Research Methodology — Academic Writing Template
Download and use a free research methodology template for your academic document. Structured, formatted, and ready to use with WritingBuddy.
A strong methodology chapter justifies every research design choice against your research questions. See our WritingBuddy for PhD students page for dissertation-scale support, and our research methodology guide for how to choose between qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. Once your methodology is defined, our discussion chapter template shows how your design choices shape what conclusions you can draw.
What's included
Everything pre-structured so you can focus on your research, not the formatting.
- Research Philosophy / Paradigm
- Research Design (qualitative / quantitative / mixed)
- Sampling Strategy
- Data Collection Methods
- Data Analysis Approach
- Validity & Reliability
- Ethical Considerations
- Limitations
- Research Philosophy — Positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism?
- Research Design — Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods?
- Sampling — Population, sample size, sampling technique
- Data Collection — Surveys, interviews, experiments, secondary data
- Data Analysis — Thematic analysis, regression, content analysis, etc.
- Ethics — IRB approval, consent, confidentiality
- Limitations — What this design cannot tell you
How to use this template
Start writing in minutes — no formatting or setup required.
Describe your methods
Enter your research design choices and AI populates the standard justification language for each decision.
Refine and validate
AI checks for methodological alignment and flags common weaknesses before your supervisor does.
Export
Methodology chapter ready to insert into your full thesis or research paper.
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Auto-formatted citations
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between research philosophy and research design?
Research philosophy (positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism) is the underlying set of assumptions about knowledge and reality that shapes your entire study, while research design (qualitative, quantitative, mixed) is the practical approach you choose to answer your questions. Our research methodology guide explains how the two connect.
How do I justify my sample size in a methodology chapter?
For quantitative studies, reference a power calculation or established convention for your statistical test; for qualitative studies, justify sample size by reference to thematic saturation rather than a fixed number. State your reasoning explicitly rather than choosing an arbitrary figure.
What is a mixed methods research design?
A mixed methods design combines qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis within a single study — for example, survey statistics paired with follow-up interviews — to answer questions neither approach could address alone. It requires justifying both the individual methods and how you will integrate their findings.
Do I need ethics approval for a literature-based or secondary-data methodology?
Most institutions still require a lighter-touch ethics review even for desk-based research using only published or secondary data, since you must confirm no primary human-subjects data collection is involved. Check your institution's research ethics committee requirements before finalizing your proposal — don't assume secondary data is automatically exempt.