Writing - PhD Thesis Bangalore

Know How Research Method and Methodology Differ from each Other

As a PhD scholar, your main aim would be to determine answers/solutions to a specific question/issue. To identify the appropriate solution, choosing the right research method is a must. However, selection of research method often suffers setback due to the confusion between the method and methodology. Although it sounds outlandish, but the fact is that not all scholars are aware of the difference between those two concepts.

A source of confusion is that the words ‘method’ & ‘methodology’ are treated interchangeable in academics.

So what exactly is research method and methodology?

1. Research method

Research methods are the approaches used to define primary goals and determine the specific issue with deeper understanding. Simply said, the procedures and techniques utilised during the course of investigating the research problem, collect & perform data analysis is known as research method. This incorporates experimental studies, numerical schemes, statistical approaches, theoretical procedures, and many more. Typically, research methods are segregated into:

Exploratory research – This type of approach assists in identifying a problem
Constructive research– This approach utilises empirical evidence to evaluate the feasibility of solution
Empirical research – This type of research method used to assess the theories

These methods can be further divided into descriptive, applied, conceptual, qualitative and quantitative research. Unknown to many, research methods is categorised into three groups.

Group one – This category covers approaches pertaining to data collection. However, such methods are utilised only when the existing data isn’t sufficient to obtain the solution.
Group two – This category includes the approaches used to conduct data analysis. That is, to determine the data patterns and develop a relationship between the known & unknown data.
Group three – It encompasses approaches which are utilised to determine the accuracy of the obtained findings and generally incorporate analytical methods.

2. Research methodology

As the name suggests, research methodology is the study of the methods used to solve the problem/issue. It is the reasoning behind why the particular approach was used. In any study, research methodology serves the purpose of symmetrically solving the research problem and also explains how the result was obtained. I.e., the research methods employed and the manner in which the data was collected & analysed. A research methodology provides comprehensive theoretical and practical framework employed to describe the reasoning and functioning of the selected research methods in the initial stage of the study. Methodology plays a crucial role in research as it determines the reliability of the significant findings and adds value to the overall study. Key characteristics of methodology include:

Identifying appropriate research method to solve the chosen issue
Ensuring the efficiency of the selected research method
Determining the accuracy of the obtained results

Unlike research method, methodology isn’t a collection of tools or techniques. Instead offers detailed explanation to the reader pertaining to the techniques or tools used to collect data, perform data analysis, equipment used to conduct an experiment (in case of study in science), etc. A well-crafted methodology section should:

Introduce and describe reasons for research methods (qualitative, quantitative or mixed) used for investigation of an issue
Offer rationale for selecting the specific research method
Explain how the research methods are relevant to the study
Demonstrate specific data collection approach
Provide an explanation on data analysis procedures

Features	Research Methods	Research Methodology
Meaning	Implies approaches used by the scholar to perform the research	Signifies ways to solve research problems
What is it?	Behaviour and tools used to collect data and perform data analysis	Provides an explanation and rationale behind choosing a specific research method
What it encompasses?	Includes tests, surveys, experiments, etc.	Studies the technique utilised in conducting tests, survey, experiment, etc.
Objective	Identify solution to research problem	Apply suitable procedures to identify solutions
Scope of practice	Has narrow scope of practice	Has wider scope of practice
When is it used?	Used in later stages of research	Used in initial stages of research

Sample of research methodology section

To summarise, research methodology is required to solve the research problem systematically by evaluating the logic behind implementation of research methods. On the other hand, research method is the facet of methodology providing an avenue to determine the solutions for the research problem.

Undoubtedly, the scope of research methodology is wider than that of methods as it the base which lets you determine the effectiveness of the method used.

How To Be A Better Writer?

Enrolling in a PhD course doesn’t necessarily require you to be a polished researcher. Instead, the whole research tenure expects you to be an extraordinary candidate. From being a good criticizer of the existing literature to an exemplary writer for your research, you have to be well acknowledged with all the areas constituting your research. While you have ample of time to read and criticise the literature, conduct the study, draw a conclusion, and write it down, researchers still fail to complete the whole process in the limited timeframe. Albeit, the process of researching and analysing the data takes a toll on the researcher for years, penning down all those years is not an easy job either.

Writing, as said, is a reliable tool to tell people about the whole process and show them the hard work of your research on those papers. Whether it is about fictional writing or academic writing, the process of writing requires continuous work from the writer’s end. Every writer adopts different strategies to write and produce more productive work, but almost all of them chose to procrastinate and work when inspiration hits them. Waiting for inspiration to help them write is not the best choice they should make, as everyone should work until the work turns into the impulse.

While procrastination is a writer’s friend, most of the writers feel guilty for not writing enough and not putting enough efforts into the writing process. As a result, they use the most unproductive and wasteful strategy of binge writing. Binge writing is a good thing, as long as you can produce useful writing, not guilt-trip writing. What binge writers do is delay the work for an entire week and then devote a whole Saturday to write. But ask yourself, would it help? Would writing an entire day brings out the ideas that you have been craving for the whole week? No, it wouldn’t. It might make your writing job easier, and your heart may feel better for all those times you didn’t write, but it inevitably won’t produce the best outcome for the work.

The only way to be a better writer is to make a schedule and stick to it. Devote an hour to writing every day to produce more significant results. When an academic writer chooses to do binge writing, he fails on incorporating all the great ideas and works; he had used in his research. But when he decides to write every day, he uses all his ability in that time until his brain gives up doing the same job. The reason one should plan to write every day instead of doing binge writing is that the brain gets tired of doing the same thing and you do not get better ideas to write.

Apart from making a schedule, you should completely adhere to it. A writer should ruthlessly defend his writing time. Your PhD degree is important, and you have to complete the writing process in time to edit, proofread, and submit the document. Thus, you have to say no to the people intruding your writing schedule to write. Even though a pen and paper or digital technology help you write a lot, the dedication and determination to complete it is the real motivation. It is hard to write when you are wrapped in your blanket and unclear with the goal of your writing.

The pro tip is to write just for an hour a day but giving your all in it. Don’t use the time to check your emails, read the latest journals, or browse the internet. Just write profoundly to be a better writer!

A checklist to know your article is ready for submission

You keep working on a paper continuously and endlessly. You may be happy and contented with the research you have done and the kind of effort that you have put in but you may still with perplexed with the question that “ whether your article is ready for submission or no?” You have to consider … Continue reading “A checklist to know your article is ready for submission”

You have to consider various aspects to ensure that your paper is ready for submission. An incomplete argument that you submit way to early before completion may indicate ambiguity and confusion leading to rejection from the end of the editor. And at the same time, if you keep delaying submission because of personal dissatisfaction, you may never be able to submit because there always is room for exposure and improvement. You got to know the point where you have to stop by and just submit else it remains with you for all times to come. Whether it gets rejected, accepted or improvements are suggested, is something that needs to be seen with time, but your surity and confidence before submission depends on few factors.

Here, we have a small checklist that you must go through before you actually decide whether it is ready to be fowarded or no.

Take feedback from a third person:

Assessing your own work without getting biased about it is nearly an impossible task. You may not be able to look at it with a sense of objectivity. Remember that you have the scope to improve your work significantly with another intelligent feedback from a person who looks at it from a fresher perspective. Make sure the person you choose has the experience of publication himself has the eye to look at the work critically as well as independently. If you are not careful about choosing the person, the entire exercise may become a pointless one.

If it is difficult for you to find a person of calibre and interest in your field, to give feedback, you may alternatively choose to present your paper in a conference or seminar. The feedback that you get there,from the audience may help to add a lot of worth to your document.

Keep off work for a while: it may be a good idea to put the paper off your sight for a few days. You have been thinking about it all day and night for the past few weeks. If you continue to do that wich can sometimes block your critical perspective. Keeping it away from your sight and mind for a few days is a great idea so that you can come back to it and then decide whether it needs improvement or if it is good enough to submit like the way it is.

A fun filled writing session

Do we see words such as fun and laughter get along with PhD scholars? Presumably, the life of a PhD scholar is so gruelling that all things that related to relaxation and fun fly out of the window and everything that links to stress and anxiety becomes your partner for that duration. However, we see the trend changing, people know and agree that productivity can be improved and enhanced in a fun filled social writing. Scholars around the world are trying and testing the means to meet in a social gathering. This helps to create that subtle peer pressure because of which the scholar cannot depend upon lame excuses for procrastination of PhD work.

The idea behind meeting in a social group from time to time with likeminded people who are also working on writing regularly and sometimes struggling with being regular in getting the desired productivity from their work. If you haven’t tried one yet, it is a good idea to do it. What you need to do is, make a group of people who are upbeat on joining and set aside regular time period at least once in a week to sit and write together at a location that is away from the usual location, in pleasing and sociable environment. A café is a good option. You would be excited to go there as it would be an opportunity to meet people, drink and eat and know the progress of other people. It can be constructive motivation. Make sure you set some rules for this session. It should be away from email, phone calls, social networking and other such distractions. It should be a social interaction opportunity that should progress further into enhanced productivity in terms of your writing goals. Even if you are able to do it for one hour once in a week, the inspiration and motivation that you draw from it should last you for the remaining days of the week. Keep your group big or small, as per your preference and where you find your productivity surfacing to the best possible level. And yes, remember that you need to maintain the positivity in group so regular and consistent feedback is important so that everyone is at the desired comfort level and is able to derive the kind of output desired from joining the group.

Happy fun filled writing in a social group!!!

Here are few useful suggestions for writers who are struggling

If you find that you are struggling with your college term paper, trust my words that you aren’t the only one. Your preliminary education does not train you in writing term papers and hence it is common to find college students making common mistakes when attempting to write those papers for the first time or … Continue reading “Here are few useful suggestions for writers who are struggling”

If you find that you are struggling with your college term paper, trust my words that you aren’t the only one. Your preliminary education does not train you in writing term papers and hence it is common to find college students making common mistakes when attempting to write those papers for the first time or in the initial attempts. Some tips here may help you to make your struggle as a novice research writer slightly easier. At least we hope so!!

Know precisely what your supervisor wants from you: You must know your problem statement well enough and all your doubts must be clarified in the beginning only. It is always better to ask questions than to put your efforts in doing work that isn’t correct. Moreover your efforts should be aligned in the same direction that your supervisor so desires.
Try to have an innovative topic after enough brainstorming: a good topic can only lead to a good write up. You must spend ample time and effort into choosing the topic itself. Never do it as a hasty task else you would not be able to create a research that is unique and at the same time is interesting for you. Taking guidance from your supervisor is perfectly ok.
Draft an outline before you actually begin writing: The process of writing a detailed outline is applicable in all stages and levels of writing. You may to rework on it a couple of times but doing that will only eventually structure out a good paper. Taking help from sources is a good idea for the same.
Have sufficient evidence for your answer support: all the claims you put in your paper need the backing of sufficient evidence. Whatever you incorporate as content from other sources, have it as substantive evidence and include it in references to add authenticity.
Have a strong and clear thesis statement: if your thesis statement is strong and then it would eventually lead to a strong and meaningful conclusion. Of course you would need to support it with examples, quotes, statistics etc. to take you to the end.
Take essential steps for plagiarism: the complexities related to plagiarism should be understood well by the researchers before actually starting the work as at all costs it has to be avoided for quality research.