Methodology

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/

Definitions

1. A systematic set of principles and procedures used to conduct research or accomplish a specific task
2. A structured approach or framework that outlines specific procedures and principles for carrying out research or achieving goals
3. An organized system of techniques and principles that guides the process of conducting research or any task execution

Etymology: "Methodology" comes into English from French "méthodologie," and its parts are easy to read: "method" plus the suffix "-ology," the "study of" suffix that appears in words like "biology" and "geology." Literally, then, a methodology is the study of methods, the systematic examination of how a discipline goes about finding things out, rather than the methods themselves. That distinction is the point of the word, and it is where the common modern usage drifts. Many writers use "methodology" as a fancier synonym for "method," so a researcher's methodology becomes a list of procedures. Strictly, the term refers to the reasoning that justifies those procedures, which is why a methods section explains what was done while a methodology explains why that approach was appropriate.

Synonyms: approach, system, procedure, technique, strategy