After your topic, objectives and hypotheses have been approved; the next step is to decide the research methodology. Here you will need to make sure that your data collected method is appropriate for the type of data that you need for your research.

Below mentioned are few common techniques that are used for data collection of dissertation researches.

DATA COLLECTION METHODOLOGY TECHNIQUES

• Survey Questionnaires:
  The questionnaire survey methodology is mostly used for quantitative research and they are often designed with rating scales and checklist so that it is simple for the respondents to fill the form.
  Two most used questionnaires forms are:
  • Paper and pencil based questionnaires:
    This is the easiest and the most used method for collection of data as all you need are photocopies of your questionnaire along with a few pencils that will be sent via mail. They can also give you a very accurate data if the name of the respondent is kept anonymous. The only disadvantage they serve is that sometimes people might not return the questionnaires back which will affect your selected sample size.
  • Web based questionnaires:
    This is the latest development in the world of research due to technology. It is also one of the cheapest ways to collect data as you can design the form on the computer and send it to the respondents over the internet via email. Its disadvantage is that this method eliminates the sample respondents who do not have access to the internet or computers.
• Interviews:
  If you are conducting a qualitative research then the best way to gather data for you is through interviews.
  Below mentioned are a few types of interviews:
  • Face To Face Interviews:
    This is the best way to conduct qualitative research and to establish a rapport with your respondent. It also enables you to judge respondents reaction and make observations of your own.
  • Telephonic Interviews:
    Here, interview is conducted over the telephone. This is another cheap way to conduct research but can often be quite unreliable as people may not respond to phone calls. This method is still better than the mailed questionnaires technique.
  • Computer Assisted Personal Interview:
    This is the latest development in the interviewing techniques and is a combination of face to face interviews with computers. The researcher here will bring a computer or laptop with him and update the answers as they are responded by the respondent. This can be an expensive and unreliable technique as data can be lost if not saved properly.
• Focus Groups:
  A focus group can be defined as a carefully planned discussion between eight to twelve individuals who do not know each other. The respondents are carefully chosen because they have certain traits that are needed for that research. Focus groups are conducted by trained interviewers who want to analyze and observe certain trends by surrounding the respondents in a non-threatening and honest manner.
• Observations:
  This method is used to study non verbal communication i.e. gestures, activities, behaviors and decisions. For this the researcher must be a trained observed and focused on the activity. This technique is mostly used in the subjects of psychology and physiology.

In conclusion, choose the technique that will gain you the most accurate type of result and start the process.