Choosing an appropriate research methodology and method

© 2016 selection and editorial material, Vian Ahmed, Alex Opoku and Zeeshan Aziz; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved. The choice of appropriate research methodology is one of the most difficult and confusing decisions for most researchers. The type of research will dictate the right research methodologies that should underpin the research and data-collection methods to be used. Regardless of the method or methodology adopted for the study, the data-collection techniques employed must be suitable and capable of meeting the objectives of the study. Moreover, it is important that the technique used to collect data is adequate to provide the information required to accomplish the overall goals of the study. This chapter builds on Chapter 2 to discuss the available research methodologies and the basis of selecting the most suitable. The chapter presents a review of relevant current literature on the choice of appropriate research methodology, sampling procedures and data-collection techniques. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each type of research methodology: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods.