I'm not sure my methods fit my research question
Check the chain from question to data to analysis to claim, and get the right expert to look at it.
In short
Start here, today. Write your research question at the top of a page. Underneath, write one sentence each on the data you'll collect, how you'll analyse it, and the strongest claim that analysis could support. Then compare that claim with the question. This takes about 25 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
0 of 6 steps done
Name the type of each question
Is it descriptive (what is happening, how much), explanatory or causal (why, with what effect), interpretive (what does it mean, how is it experienced), comparative, or about design (what would work)? Many projects have more than one type across their sub-questions. Write the type next to each.
Trace the logic chain
For each question, follow the chain: question, data needed, analysis, claim. At each link, ask whether it really connects to the next. Weak links usually appear where the question asks for more than the data can show, such as a causal question answered with data from a single point in time, or a claim about a whole population built on interviews designed for depth rather than breadth.
Decide what to adjust
You can change the question so it matches what the method shows, change or add to the method, or narrow the claim. Adjusting the question or the claim is often the cheapest option and is perfectly respectable. Adding a second method, such as follow-up interviews to explain survey patterns, can help but costs time.
Ask a methods specialist
Your supervisor may not be an expert in every method you use. Ask a committee member with the right expertise, a faculty member who teaches methods, or your university's statistics consulting service for quantitative work. Some consulting services see graduate students at no charge, so check what yours offers. Bring your one-page chain, not the whole proposal.
Look at how others did it
Find three or four strong studies that asked questions similar to yours. Note what data they used, how they analysed it, and how carefully they worded their claims. It's a quick read of what your field accepts, and it gives you citations for your rationale.
Write a short methods rationale
In a page or less, explain why this design suits this question, which alternatives you considered and why you set them aside, and what the design can't show. This becomes the core of your methods section and your answer when someone asks “why not do it another way?” Log the choice in the Decision Log.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You chose a method because you know it, or because your lab uses it, and wrote the question afterwards.
- Your question asks “why” or “how”, but your design can only tell you “how much” or “how often”.
- You can't say what result would make you change your mind.
- A committee member or reviewer has asked whether your design can support your claims.
Why this happens
Different questions need different kinds of evidence. A question about whether one thing causes another needs a design that can rule out other explanations. A question about how people experience something needs data that captures experience. A question about what a text or practice means needs close reading and interpretation. Trouble starts when the question promises one kind of answer and the methods can deliver only another.
This is very common, partly because methods are often chosen for practical reasons: skills you already have, a dataset that exists, what your lab or supervisor does. Those are legitimate reasons. But then the question has to be honest about what that method can show, and often the fix is to adjust the question or the claim rather than learn an entirely new method.
Worth a look (4)
- The Craft of Research, by Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb and Joseph WilliamsIts chapters on claims, evidence and reasoning help you check whether your evidence can carry what you want to say.
- List of Resources for Finding ETDsThis directory lists national and regional thesis collections around the world, from Theses Canada to Shodhganga. It's handy for finding past theses to see how others shaped theirs.
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses GlobalThis very large database of dissertations and theses is strongest for North American universities, and many records include full text. It's usually available through your university library.
- The Thesis WhispererInger Mewburn's long-running blog about doing a PhD covers thesis writing, supervision, productivity and life after the degree. It's warm and practical, with plenty of readers' stories.
When to bring someone in
Bring your supervisor in first, since a change of methods can affect your timeline, funding and ethics approval. For quantitative designs, a statistics consulting service is often the quickest expert help available. For qualitative or mixed methods, ask a committee member or someone who teaches methods in your department or a neighbouring one. A subject librarian can help you find methods literature and examples of similar studies.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify