When you present your methodology strategy (simple or composite) you are supposed to say precisely how your own data gathering will take place and with what intent. See more on this in the field work page.

An Experiment is a typical methodology strategy for quantitative methodologies. It demands that the influence of the environment is negligeable. The variables not mentioned in the hypothesis should remain constant during the experiment(s). You observe that an experiment is a methodology strategy, experimentalism is an epistemology and experimentalist is a researcher upholding that epistemology.

A Construction is a methodology strategy used often in technical dissertations but is not necessarily restricted to these. More often than not in our cases a piece of software or the like made by the researcher is introduced in a testing environment, be that testing environment technical or social scientific.

Diary usually does not suffice as a methodology strategy but can accompany in a triangulation other methodology strategies. The diary has to be as precise, clear and to-the-point as possible. I even dare say that subjectivity should be avoided as much as humanly possible while being aware that the success in this endeavour is by its very nature limited. The goal of keeping a diary is to be able to analyse it later on by usual texual means.

The interview is one of the most common ways of gathering data. The most important matter you should care about is not to bias the interviewee in any way by the individual questions, by the sequence of questions or by your personal appearance or demeanour. Interview questions can be closed, open or in some intermediate state. Introducing and closing the interview is absolutely necessary, so that the interviewee is reassured about the terms of the interview.

In-depth interview is a variation of interview from which much more data can be drawn out and analysed, so that much less interviewees are needed. Only experienced and/or talented interviewers should consider this methodology strategy.

The questionnaire difers from the interview mainly by the way of administration. It is not face-to-face and has the advantage that it can be administered to more persons. On the other side a higher proportion of these are likely not the bother to fill in the questionnaire, ancillary information might get lost and misunderstandings are more likely.