The Methodology Catalogue
The supplied teaching source names methodologies in two places that were never reconciled with each other. This page sets both lists out in full, marks what is defined and what is only labelled, and shows you how to close the gap without inventing anything.
Two lists of methodologies that were never reconciled
The supplied teaching source names research methodologies in two separate places, and the two do not match. The first is the middle tier of the methodological pyramid, a three-tier figure attributed to a business research methods text. The second is a table of methodologies with definitions and type labels, adapted from a different cited work.
The pyramid's middle tier carries fourteen labels, seven in a left-hand column and seven in a right-hand column beside the tier. They are names only. No definition, no type label and no commentary attaches to any of them in the supplied material. The figure itself is explained in The Methodological Pyramid.
The table defines seven methodologies in one sentence each and labels every one as qualitative or quantitative. It is the substantive treatment in the source, and it is summarised in Research Methodologies: An Overview.
That arithmetic is the point of this page. A figure that looks like a comprehensive menu is in fact a map of a field, drawn by one cited author, sitting beside a definition table drawn from another. Treat the two as separate artefacts and you will avoid the most common error the pairing produces: assuming that a label on the figure comes with a citable definition attached.
The fourteen methodologies on the pyramid's middle tier
The catalogue below lists all fourteen labels exactly as the figure carries them. The status column records only what the supplied source does with each name. Where a cell says the term is not defined in the source, that is a statement about the supplied material, not a suggestion that the methodology is obscure or unimportant.
ALL FOURTEEN MIDDLE-TIER METHODOLOGIES
| Methodology (as labelled on the figure) | Status in the supplied source | What the supplied source gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Survey | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. No definition anywhere in the supplied material, although survey work appears repeatedly in the designs of the exemplar volume. |
| Case study | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. No definition, although two chapters of the exemplar volume are described as case studies in their own titles. |
| Experimental design | Defined as "Experimental" | Defined in the methodology table and labelled quantitative: every relevant condition isolated and controlled to observe effects when conditions are manipulated. |
| Ethnography | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The word also appears in the source's epistemological terminology table as an associated term of the interpretive position, but is not defined there either. |
| Action research | Defined as "Action" | Defined in the methodology table and labelled qualitative: real-world research on a specific problem in a particular situation, with little or no control over independent variables. |
| Grounded theory | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The term appears nowhere else in the supplied material. |
| Content analysis | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. No definition, and no guidance on what content is analysed or how. |
| Discourse analysis | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The term appears nowhere else in the supplied material. |
| Documentary analysis | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The pyramid's top tier separately lists documents, records and archives as a data collection method, but that is a source of data, not a methodology definition. |
| Textual analysis | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. No definition, and no stated relationship to the neighbouring content, discourse and documentary labels. |
| Semiotics | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The term appears nowhere else in the supplied material. |
| Image-based research | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The top tier separately lists images as a data collection method; the methodology is not defined. |
| Archival research | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. Again adjacent to the documents, records and archives collection method on the top tier, without a methodology definition. |
| Feminist research | Not defined in source | A label on the figure. The source's prose also names "feminist" among other research methodologies that may exist, and lists feminism as a philosophical framework — but defines none of them. |
Seven of these labels appear in the figure's left-hand column (survey, case study, experimental design, ethnography, action research, grounded theory, content analysis) and seven in the right-hand column (discourse analysis, documentary analysis, textual analysis, semiotics, image-based research, archival research, feminist research). The figure attaches no meaning to the split between columns.
The seven methodologies the source defines
These are the definitions the supplied source actually provides, adapted in the source from a cited research methods work. Each carries a type label. Five are qualitative and two are quantitative.
The source's methodology definitions
- Historical
- The synthesis of evidence to establish facts and draw conclusions about the past, through considering where the event happened, who was involved, when it occurred and what kind of activity was involved. Qualitative.
- Comparative
- Often used with historical research to compare different societies, whether in the past or in parallel in the present. Qualitative.
- Descriptive
- Relies on observations as a way of collecting data that are recorded to be subsequently analysed. Depends on human responses and observations, and can be distorted by selective observation and biased interviews. Qualitative.
- Correlation
- Describes the statistical measure of association between two phenomena. Studies may be relational or prediction. Quantitative.
- Experimental
- Every relevant condition is isolated and controlled in the event investigated, to observe the effects when conditions are manipulated. Quantitative.
- Evaluation
- Descriptive research designed to deal with complex social issues. Participants are equal partners in the design, implementation, interpretation and results. Qualitative.
- Action
- Research carried out in the real world, designed to deal with a specific problem in a particular situation. There is little or no control over independent variables. Qualitative.
THE SEVEN DEFINED METHODOLOGIES, MAPPED TO THE FIGURE
| Methodology | Type | On the pyramid's middle tier? |
|---|---|---|
| Historical | Qualitative | No — absent from the figure |
| Comparative | Qualitative | No — absent from the figure |
| Descriptive | Qualitative | No — absent from the figure |
| Correlation | Quantitative | No — absent from the figure |
| Experimental | Quantitative | Yes — labelled "Experimental design" |
| Evaluation | Qualitative | No — absent from the figure |
| Action | Qualitative | Yes — labelled "Action research" |
The source itself does not perform this mapping. The comparison is drawn here by placing its two lists side by side.
Each of the seven is developed in full elsewhere in this library: the first two in Historical and Comparative Research Methodologies, the third in Descriptive Research Methodology, the two quantitative entries in Correlation and Experimental Methodologies, and the last two in Evaluation and Action Research Methodologies.
Reading the overlap, and what it tells you
Two of fourteen. That is the entire overlap between the figure and the definition table, and five of the seven defined methodologies do not appear on the figure at all.
The explanation is visible in the attributions. The pyramid comes from chapter one of one cited business research methods text; the definition table is adapted from a different cited work on research methods and methodologies. The teaching source presents both without reconciling them, and never states that the two lists are meant to be read together.
The practical consequences are worth stating plainly, because they affect what you can write in a methodology chapter.
- A label is not a warrant. Finding grounded theory or semiotics on the figure does not give you a definition you can cite from this source.
- Absence from the figure means nothing. Historical, comparative, descriptive, correlation and evaluation are all absent from the middle tier and all fully defined in the table. The figure is not a completeness check.
- The type labels only exist in the table. Nothing on the figure tells you whether a methodology is qualitative or quantitative. If you need that classification for one of the twelve, you have to argue it from a cited source of your own.
- The source knows its list is open. Its own prose says other research methodologies may include ethnogeny, feminist and cultural work — an admission that the seven are not exhaustive.
Feminism appears on two tiers at once
One detail in the figure repays attention. Feminist research is a methodology on the middle tier, while feminism is a fundamental philosophy on the base tier. The same standpoint therefore appears twice, at two different levels of the same diagram.
That is not an error so much as a property of standpoint-led work: a position about the nature of knowledge can also organise how a study is conducted. The source's prose supports the reading, listing feminism among the philosophical frameworks used in social science research. It is discussed further in Functionalism, Feminism and Postmodern Frameworks. What the source does not do is define either the philosophy or the methodology.
Grouping the twelve undefined labels
Twelve unexplained names in two columns is hard to hold in mind. Grouping them by the kind of material each one works with makes the list navigable, and makes it obvious where several labels crowd around the same territory.
AN ORGANISING GROUPING — NOT SOURCE CONTENT
| Family | Labels on the figure | Why they sit together |
|---|---|---|
| Population-scale enquiry | Survey | Works by gathering comparable responses from many cases rather than depth in one |
| Bounded-instance enquiry | Case study | Works by treating a single bounded instance as the unit of study |
| Immersion in a setting | Ethnography | Works through prolonged presence in the setting being studied |
| Theory-building from data | Grounded theory | Named on the figure as an approach oriented to producing theory rather than testing it |
| Analysis of text and documents | Content analysis · Discourse analysis · Documentary analysis · Textual analysis | Four adjacent labels that all take written or spoken material as their object; the source does not distinguish between them |
| Analysis of signs and images | Semiotics · Image-based research | Both take non-textual material — signs, pictures — as the object of analysis |
| Work with existing holdings | Archival research | Works with material that already exists and was created for other purposes |
| Standpoint-led enquiry | Feminist research | Organised around an explicit standpoint, which also appears as a philosophy on the base tier |
The families are an organising convenience introduced here, not source content. The short explanations describe why the labels are grouped, and are deliberately not definitions of the methodologies themselves.
How to obtain a definition without inventing one
If the methodology you need is one of the twelve, you have a sourcing task before you have a writing task. The supplied source contains its own advice on this, and it is thin but sound as a starting point.
Five steps from label to citable definition
Go to the work the figure came from
The pyramid is attributed to chapter one of a cited business research methods text. If a label caught your eye on the figure, the text that produced the figure is the first place to look for what its author meant by it.
Find the methodology in significant papers in your field
Search for studies that name the methodology and address questions like yours. Record how each paper defines it, not just that it used it.
Compare at least two independent definitions
Labels such as content analysis and discourse analysis are used differently across disciplines. Two sources that agree give you a defensible position; two that disagree tell you the distinction matters and must be stated.
Write the definition you are adopting, with its citation
One sentence in your methodology chapter, attributed. This is what turns a label into a methodology you can be examined on.
Confirm it with your supervisor before you build on it
The source explicitly recommends this, and it is cheapest at the point where you have a written definition and a reason for choosing it.
What to record in your methodology chapter
The catalogue's practical output
- The methodology you have chosen, named exactly as your cited definition names it
- A one-sentence definition with a citation that is not this teaching source, if your choice is one of the twelve undefined labels
- Whether it is qualitative or quantitative, and on whose authority
- Why it fits the nature, aim, population and context of your study
- Which other methodologies you considered from the catalogue, and the reason each was set aside
- The data collection methods that sit on top of it, kept clearly separate from the methodology itself
The selection procedure that turns this catalogue into a decision is set out in Choosing a Research Methodology.
What to carry forward
- The pyramid's middle tier names fourteen methodologies; the supplied source defines only two of them.
- The source's definition table covers seven methodologies, five of which never appear on the figure.
- The two lists come from two different cited works and were never reconciled by the teaching source.
- Twelve pyramid labels — plus ethnogeny and cultural from the source's prose — are names without definitions. Do not write definitions for them from memory.
- Get definitions from the cited work behind the figure, from significant papers in your field, and confirm the choice with your supervisor.
- In your methodology chapter, every methodology term needs a definition, a citation and a reason it fits your study.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the source define methodologies that are not on the pyramid?
Because the two lists come from different cited works. The pyramid is reproduced from chapter one of a business research methods text, while the definition table is adapted from a separate work on research methods and methodologies. The teaching source presents both without reconciling them, which is why five defined methodologies — historical, comparative, descriptive, correlation and evaluation — do not appear on the figure.
Can I use grounded theory or content analysis for my project?
Nothing prevents it, but not on the authority of this source. Both appear on the pyramid as labels with no definition attached, so you would need a definition from a cited methods text or from significant papers in your field. State that definition in your methodology chapter and attribute it.
Is survey a methodology or a data collection method?
On the pyramid, survey sits on the middle tier as a methodology, while questionnaires sit on the top tier as a data collection method. The supplied source does not explain the distinction or define either term. If your study centres on a survey, define what you mean by it and keep the methodology and the instrument clearly separate.
How many methodologies does the supplied source define in total?
Seven: historical, comparative, descriptive, correlation, experimental, evaluation and action. Five are labelled qualitative and two quantitative. Every other methodology name in the supplied material — twelve on the pyramid plus ethnogeny and cultural in the prose — appears without a definition.
Why is feminist research listed as both a methodology and a philosophy?
The figure places feminist research on the middle tier and feminism on the base tier, and the source's prose lists feminism among the philosophical frameworks used in social science research. A standpoint about how knowledge is created can also organise how a study is run. The source notes the position at both levels but defines neither.
Should my methodology chapter reproduce this catalogue?
No. Use it to see the field and to identify what you still need to source. Your chapter needs one chosen methodology with a cited definition, a short account of the alternatives you set aside, and a justification of fit with the nature, aim, population and context of your study.
References and source attribution
- Quinlan, C. 2011, Business Research Methods, 1st ed., Cengage Publishing, Chapter 1, p. 50 — the source of the methodological pyramid and its three tiers of labels.
- Clarke, R. J. 2005, Research methods and methodologies, pp. 35–45 — the work the supplied teaching source adapts for its table of seven defined methodologies.
- Bryman, A. 2016, Social Research Methods, 5th ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- O'Leary, Z. 2017, The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project, 3rd ed., Sage Publications, London.
- An edited volume of master's degree research projects in project management, 2018, academic publisher, 378 pp. — referred to here as the exemplar volume.
- The supplied teaching source: consolidated week 2 and week 3 teaching notes and slide material on research methods, used here as the basis for all statements attributed to "the source".
Suggested questions for Ask KEVOS
- Which of the fourteen pyramid methodologies does the supplied source actually define?
- I want to use discourse analysis — what do I need to source before I can write it into my methodology chapter?
- Explain the difference between the pyramid's middle tier and its top tier.
- Draft a methodology chapter paragraph that names my methodology, defines it and justifies the fit.
- Which defined methodologies in the source are quantitative, and what do their definitions require?