In this part of the Methods section, explicit information needs to be provided on how the data for the study is going to be obtained or collected. Even more importantly, this information should not be a mere description of the planned approach to data collection but for the most part a justification of how and why specific types of data will be collected and how the data will be handled. The information may be introduced in separate subsections with subheadings such as “Participants” (or “Sample”), “Context,” “Materials,” “Equipment,” "Instrumentation," "Experimental Procedures,” or “Budget.”
In some fields (e.g., education, psychology, applied linguistics, etc.), this section can be used to provide detailed information about:
| the target population or participants | e.g., the sample size, criteria for selecting participants, participants’ characteristics, such as age, social class, educational background, etc. |
| the setting in which data collection will take place | e.g., geographical location, type of institution, other people who will assist the researcher with collecting data, etc. |
| the role of the researcher in the study | unobtrusive observer, participant, etc. |
| data collection instruments | newly designed or existing ones, together with sample questions where applicable): e.g., tests, surveys, interviews, etc. aimed to elicit certain types of data, for example, learners’ personal beliefs regarding best study practices, or to measure something— learner performance under certain conditions, subjects’ psychological characteristics, etc. |
| any available or specially designed materials to be used in the proposed study | e.g., consent forms, experimental educational materials, computer software, etc. |
| the necessary equipment | e.g., laboratory equipment, audio- and video recording equipment, etc. |
| any experimental activities where applicable | e.g., pedagogical intervention to improve participants’ reading performance in a foreign language |
| step-by-step procedures for collecting and using data | procedures for accessing participants and seeking their permission to use their data; the protocol for administering any type of measurement; the medium for obtaining the data (for example, via online tools or through direct contact in a physical setting); any rewards for voluntary participation; procedures for handling personal data after it was collected, etc. |
| any additional resources | e.g., required facilities, planned budget spending, assistance from staff, the necessary expertise at performing certain tasks, etc. |
Sample questions from data collection instruments, such as tests or surveys, interview protocols, informed consent forms, permission to reproduce available data collection instruments from copyright holders, can be provided at the end of the proposal in the Appendix section.
Here is an adapted Methods extract that details data collection methods from an article in the field of business and international management. This study examines factors that affect language policies in multinational corporations (MNCs) and hypothesize that MNC subsidiary’s age and size as well as MNC subsidiary top managers’ nationality (expatriate or local) have an effect on language policies. Note how the author uses literature sources to support his rationale for choosing an online survey company to collect the data.
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Foreign Subsidiary Top Manager Nationality and Language Policy: The Moderating Effects of Subsidiary Age and Size |
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1The survey data will be collected through a large Japanese research company. 2The company will be used because it will allow us to access a diverse sample of respondents and to prescreen potential respondents on a variety of characteristics to ensure the sample is representative of the population of interest (Ng & Feldman, 2013). 3The diverse sample, in turn, should strengthen the generalizability of findings. 4Moreover, accessing a diverse sample without a local research company may be difficult in Japan because successful data collection there is argued to be based on personal contacts (Takeuchi, Lepak, Wang, & Takeuchi, 2007). 5Another important advantage of using online survey companies is that, unlike cases where researchers make entry through senior management, participants in online surveys know that without their input their data cannot be linked to their organizations, departments, teams, and supervisors (Ng & Feldman, 2013). 6This, in turn, should lower response biases. 7Because of the related benefits, scholars in various scholarly areas, ranging from international business (Peltokorpi & Vaara, 2014) to organizational behavior (Ng & Feldman, 2013), are increasingly using research companies to collect data. Adapted from: Peltokorpi, V. (2015). Foreign subsidiary top manager nationality and language policy: The moderating effects of subsidiary age and size International relations. International Business Review, 24(5), 739–748. |
In some social sciences research in which no human subjects are involved or in which collecting primary data from subjects may not be possible (for various reasons), data available through sources, such as administrative websites, official statistical databases, media platforms, public and private institutions, can be used (e.g., census data, tax data, voting data, trade statistics, business and legal documents, household censuses, corporate reports, media reports, etc.). In these cases, it is often necessary to elaborate on particular types of data sources to be employed in the study, the time period which the data refers to, and the procedures for accessing and retrieving the data.
In economics research, this section can also be used to identify dependent and independent variables (e.g., key macroeconomic indicators) and how they will be operationalized in the proposed study.
Common vocabulary for justifying the choice of methods and procedures includes:
Allow / permit smb to do smth / to avoid smth / to ensure smth/ to compensate for smth/ to provide a way to do smth/ to provide a way or means of (+ V-ing) + Modal verbs (can, must, should, would)
to be necessary/ appropriate
By doing, we will be able to … / The benefit (advantage) of this is/ would be that … / This is chosen because …
To show how something will be done, By + doing are commonly used.
Also, authors will often refer to published research as a way to justify the choice of a method:
Note that in-text references should be provided in brackets (and then listed in the References section) to indicate the source to which you are referring.