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It also explains how you carried out your research, and this enables the readers and reviewers to determine the validity and reliability of your results. This critical section, unfortunately, usually contains the still, though preventable, errors pitfalls, which may result in a complete rejection. Awareness of such problems is the initial move towards generating a rigorous and high quality piece of writing.
Lack of Specificity and Sufficiency of Detail
One of the most common pitfalls is failing to specify how you conducted your study.
How to avoid
- Give details of Design: A methodology should be a recipe; another researcher should replicate your study based on how you described it (e.g., randomised controlled trial, longitudinal cohort study, qualitative case study).. Always put the information on whether you know how to do this or not.
- Give Details of Your Tools: Provide the name and version of the software, scales, or instruments you are using. Indicate the manufacturer and model of the complex equipment. In your surveys, explain how you validate the surveys
- Define Your Population: Describe the study population or sample. Definitely define inclusion and exclusion. In qualitative research, explain the justification behind selecting the participants (e.g. purposive sampling). Without a well-described method, reviewers have to make conjectures, which is detrimental to the reproducibility of the study.
Inappropriate Statistical Tests
Most researchers choose statistical tests due to their familiarity, but not due to their appropriateness.
How to avoid
- Breaks Analogies: To invalidate the results of a parametric test (e.g. a t-test) of non-normally distributed data, or a correlation where regression is required, you should know the type and distribution of your variables (e.g., nominal, ordinal, interval). Such knowledge helps you select tests.
- Assumptions: Before reporting, report which statistical assumptions (e.g. normality, homogeneity of variances, etc.) were checked and confirmed.
- Seek Expert Review: Consider a Statistical Review before reporting. A specialist may verify the statistical process of your data and research question with the goal of drastically enhancing the reliability of your outcomes.
Sampling Bias and Size Problems
The kind of participants you choose directly affects how far your research can be generalized. Sampling bias occurs when some individuals within the population are either omitted or not likely to be selected, distorting the outcomes. Moreover, a small sample size can very easily result in underpowered studies and hence a false negative.
How to Avoid
- Use a true random sample: Use true random sampling methods wherever possible to give each member of the population equal likelihood of being sampled.
- Justify Sample Size: In the case of a quantitative study, conduct and report a power analysis. This is the smallest sample size needed to find an effect of a given size that gives your work statistical rigor, however, admit limitations.
- Acknowledging Limitations: In the event that you need to use convenience sampling, be sure to acknowledge this and how it may affect the generalizability.
Disregarding Ethical Compliance
Ethical violations are grave traps, which may result in desk rejection without further consideration.
How to avoid
- To prevent this, make sure to acquire proper ethical clearance and use informed consent procedures intended to ensure the participant understands the implications of data collection procedures (including parent consent for minors), and how you ensure participant anonymity or confidentiality.
Bad Reporting and Editing
Lastly, no matter how perfect a methodology is, poor presentation may ruin it. The authors challenge the paper’s clarity, and ambiguous language, different terminologies, or logical fallacies call the standard of the entire research into question.
How to avoid
- Ensure Clarity with Scientific and Technical Editing: Scientific and Technical Editing is essential. It is a specialized editing to make all the terms accurate, all procedures logically arranged and the tone of the work is strictly professional and objective.
- Maintain Logical Flow: Organize your methodology chronologically. Take the step of ethical approval to study design, participant selection, data collection and lastly, data analysis.
With a careful consideration of these pitfalls that occur in methodological practices, you have gone a long way in ensuring that your paper is of high quality. Fast Publications has the scientific and technical editing that you need to make your methodology robust, reproducible and publication-ready.
