Methodology

Research

The section explaining how research was conducted, in enough detail to be replicable, and why that approach fits the question.

Sources

1. Merriam-Webster — methodology merriam-webster.com accessed 23 September 2026

Merriam-Webster gives both senses: “a body of methods, rules, and ideas that are important in a science, art, or discipline”, and “a science or the study of method”, specifically “the analysis of the principles or procedures of inquiry in a particular field”. First recorded 1800. The second sense is why pedants object to “methodology” used for a list of steps — that is the method; the methodology is the reasoning that justifies it. Both are in the dictionary, so neither use is wrong, but a methods chapter that only lists steps is skipping the argument.

Merriam-Webster is cited as the dictionary of record: where an entry defines a word rather than a position, a dictionary is the primary source for it. The research usage above is this lexicon’s own.

Related terms

• Abbreviation
• Abstract
• Abstraction
• Academic Database
• Analysis
• Annotation

Also defined as

The overall approach and its justification behind a study's design, distinct from 'methods' — the specific techniques used to carry that design out.

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).