A methodology is the way something is done, that is, the method by which the task is achieved. In research it is that way the research proceeds, that is:

• the steps taken to gain the permission of respondents or stakeholders;
• the steps taken to ensure the ethics of the research;
• the steps taken to ensure that the data is valid (representative of the population or situation as a whole);
• the steps taken to develop the research instruments,
• the steps taken to control the impact of variables, and
• the steps taken to collect the data and analyse it.