methodology
- 01 C2 Proficiency
the study of how work or research is done.
the theoretical analysis of the methods and principles belonging to a branch of knowledge. Uncountable in this philosophical or academic sense.
Simple“Students in this course learn about the methodology of social science.”
In context“A rigorous grounding in methodology is essential for any doctoral candidate intending to conduct original field research.”
Teacher's tipIn modern professional contexts, people often use 'methodology' as a fancy word for 'method'. In strict academic writing, keep them separate: 'method' is what you did, 'methodology' is the theory behind why you did it.
Usage develop methodology
“The usual methodology for a survey is to assemble a roster of academics and invite them to trot out a chapter on their specialism, whether that be “Thomas Hardy” or “High Modernism”.”
“The strategy relies on “new approach methodologies” (Nams), such as organoids, organ-on-a-chip systems and artificial intelligence, to process data and model biological processes.”
From French méthodologie. By surface analysis, method + -ology.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.