Is There an Emperor in the New Clothes?—Research Methods

When doing research, nearly all the students in the humanities and social sciences are obsessed with “methodology” and “methods,” as if the so-called research methods were some kind of panacea or a magic weapon on which degree theses and dissertations are based, while those qualities of research seemingly unattainable yet enviable, such as rigor, scientific orientation, and logic, supposedly manifest themselves through “methods.” Is it indeed the case? Talking about research methods, we should relate a story published in a foreign academic journal many years ago.