mean by best research methods? The methods that give you accurate and credible data or help you discover something new, meet the required standard of academic excellence, allow you to understand each and every aspect of the topic in great detail and they are economical as well. The above-mentioned information must have given you enough points to choose a method of your choice. So finalize it now! Choose a method that gives full justice to your work.

James Morkel

Tech website author with a passion for all things technology. Expert in various tech domains, including software, gadgets, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. Dedicated to simplifying complex topics and providing informative and engaging content to readers. Stay updated with the latest tech trends and industry news through their insightful articles.

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