methodology

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

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Examples: methodology in a Sentence

Editor's Note: methodology and Science

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

The discrepancies are due to differences in methodology and the difficulty of measuring this phenomenon.

— melinda d. anderson, The Atlantic, "The Radical Self-Reliance of Black Homeschooling," 17 May 2018
But there’s a silver lining to my wrongness, which was rooted in a methodology that factored in the number of movies a superhero has appeared in.

— alex abad-santos, Vox, "9 questions about Avengers: Infinity War and its ending, answered," 30 Apr. 2018
Bioethicist and cultural anthropologist Katrina Karkazis co-wrote a Guardian op-ed that pointed out glaring inconsistencies in the IAAF’s methodology.

— martin fritz huber, Outside Online, "Track’s New Gender Rule Raises More Questions," 27 Apr. 2018
To learn how Kaiser Health News created the Pre$cription for Power database, read the full methodology, here.

— NBC News, "Patient advocacy groups take in millions from drugmakers. Is there a payback?," 8 Apr. 2018
To learn how Kaiser Health News created the Pre$cription for Power database, read the full methodology.

— emily kopp, sydney lupkin and elizabeth lucas, USA TODAY, "Patient advocacy groups take in millions from drugmakers. Is there a payback?," 6 Apr. 2018
To learn how Kaiser Health News created the Pre$cription for Power database, read the full methodology, here.

— Washington Post, "Patient Advocacy Groups Take In Millions From Drugmakers. Is There A Payback?," 6 Apr. 2018
Massachusetts being knocked down a few pegs results from changes in both the state’s standing relative to the 49 others, and shifts in methodology, US News said.

— joshua miller, BostonGlobe.com, "Mass. falls in US News ranking from ‘best’ state to eighth state," 27 Feb. 2018
The changes in methodology mean current results can't be compared with those of past indexes.

— kelsey mays, chicagotribune.com, "Made in America: Jeep, Ford, Honda models rank as the biggest domestic drivers of the auto industry," 29 June 2017

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.