Overview
A common examiner concern in qualitative theses is methodological incoherence: a study described as phenomenological that analyzes data with generic thematic coding, a 'grounded theory' without theoretical sampling or a core category, or a case study with no clear case boundary. The findings may be interesting, but the design does not hold together.
Our design support begins with your research question and your assumptions about knowledge and reality (for example interpretivist, constructivist or critical realist positions), then works forward to the approach, sampling logic, data collection methods, analytic procedure and quality strategies. Each element should justify the next, and your methodology chapter should make that chain visible.
We also stay practical. Access to participants or sites, language, your own positionality, time in the field and ethical risks all shape which approach is feasible within a degree timeline. Where a simpler, well-executed design would serve you better than an ambitious one, we will say so.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Master's and doctoral researchers planning interview, observation or document-based studies
- Researchers in education, nursing, social work, management and the humanities
- Quantitative researchers moving into qualitative work for the first time
- Students whose proposal was returned with questions about paradigm, approach or rigor
Common problems we help with
- You are unsure whether your study is phenomenology, a case study or generic qualitative description
- Your supervisor asked for your ontology and epistemology and you do not know how they affect the design
- You do not know how many participants or sites to include
- You planned thematic analysis but chose grounded theory as your methodology
- You need to explain trustworthiness, reflexivity and your role as researcher
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Clarifying the research question and matching it to an approach, with alternatives compared
- Articulating the philosophical position and how it shapes the design
- Phenomenology: descriptive (Husserlian) versus interpretive (Heideggerian or hermeneutic) traditions, and the relationship to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
- Grounded theory: choosing between Glaserian, Straussian (Strauss and Corbin) and constructivist (Charmaz) versions, with theoretical sampling and constant comparison planned
- Ethnography: site selection, access and gatekeepers, participant observation, field notes and duration, including focused and online ethnography
- Case study: defining the case and its boundaries, single versus multiple and holistic versus embedded designs following Yin or Stake, and data triangulation
- Narrative inquiry: life-story and episodic interviews, and thematic, structural or dialogic narrative analysis
- Sampling logic: purposive, criterion, maximum variation, snowball and theoretical sampling, with a reasoned sample-size justification
- Data collection plan aligned with the approach, from in-depth interviews to observation and documents
- Rigor and trustworthiness strategies: credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability, reflexivity and audit trail
Not included
- Writing your methodology chapter or proposal for you to submit
- Conducting interviews or fieldwork on your behalf in assessed research
- Retrofitting a methodology label to data already collected without being transparent about it
- Guaranteeing your supervisor or committee will accept a particular approach
What you receive
- Design alignment map
- One page connecting question, philosophical stance, approach, sampling, data collection, analysis and quality criteria, so the logic is visible at a glance.
- Approach rationale notes
- Why the chosen approach fits better than the alternatives, with key methodological sources to read and cite.
- Sampling and recruitment plan
- Inclusion criteria, sampling strategy, recruitment routes and a sample-size rationale appropriate to the approach.
- Data collection outline
- Interview, observation or document plan with sequencing and duration; detailed guides can be developed separately.
- Rigor plan
- Concrete strategies for trustworthiness and reflexivity, such as a reflexive journal, audit trail, peer debriefing or member reflections.
How it works
Question and stance
We discuss what you want to understand and your assumptions about knowledge, then shortlist suitable approaches.
Approach decision
We compare two or three approaches against your question and constraints, and you choose with your supervisor.
Design details
We plan sampling, data collection, analysis and rigor strategies consistent with the chosen approach.
Coherence review
We review the whole design, or your written methodology draft, for alignment and gaps.
Approaches and what each is for
- Phenomenology
- Explores the lived experience of a phenomenon. Typically small, homogeneous samples and in-depth interviews; analysis focuses on meaning and essence or interpretation.
- Grounded theory
- Builds a theory of a process from data. Requires concurrent collection and analysis, theoretical sampling, memo-writing and constant comparison toward a core category.
- Ethnography
- Studies culture and practice in context through prolonged engagement, participant observation and field notes, with attention to researcher positionality.
- Case study
- In-depth study of a bounded case or cases in real-world context, drawing on multiple sources of evidence. Yin's approach is more post-positivist; Stake's more interpretive.
- Narrative inquiry
- Focuses on stories and how people construct meaning over time, attending to sequence, context and the telling itself.
- Generic qualitative description
- A legitimate option when none of the above fits: straightforward description of experiences or views, usually analyzed thematically. Better to name it honestly than to claim an approach you do not follow.
- Quality frameworks
- Lincoln and Guba's trustworthiness criteria, Tracy's 'big tent' criteria and reporting guidelines such as COREQ and SRQR.
Picking the approach from the question
The shape of your question usually points to an approach. We use that as a starting point, then test it against feasibility and your philosophical stance.
- 'What is it like to experience…?' → phenomenology
- 'How does a process unfold, and what explains it?' → grounded theory
- 'How does this group understand and do things?' → ethnography
- 'How and why did this happen in this setting?' → case study
- 'How do people story their experience over time?' → narrative inquiry
Sample size in qualitative designs
Qualitative samples are chosen for depth and relevance, not statistical representativeness. IPA studies may involve a handful of participants; grounded theory continues until categories are theoretically saturated; case studies are sized by cases and data sources. Committees still expect a rationale. We help you explain yours using the logic of your approach and concepts such as information power, and to plan how you will monitor adequacy during fieldwork.
Aligning analysis with approach
Each approach carries analytic expectations. Grounded theory implies open, focused or axial, and theoretical coding; IPA implies idiographic case-by-case analysis before cross-case themes; ethnography involves thick description and interpretation of practice. If you plan reflexive thematic analysis, that is fine, but frame the methodology honestly. Our grounded theory coding and other qualitative analysis services can support the analysis stage.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Illustrative example: newly qualified teachers in rural schools
A fictional doctoral student wanted to study how newly qualified teachers adapt to rural schools. Her proposal called the study 'phenomenological case study grounded theory'. Details are invented.
Clarifying the question
Discussion showed her main interest was the process of adaptation over the first year and what shapes it. That pointed to constructivist grounded theory rather than phenomenology.
Aligned design
The revised design used initial purposive sampling of eight teachers across four schools, then theoretical sampling of head teachers and mentors as categories developed. Two interview rounds, memo-writing and constant comparison were planned, with a reflexive journal because the student had taught in a rural school herself.
Illustrative example with invented details; not a real client or study.
What you’ll need to provide
- Your research topic, question and aims
- Your proposal draft, if you have one, and supervisor feedback
- Information about access to participants, sites or documents
- Your time frame and any language or travel constraints
- Your department's expectations on paradigm or methodology
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- How developed your question and proposal already are
- Complexity of the design, such as multiple case studies or multi-site ethnography
- Whether sampling, data collection and rigor plans are all included
- Number of review rounds on your methodology draft
Turnaround depends on
- Time for you and your supervisor to agree the approach
- Clarity of access arrangements to sites and participants
- Length of any methodology draft for review
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Do I need to state my ontology and epistemology?
Most doctoral programs and many master's programs expect it. It explains why you chose your approach and how you judge quality. We help you understand the positions so you can write about yours accurately, not just name them.
Is thematic analysis a methodology?
Thematic analysis is usually described as a method of analysis rather than a full methodology. It can be used within several designs, including generic qualitative description. What matters is that your design description is consistent and honest.
How many interviews should I do?
It depends on the approach, how specific your participants are and the depth of each interview. We help you set a planned range with a justification and a way of judging adequacy as you go.
Can you help me with interview questions too?
Yes. Once the design is set, we can develop interview or focus group guides aligned with it through our protocol design support.
Will you write my methodology chapter?
No. We help you design the study and understand the choices, and can review your draft for coherence. You write the chapter.