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method

Definitions of Method

  1. (noun) A systematic way to do something.
  2. (noun) A process, technique or tool for collecting or analyzing data.

Examples of Method

Method Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: meth·od

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /mEth-uhd/
  • British English – /mE-thuhd/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈmɛθəd/
  • British English – /ˈmɛθəd/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: methods
  • Not to be confused with methodology.
  • Methodological pluralism refers to the idea that there is no single preferred research method and that a multitude of methods is beneficial.
  • Also called:
    • research method
    • research technique
  • An (noun) methodologist uses (adjective) methodologic or (adjective) methodologistic or (adjective) methodological ideas (adverb) methodologically.

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References

Colignon, Richard A. 1969. “The Sociology of Organization.” Pp. 179–88 in 21st Century Sociology: A Reference Handbook, edited by C. D. Bryant, and D. L. Peck. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2008. Sociology: The Core. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Kendall, Diana. 2006. Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Works Consulted

Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

O’Leary, Zina. 2007. The Social Science Jargon Buster: The Key Terms You Need to Know. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Method

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “method.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/method/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

method. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/method/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “method.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/method/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“method.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/method/>.