methodology

noun meth·od·ol·o·gy \ ˌme-thə-ˈdä-lə-jē \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of methodology

plural methodologies

1 : a body of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline : a particular procedure or set of procedures

demonstrating library research methodology

the issue is massive revision of teaching methodology
—Bob Samples

2 : the analysis of the principles or procedures of inquiry in a particular field

See methodology defined for English-language learners

Examples of methodology in a Sentence

He blamed the failure of their research on poor methodology.
for solving crossword puzzles my usual methodology is to begin by filling in all of the answers I'm reasonably sure of

Recent Examples of methodology from the Web

Uber and Lyft, sensitive to reports that drivers are underpaid, objected sharply to the study’s methodologies.

— andrew j. hawkins, The Verge, "How much do Lyft drivers earn an hour? It’s complicated," 12 Apr. 2018
But this time, the president’s methodology could come back to bite him.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Trump’s Preferred Method of Firing People May Come Back to Haunt Him," 2 Apr. 2018
The paper’s math is speculative, of course, and there will surely be those who take issue with its methodology.

— david wallace-wells, Daily Intelligencer, "The Paris Climate Accords Are Looking More and More Like Fantasy," 25 Mar. 2018
The survey is for communities with populations of more than 10,000 and uses the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics and its own population data and internal research in its methodology.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Survey: Oakland Co. communities among safest in Michigan, but Grosse Ile is tops," 13 Mar. 2018
Public Citizen sent a letter to the Trump Organization last month because their methodology would seemingly not provide a donation from any unprofitable properties receiving foreign government revenue.

— Washington Post, "Trump Org says it donated $151,470 in profits to US Treasury," 9 Mar. 2018
Holtmann's Coach of the Year award is shared with a staff fully-aligned in its methodology and message, and with players who bought in.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "Ohio State basketball: How Chris Holtmann, Keita Bates-Diop made each other best in the Big Ten," 27 Feb. 2018
To learn more about the methodology behind the data collection and tool - or to download some of the data in bulk - visit the Census Bureau's website.

— annie millerbernd, San Antonio Express-News, "What does the new UT data say about UTSA graduates?," 28 Mar. 2018
The insurance industry contested the report's findings and methodologies.

— jc reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit car insurance: Why Cleveland has it way cheaper," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'methodology.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

methodology and Science

The methodology employed in an experiment is essential to its success, and bad methodology has spoiled thousands of research projects. So whenever a piece of research is published in a scientific or medical journal, the researchers always carefully describe their methodology; otherwise, other scientists couldn't possibly judge the quality of what they've done.