Comprehensive Guide to Research Methodologies Across Disciplines

Comprehensive Guide to Research Methodologies Across Disciplines

Research methodology refers to the systematic approach and procedures used to collect, analyze, and interpret data. Each discipline has preferred methods based on its epistemological foundations. Below is a detailed guide organized by academic branches.

1. Humanities (e.g., Literature, Philosophy, History, Languages)

Methodology Type	Description	Examples
Textual Analysis	Analyzing texts for meaning, structure, and context	Literary criticism, hermeneutics
Historical Method	Study of documents and archives to understand past events	Primary/secondary source interpretation
Philosophical Inquiry	Logical reasoning, conceptual analysis	Epistemology, metaphysics
Critical Theory	Deconstruction of societal structures, ideologies	Marxist, feminist, and postcolonial studies
Discourse Analysis	Studying language use in texts/speech to reveal social meaning	Political speeches, literature, and media

 

2. Social Sciences (e.g., Sociology, Political Science, Psychology, Anthropology)

Methodology Type	Description	Techniques
Quantitative Research	Uses statistical tools to analyze numerical data	Surveys, questionnaires, experiments
Qualitative Research	Explores meaning, experiences, and narratives	Interviews, focus groups, and ethnography
Mixed Methods	Combines qualitative and quantitative approaches	Surveys + interviews
Case Study	In-depth analysis of a single unit (person, group, institution)	Historical or contemporary studies
Grounded Theory	Building theories based on data collected	Thematic coding of interviews

 

3. Natural Sciences (e.g., Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science)

Methodology Type	Description	Methods
Experimental Research	Controlled testing to establish cause-effect	Laboratory experiments
Observational Research	Observing natural phenomena without interference	Field studies, ecological observations
Modeling and Simulation	Using mathematical/computer models to replicate systems	Climate models, protein folding
Longitudinal Studies	Observations over time	Disease tracking, evolution studies

 

4. Formal Sciences (e.g., Mathematics, Computer Science, Logic, Statistics)

Methodology Type	Description	Applications
Theoretical Modeling	Creating abstract models based on logic	Game theory, number theory
Algorithmic Analysis	Designing and testing algorithms	Machine learning, cryptography
Simulation & Computational Methods	Using computers to simulate scenarios	AI systems, quantum computing models
Statistical Inference	Deriving conclusions from data	Regression, hypothesis testing

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5. Applied Sciences & Engineering

Methodology Type	Description	Fields
Design-Based Research	Iterative testing of prototypes	Engineering, product design
Systems Analysis	Study of system components and interactions	Civil, mechanical, IT systems
Experimental Design	Testing performance or durability	Materials testing, stress analysis
Simulation and Modelling	Predicting behavior under constraints	Traffic, mechanical systems

 

6. Medical & Health Sciences

Methodology Type	Description	Methods
Clinical Trials	Testing treatments/drugs on human subjects	Randomized controlled trials
Epidemiological Studies	Studying disease patterns in populations	Cohort, case-control studies
Meta-Analysis	Combining results from multiple studies	Systematic reviews
Biostatistics	Applying statistics to biological fields	Predictive modeling

 

7. Business, Management & Economics

Methodology Type	Description	Techniques
Case Study Analysis	Detailed examination of businesses	SWOT, PESTLE analysis
Quantitative Methods	Use of numerical data	Econometrics, surveys
Qualitative Methods	Exploring business behavior	Interviews, grounded theory
Action Research	Solving immediate problems collaboratively	HR, marketing experiments
Financial Modeling	Predicting financial outcomes	Risk analysis, scenario testing

 

8. Education

Methodology Type	Description	Techniques
Action Research	Research by practitioners to improve practice	Teacher-led interventions
Narrative Inquiry	Story-based examination of experiences	Life histories
Ethnography	Immersive observation in educational settings	Classroom studies
Quasi-Experimental	Experiments without full randomization	Curriculum evaluations
Mixed Methods	Combining qualitative and quantitative	Surveys + classroom observation

 

 

Summary Chart: Methodologies by Key Traits

Discipline	Qualitative	Quantitative	Theoretical	Experimental
Humanities	✔️	Rare	✔️	✖️
Social Sciences	✔️	✔️	Some	✔️ (psych)
Natural Sciences	Some	✔️	✔️	✔️
Formal Sciences	✖️	✔️	✔️	Simulation-based
Applied Sciences	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Medical Sciences	Rare	✔️	✔️	✔️
Business	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Education	✔️	✔️	Rare	Some

This guide gives a panoramic view of how research is conducted across disciplines.

Adolescence - A Rather Web Series Review

So, it's been a while since I've talked to my readers. Yeah?

“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”

― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Amidst the considerable cry of poor climate, heat waves, bad air quality, and feedback cycles, a recent web series pops up in the discussion, which netizens ardently talk about and share their views. Adolescence, a 2025 psychological drama broadcast by Netflix, brings about certain serious concerns for mental health and parenting during adolescence.

What's Adolescence?

Adolescence is the transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines an adolescent as any person between the ages of 10 and 19.

Anyways,

Adolescence is a British television psychological crime drama series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini. It centres on a 13-year-old schoolboy named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is arrested after the murder of a girl in his school. Each of its four episodes was shot in one continuous take. (Wikipedia)

While everyone's trying to dig different meanings of the social media emojis and new Gen-Z words, we're directly moving on to the teenage problems and how kids process them.

Whether you've watched the series or not, you might be aware that adolescence is the most sensitive period of one's life. Regardless of nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, language, or education, we all face challenges in our adolescence. At 13, the body and mind grow steadily. The mind soaks up all the meaning, definitions, and information to its capacity, and the body develops speedily. Young kids struggle processing this tough period, and they need a helping hand, a caring touch from parents, friends, teachers, and family, and a calm, empathetic, listening ear to share their anxiety. 

For example, a teenager faces issues talking about his life and emotions to anyone, s/he would find resentment in making fun of others "just to feel good for a while." Going further, s/he would bully someone from the class, try to indicate improper meanings to their own ideology, and thus create a strong shield over their emotions. While sharing emotions and letting the confused thoughts out of the head is the need of the hour. Such teenagers are alienated from the mentally healthy people and seek unrealistic information about his/her own life from the internet and from some unreliable sources. They also demand a lot of attention through malpractices such as negative influence and spreading nuisance whenever they go.

During these tough times, an adolescent doesn't know whom to listen to, whom to follow, and whom to idealize. It is also said that whatever we say, feel, or believe as truth in our adolescence is imprinted in the subconscious mind so strongly that it becomes difficult to wipe off such false understandings later in life. It becomes tougher for a teenager to decipher between true, genuine information and false information.

Sometimes a minor comment or an argument about his/her feelings can affect a teenager's mind to such an extent that s/he shuts all the doors of communication for anyone. And the unexpressed thoughts turn to negativity, and it leads to overthinking, anxiety, and anger issues, leaving the person isolated and lonely.

To find comfort and some resentment, s/he joins the like-minded people who share the same negativity and hatred. Some of them may run a campaign, movement, or create a cult that is supported by an even larger crowd. Among such a crowd, guys like Andrew Tate emerge as a misogynist 'hero' or a 'male supremacist' among such youth. Such people actually create a crowd of sheeple (Sheep+People= sheeple) who blindly fall for their charismatic appearance, heavy voice and rhetoric, luxurious lifestyle, and glamorous appearance. They basically hide themselves behind such tangibles and take the upper hand by showcasing extravagant materialism.

Adolescence is indeed a strong voice among the teenagers and males who can't process their emotions well, and a soothing catharsis for those who are well informed, and always on the bright side of life. Storytelling, narration, facial acting, and camera movement are truly exceptional.

The series captures a strong perspective of all the characters, major and minor, and dives deeper into the mental realms of Jamie Miller, whose spectacular acting captures the audience on their couches. Eddie Miller, as his father, would definitely wet anyone's eyes while walking through his own mental state.

Go have a watch. Take your mental health seriously. Never hesitate to talk. Speak up for your heart.

Thanks for staying tuned...! Ta.

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(Possibly) Difficult Terms

RED PILL - Click Here

Confused about manosphere? - Click Here

References for more insight:

1. https://www.outlookindia.com/art-entertainment/netflixs-adolescence-a-technical-masterpiece-exploring-teenage-misogyny

2. https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/netflixs-adolescence-brings-andrew-tate-back-into-conversation

3. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/netflix-adolescence-silent-crisis-digital-lives-teenagers-parenting-9927991/

4. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/adolescence-stephen-graham-interview

5. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/14/the-red-pill-reddit-modern-misogyny-manosphere-men

Philosophy of Work, Karma and Routine Tasks

     Time, as defined and divided into several convenient segments by physicists, mathematicians, and scientists, comes with certain conditions. Life, on the other hand, has the same limitations and conditions. Combining both, life and time become the drivers of human consciousness. All of the human adventures, innovations, and technologies are the end result of these two elements. Time helps to examine the past and present, and then helps predict the future. Life elevates the scarcity of time and dictates that the human being work on the most necessary things in the present. This is how 'Work' comes into existence.

       In Hindu scriptures, the philosophy of Karma matters the most as a means of attaining salvation or 'Mukti', and it is widely understood as liberation. Now Karma stands as the key factor for almost everything a human being does in his/her entire life, which also includes our daily routine tasks as well. But as far as our discussion about Work and Karma is concerned, let's make a clear demarcation between routine tasks and Karma.

      Humans are primarily considered as animals, or rather, social animals. It is the basic and common factor that, unlike all other animals, humans create communities, tribes, groups, and societies to make a safe and livable environment around, creating houses to reside in, making couples and producing kids, and so on. This helps them keep away from predators. All the activities associated with this common factor of safety and security are considered routine tasks. Now, there are certain odd jobs discovered only by humans like brushing the teeth, taking daily baths with or without any additional tools, shaving beard and other body hair, wearing clothes, cooking food on fire before eating, collecting stocks of food items for "future" (of course due to fear of death and insecurity about health), earning and managing money - which is again the technology used only by humans.

         But the above are still considered as daily routine tasks, done to just survive in a better way, and not Work or Karma. What, then, does Work or Karma stand for? Let's understand.

       Humans have a special luxury of thinking and reasoning, which is rarely found in any other animals. This particular ability has made humans the fastest-evolving species on the planet. Humans have discovered numerous measurements to measure almost everything around them. As a result of this, we have several dedicated branches of knowledge such as mathematics, science, medicine, technology, engineering, finance, law, business transactions, languages, arts, and so on.

       Again, the basic tendency of human beings is to "think," but here comes the role of consciousness. Every conscious person will 'make a choice' of what to think, how to think, and for how long to think. This is the point where the parallel process of action takes place. Thoughts and actions mixed with pure consciousness make the most truthful choices. The result of the process of thinking, removing the unnecessary clutter from the mind, applying consciousness, and selecting the important thing to do is called Work. While working, we remove our feelings and emotions and become more particular, practical about the work. That is also known as Karma.

        Selecting the work is not sufficient. Analyzing the impact factor of that work is also necessary.

        How do we decide whether our work has a significant impact or not?

        Think about a person preparing for defense-level exams. S/he has a clear motive to serve and devote their entire life to the country. S/he could have selected the easy moneymaking job, but s/he didn't. Now, by joining either the Army, the Navy, or the Air Force, the utilization of all his health and might will be only for the country. It has a great social impact. This is how you measure all the work and jobs around the world and check the impact of the same. To get results at the primary level, one can also measure the time and energy spent on different activities throughout the day. Time and life spent with people, content consumed from inside and outside the screen, places visited within a week or a month, thoughts that kept oneself engaged a lot, and so on.

        Still feeling clueless about this? No worries. Start reading or learning about all the great figures who lived in history. Keep some questions in mind while reading. It's always good to know about the lives of visionaries and great personalities. Study well and have a minute observation about their life and choices. I am not talking about the people who have always focused on making money. It is about the people with long visions and heavy missions that led the entire course of humanity towards a drastic change.

        This would be a great exercise to carry out, especially in this time of quick name-quick fame-quick money. Tech giants need more data to store the useless content created by influencers daily. The Internet, if not made a sharp choice, can ruin human capacity. The times are crucial, so is the decision-making. A constant flow of ads and information bombards us daily. And this 'flow' is very dangerous. It never allows one to think, reflect, and sit silently with one's own self.

        This is the real philosophy: Work, Karma, and other routine tasks. By removing all the clutter of our sensory needs and cutting the layers of all the hidden emotions, we see ourselves as the purest consciousness. The more we purify our consciousness, the clearer we become about our actions and further choices. While you become silent and consciously think about all of the choices and actions, all the major giants and money makers experience great pressure. Because the practice of mindfulness, stability, and asking for nothing makes them worry about production and consumption.

        I recall the Buddhist philosophy here: "Be stable and silent. The world, life, and time are nothing but an endless flow of the river. Just be watchful about your own involvement and the role of the world in your life. The moment you, with all your ego, prejudices, and preconditioning, jump in the flow, you lose what you have earned through silence and stability."

Happy reading,

Happy learning.

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Thank You!