How to write a methodology chapter, section by section

This guide is for master's and PhD students writing a dissertation methodology, and for anyone writing the methods section of a research paper. It is part of our series that starts with how to write a research question.

What is a methodology chapter?

A methodology chapter is the part of a thesis that explains how the research was done and why each choice suits the research question, in enough detail that another researcher could judge, and ideally repeat, the study. In a journal article this becomes the shorter methods section.

Methods and methodology are not the same. Methods are the techniques you used; methodology is the reasoning that links them to your question. "We ran semi-structured interviews" is a method. "We chose interviews because the question asks how managers make sense of a change, which a survey cannot capture" is methodology.

What do examiners look for in a methodology chapter?

Examiners want to see that your design can answer your question and that your conclusions are earned. In practice they check five things:

1. Fit. Does the design match the question type? A causal question needs a comparison; an exploratory question needs open data.
2. Justification. Is each choice argued, with methods literature cited, rather than just described?
3. Detail. Could another researcher repeat the sampling, data collection and analysis from what you wrote?
4. Quality. Did you address validity and reliability (quantitative) or trustworthiness (qualitative)?
5. Honesty. Do you state the limits and how they affect what you can claim?

Reporting guidelines are the best checklist for detail. The APA Journal Article Reporting Standards cover quantitative [1] and qualitative and mixed-methods [2] research, and the EQUATOR Network lists guidelines by study type for health research, such as CONSORT for trials, STROBE for observational studies and COREQ for interview studies [3].

What goes in a methodology chapter?

Most methodology chapters follow this order. Rename or merge sections to suit your field.

Research approach and design

State the approach in one sentence and justify it from the question. If your field expects it (education, social science, nursing often do), add a paragraph on your paradigm, such as positivist, interpretivist or pragmatist, and why it fits. Creswell and Creswell's Research Design is the standard reference for linking approach to design [4].

Sampling and sample size

Name the sampling method (random, stratified, convenience, purposive, snowball) and say why. For quantitative work, show the sample size calculation: the expected effect size, alpha, power and the resulting number. For example, to detect a medium effect (Cohen's d = 0.5) with 80% power at alpha = .05, two-tailed, you need about 64 participants per group [5]. For qualitative work, explain how you judged that you had enough data, such as saturation or information power, and give the final number.

Instruments and procedure

Name each instrument, its source and its reliability in your sample or earlier studies (for example, Cronbach's alpha). Describe the procedure in the order it happened. A numbered list or a flow diagram works well when there are many steps.

Data analysis

Name the analysis and the software and version. For quantitative studies, tie each hypothesis to its test; our hypothesis guide shows how. For qualitative studies, name the approach and cite it: for example, reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke [6].

Validity, reliability or trustworthiness

In quantitative work, address internal and external validity and measurement reliability. In qualitative work, Lincoln and Guba's criteria are widely used: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability [7]. Say what you did for each, not just the names.

Ethics and limitations

Give the committee, the approval reference and the date. Explain consent, how you protected identities, and where data are stored. Then list limitations specific to your design (not "the sample was small" alone, but what that means for your claims) and what you did to reduce each.

Should a methodology be past or future tense?

Use the future tense in a proposal and the past tense in the finished thesis or paper. APA Style recommends the past tense for describing your procedure ("Participants took a survey") and the present perfect for work done by others ("Others have used similar approaches") [8].

On voice: APA Style encourages the active voice and the first person for your own actions ("I interviewed 18 managers") [9]. Some science departments still prefer the passive for routine steps. Pick one approach and keep it.

A methodology chapter example, paragraph by paragraph

This example was written for this guide. It is a quantitative, quasi-experimental master's study. Each paragraph is shown with what it does.

Question: Do first-year statistics students taught with a flipped classroom score higher on the final exam than students taught with traditional lectures?

1. Opening (purpose and map). "This chapter describes how the study tested whether a flipped classroom raised final exam scores in first-year statistics. It sets out the design, participants, materials, procedure, analysis, ethics and limitations."
2. Approach and design. "A quantitative, quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent comparison group was used, because the question asks about the effect of a teaching method and random assignment of students to sections was not permitted by the department."
3. Setting and participants. "The study took place at one public university in the 2025 to 2026 academic year. All students enrolled in the four sections of Introductory Statistics were eligible (N = 212); students repeating the course were excluded."
4. Sampling and sample size. "Two sections (n = 106) were taught with the flipped model and two (n = 106) with lectures, assigned by the department's timetable. A power analysis showed that 64 students per group would detect a medium effect (d = 0.5) with 80% power at alpha = .05, two-tailed."
5. Materials. "The final exam was a 40-item test scored out of 100, written by the course team and identical across sections. Prior attainment was measured by the university entrance mathematics score."
6. Procedure. "Flipped sections watched two short videos before each weekly class and spent class time on problem sets. Lecture sections attended two lectures and one tutorial a week. Both groups covered the same syllabus over 12 weeks."
7. Analysis. "Mean exam scores were compared with Welch's t-test, and an ANCOVA controlling for entrance mathematics score was run as a secondary analysis. Effect sizes are reported as Cohen's d with 95% confidence intervals. Analyses used R version 4.4."
8. Validity and reliability. "Two markers double-marked a random 20% of scripts. Because sections were not randomized, entrance scores were compared between groups and controlled for in the secondary analysis."
9. Ethics. "The study was approved by the university's research ethics committee (reference [number]). Students consented to the use of their anonymized grades and could withdraw without effect on their marks."
10. Limitations. "Without random assignment, differences between sections such as time of day may explain part of any effect. The study covers one university and one course, which limits how far the results generalize."

A qualitative chapter follows the same order but replaces the power analysis with a sampling rationale, the instruments with an interview guide, and paragraph 8 with trustworthiness strategies such as member checking and an audit trail.

How to write a methodology chapter in eight steps

1. Copy your research question and sub-questions to the top of a blank page.
2. Choose the approach and design that fit the question type, and write one paragraph justifying it.
3. Write the participants, sampling and sample size sections, including the calculation or rationale.
4. List every instrument and data source with its source and reliability.
5. Write the procedure as numbered steps, then turn them into prose.
6. Link each question or hypothesis to an analysis.
7. Add quality, ethics and limitations sections.
8. Check the chapter against the reporting guideline for your design and ask your supervisor to read it before you collect data.

Draft your methodology in AI for Research

The Methodology builder in the Thesis Suite takes your research question and drafts a methodology (3 credits). Choose quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods, or let it suggest one, and add context such as your population, setting, time, budget and the data you can get. It returns sections for design and why, population and sampling with a sample size rationale, data collection and instruments, variables or concepts and how they are measured, the analysis plan, validity and reliability or trustworthiness, ethics, and limitations, citing methods sources and similar studies.

• Check the sample size in Data Lab, free: power and sample size for t-tests and two proportions. The public data analysis tool runs in the browser.
• Open the draft in the editor and rewrite it with your real setting, numbers and approval reference. The builder cannot know these and will not invent them correctly.
• When the chapter is written, run Reviewer at your level (master's or PhD). On the free plan, a preview of the first 3,000 words costs 3 credits; a full review costs 10 credits per 10,000 words. See AI peer review.

The free plan has 45 credits a month. See pricing. The output is a draft for you and your supervisor to judge, not an approved design. Ethics approval still comes from your committee.

FAQ

What goes in a methodology chapter?

A methodology chapter explains how you answered your research question and why that way. It normally covers the research approach and design, the setting and participants, the sampling method and sample size, the instruments or data sources, the procedure, the analysis plan, validity or trustworthiness, ethics, and limitations. Each choice should be justified with reference to your question and to methods literature, not just described.

How long is a methodology chapter?

There is no fixed rule. In many traditional theses the methodology is a smaller share of the word count than the literature review or the results, often somewhere around a tenth to a fifth of the total. A 15,000-word master's dissertation might give it 2,000 to 3,000 words. Check your university's handbook and your supervisor's expectations, which take priority over any rule of thumb.

Should a methodology be written in past or future tense?

Use the future tense in a proposal, because the study has not happened yet ('Participants will complete a survey'). Use the past tense in the finished thesis or paper for what you did ('Participants completed a survey'). APA Style recommends the past tense for describing procedures and the present perfect for work others have done. Keep the tense consistent within each section.

What is the difference between methodology and methods?

Methods are the specific techniques you used: a survey, semi-structured interviews, a regression model. Methodology is the reasoning behind them: the approach, the design, and why these methods suit the question. A methodology chapter contains both. Examiners look for the reasoning, so a chapter that lists methods without justifying them is a weak chapter.

Can I use 'I' or 'we' in a methodology chapter?

In most fields, yes. APA Style supports the first person and the active voice when you describe what you did ('I interviewed 18 managers'), and many examiners prefer it to long passive sentences. Some departments and journals in the sciences still favor the passive for routine procedures. Follow your university's style guide and keep one approach throughout the chapter.

Next steps

• Make sure the question is tight first: how to write a research question.
• Set the theory your design tests or explores: theoretical vs conceptual framework.
• Fit the chapter into the whole: how to write a thesis outline.
• Pick the right analysis: which statistical test to use.

Sources

1. Appelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E., Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000191
2. Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suárez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151
3. EQUATOR Network. Reporting guidelines for main study types. https://www.equator-network.org/
4. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.
5. Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155
6. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
7. Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. SAGE.
8. APA Style. Verb tense. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/verb-tense
9. APA Style. Active and passive voice. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/active-passive-voice