If the subject into which you conduct research is a scientific subject or topic, then the research methods include experiments, tests, the study of many other results of different experiments performed earlier about the topic or the subject and the like.
On the other hand, research methodology about the scientific topic involves the techniques regarding how to go about conducting the research, the justification of the use of particular tools of research, advanced techniques that can be used in performing the experiments, and the like.
A method is what you did. It is a simple description. You selected, for example, 100 rats and measured their weights. You fed some rats and some not.
A week later, you measured their weights again.
The methodology is why that should give you a meaningful result and why you used some specified method and not some other one.
This would, in particular, include the way you have controlled for errors, e.g., why you fed the rats for a week rather than a month and why 100 rats you thought were enough.
The table below summarizes the primary differences between the research methods and research methodology.
Phương pháp nghiên cứu | Phương pháp luận nghiên cứu |
Research method seeks to answer: what did the researcher use to complete his research. | Research methodology seeks to answer: how did the researcher complete his study. |
Research methods are the techniques and tools by which you research a subject or a topic. | Methodology explains and justifies the techniques and tools by which you may proceed with your research. |
Research methods involve the tasks of conducting experiments, tests, surveys, and the like utilizing the knowledge and skills learned through research methodology. | Research methodology involves the learning of various techniques to conduct research and acquiring knowledge to perform tests, experiments, surveys, and critical analysis. |
The research method aims at finding solutions to research problems. | Research methodology ensures the employment of the correct procedures to solve the problems. |
Research methods are the end of any scientific or non-scientific research. | Research methodology paves the way to choose appropriate research methods and thus is the beginning of any research. |