SGU 2922

METHODOLOGY
Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
 METHODOLOGY

• The methodology chapter tells reader “how” you

carried out the research that was needed to answer
your research questions.
• The goal for this section is to explain to what you
did and how you collected data and how you
analyzed them.
 METHODOLOGY

 WHEN the study was carried out

 WHERE the study was carried out
 WHAT materials, techniques, samples, data,
approaches, theoretical frameworks were used in the
study
 HOW the study was carried out, or
 WHAT procedures were used
 METHODOLOGY
• In Methodology, method should discuss in
sufficient detail so that another researcher could
refer and used as a guideline for them.
• One of the expectations of performing original
research is that someone in the future will do
further research on this topic.
• For instance, researcher should be able to use your
methodology without having to consult any
other source.
METHODOLOGY

Introduction

Data Source

Methods

Hypothesis
 METHODOLOGY

• Briefly discuss your method, including :-

 Description of your materials, procedure, and theory.
 Description of your analystical methods. Including
reference to any specialized statistical software.
 Outcome or output from the methodology you applied.

– Make a point to insert overall flowchart of your

methodology.
 METHODOLOGY

• Guide reader step-by-step through the process,

through which you gathered your data or how the
data were collected by an outside agency.
 METHODOLOGY

• When
over what time period were your data collected?
Is it from one time period or are there multiple
time periods?
• Where
Is your data from one city?
Is it national?
Government or Agencies?
 METHODOLOGY

• Who
Describe the final analytic sample of subjects or
source materials.
In the case of content is it multiple countries?
(analysis/historical projects).
What characteristics does the population you
studied have ?
Are you analyzing a subset of the data ?
How did you choose this population to work with ?
 METHODOLOGY

• How many
How many cases do you have overall ?
How many cases are in each key subgroup ?
How many data you are required ?
 METHODOLOGY

• How
This encompasses how the data were collected,
how the key variables are worded, etc.
Did you collect the data or is it from a secondary
source ?
Describe your sampling method.
Describe your instrument.
What variables were measured?
 METHODOLOGY

• How
Provide a justification for virtually every
methodological choice that is made.
Discuss why these choices about what data were
used or collected were the optimal ones, or at
least appropriate to your question.
 METHODOLOGY

• After describing data, tell the reader what you did.

• For qualitative, non-participant or participant
observation, in-depth case study, or content analysis
research you should describe your coding scheme.
• Include the entire coding as an appendix if you would
like.
 METHODOLOGY

• For quantitative work, should describe your basic

models and you might want to provide simple
regression equations for them.
• Cannot describe every model you ran, but if you
tested 2 or 3 main dependent variables or if you used
2 or 3 sets of independent variables, you might
describe these 2 or 3 key models.
 METHODOLOGY
Qualitative Data Quantitative Data

Deals with descriptions. Deals with numbers

Data can be observed but not measured. Data which can be measured.
Colors, textures, smells, tastes, Length, height, area, volume,
appearance, beauty, etc. weight, speed, time, temperature,
cost, members, ages, etc.

Qualitative Quality Qualitative Quantity

 METHODOLOGY

• State specific hypothesis in your thesis.

• What hypothesis are you testing with each model?
• What theoretical or empirical research informs your
hypotheses ?
• Throughout your discussion of your data and
methods, you should keep your literature in mind
and integrate it into your writing.
 METHODOLOGY

• What theories were your instruments or models

designed to test ?
• What new populations, questions or methods do you
use that past empirical research did not explore ?
• Considering your literature review at all stages of the
thesis will help your project come together as a
cohesive piece of work.
 SGU 4922
TECHNICAL WRITING

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Faculty of Geoinformation and Real Estate
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

• The results and discussion sections are often

combined in thesis.
• The results are normally written up using complete
paragraphs but are often supported by tables and/or
graphs.
• Don’t forget to discuss what are the results actually
mean and how they compare to the existing body of
knowledge.
• Discussion should start with a few sentences that
summarize your most important results.
 RESULTS
• Results sections should be organized so that they
reflect:
 The methods outlined in the methodology
chapter, and the sequence of information
presented in the methods section; and
 The aims or research questions outlined in the
Introduction.
• Present statistics, tables, figures, etc. that show what
the specific finding of your study are.
 RESULTS
 The results chapter or section of your thesis typically uses
past tense verbs.
“ The sap of E. viminalis accounted for 94% of the
feeding observation time … “
 Present tense is used when describing a table or graph or
figure.
“ Table 1 gives the number of days that the subjects
used the drug”
 Present tense also used when comparing results.
“ The data obtained in study 1 show differences in size when
compared with study 2”.
 DISCUSSION

• Discussion section tells what you found, or what the

results of your research were.
• The results are normally written up using complete
paragraphs but are often supported by tables and/or
graphs.
• The choices you make about how to present your
results depend on the conventions used in your
discipline, what you were trying to find, and the
methodology you used.
 DISCUSSION

 What are the exception to these results?

 What is likely to cause these patterns and exceptions?
 Are your results in agreement or disagreement with previous
research?
 What is the relationship of your results to your original
research question?
 There may be several theories to explain these result –
include them all, with supporting evidence for each.
 What is the significance of your findings?