MECM90038 Chap.9 Writing the Methodology Section
Writing the Methodology Section
The methodology is the second assessment: 1,000 words worth 20%, titled on Canvas as research design, data collection and sorting. This chapter reads the task through the five criteria given in the Week 7 lecture, Explanation, Justification, Understanding, Structure, and Style, reference, and presentation, and turns them into a practical section order running from the restated question to limitations and ethics.
It notes the two due dates printed in subject materials so you can confirm the right one on Canvas, shows how past-year methodologies are shaped, and uses the Week 8 emphasis on a systematic, visible process. A worked justification paragraph and drills on criteria and limitations show what finished prose looks like, so your draft can explain, justify and demonstrate method understanding together.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Task facts: 1,000 words, 20%, and two printed due dates
- 02
Explanation of what you will analyse and how you will analyse it
- 03
Justification of data and method, including reflection on limitations
- 04
Understanding the requirements of your method, with reliability and validity
- 05
A logical section order from research question to limitations
- 06
Showing a systematic process and offering an annotated dataset appendix
Worked example · free
Writing the Explanation paragraph for a podcast study
- 1State the data precisely: which podcasts, which texts and which period.
- 1Name the method and the order in which the analysis steps will run.
- 1Say how decisions will be recorded so a reader could follow or repeat the process.
Key terms
- Methodology
- Methodology is the section that sets out the research design, how data was collected and how it will be sorted and analysed. In this subject it is also a stand-alone 1,000-word assessment.
- Reliability
- Reliability concerns whether the analysis would produce consistent results if the procedure were repeated. Clear rules and a documented coding process support it.
- Validity
- Validity concerns whether the analysis actually captures what the research question asks about. Defined themes illustrated with evidence from the data help readers judge it.
- Methodological limitation
- A methodological limitation is a boundary on what the chosen data and method can show. Naming it honestly is part of the Justification criterion.
Writing the Methodology Section FAQ
When is the methodology assignment due?
Two dates appear. The lecture plan lists Monday 14 September 2026 at 11:59pm, and the Canvas subject summary lists Thursday 17 September 2026 at 11:59pm. Treat Canvas as the place to confirm, and note the lecture plan's late penalty of five per cent of available marks for each day late without an approved extension.
Are the five methodology criteria weighted differently?
The Week 7 lecture lists the five criteria with descriptors but this guide does not assign weights to them. Read the assignment page on Canvas for any weighting or rubric detail. In practice, Explanation, Justification and Understanding carry the substance of the section, while Structure and Style, reference, and presentation govern how clearly it reads.
Should my methodology include findings?
Findings belong to later tasks. The methodology covers research design, data collection and sorting, so you describe what you will analyse, why that data and method suit the question, and how you will sort and code the material. Early patterns belong in the poster and the report, which come later in the semester.
Can I attach my coded data to an assignment?
The Week 8 lecture welcomes the original dataset, with highlights and annotations, as an appendix. The slide attaches this to a numbered later assignment, so check on Canvas which submission should carry it. Keeping annotations tidy from Week 7 onward makes the appendix easy to prepare.
How should I write about reliability and validity in a qualitative study?
Explain the safeguards your process uses rather than citing a statistic. Clear inclusion rules, a dated coding memo, and themes that are defined and illustrated with quotations all let readers check how you reached your categories. The Understanding criterion names reliability and validity explicitly, so give each at least one sentence.
Assessment move
Copy the five criterion names onto a blank page and write one sentence under each saying what your section will do to meet it. Build the section in the six-rung order: question, method, sample, procedure, reliability and validity, limitations and ethics. For every choice, add the word because and finish the sentence with a reason or a source. Draft the procedure paragraph from your Week 7 coding memo rather than from memory.
Before submitting, check the due date on Canvas, compare your word count with the 1,000-word target, and confirm every in-text citation appears in one consistent reference list.
Working through Writing the Methodology Section in MECM90038? Sia is AskSia’s AI Media and Communications tutor — ask any MECM90038 Writing the Methodology Section question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how MECM90038 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
