Methodology

In practice — medical research context

When this role applies

Encoding

Use in your systems

<role vocab="credit"
      vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/credit"
      vocab-term="Methodology"
      vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology" />

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "DefinedTerm",
  "@id": "https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology",
  "name": "Methodology",
  "identifier": "https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology",
  "description": "Development or design of methodology; creation of models.",
  "inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/credit",
  "url": "https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "bibliographicCitation": "CASRAI Editorial Board (2026). Methodology — CRediT contributor role (v2022.1). CASRAI. https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology",
  "citation": "https://casrai.org/credit/citation",
  "dateModified": "2022-08-01",
  "version": "2022.1",
  "inLanguage": "en",
  "audience": {
    "@type": "Audience",
    "audienceType": "Researchers, editors, publishers, librarians"
  }
}

<contributor sequence="additional" contributor_role="author">
  <given_name>Jane</given_name>
  <surname>Doe</surname>
  <ORCID>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-XXXX-XXXX</ORCID>
  <credit_roles>
    <credit_role vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology">Methodology</credit_role>
  </credit_roles>
</contributor>

Identifiers

Persistent identifiers

Frequently asked

Common questions about Methodology

What does the "Methodology" CRediT role mean?

Development or design of methodology; creation of models.

How do I cite "Methodology" in an author contribution statement?

Per ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022, list the contributor's name followed by their CRediT role(s). Example: "A. Smith — Methodology". You can add an optional degree qualifier (lead / equal / supporting) when several authors share a role. See CASRAI's author-statement guidance at https://casrai.org/credit/for-authors for templates and worked examples.

What is the canonical machine-readable URI for "Methodology"?

The canonical URI is https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology. Use this in JATS XML (vocab-term-identifier), Crossref deposits (credit_role), JSON-LD (sameAs), and any system that stores contributor metadata. CASRAI's encoding guides cover JATS, Crossref Schema 5.5, and JSON-LD at https://casrai.org/credit/jats and https://casrai.org/credit/json-ld.

Can one author hold "Methodology" plus other CRediT roles?

Yes — CRediT roles are not mutually exclusive. A single contributor typically holds 3–4 roles. The optional "lead / equal / supporting" qualifier clarifies the contributor's relative responsibility within each role they share with others.

Cite this role

Cite the Methodology role

These citations reference this specific role page as a standards-body definition aligned with ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022. For guidance on citing CRediT generally, the underlying standard, or worked statement examples, see How to cite CRediT.

CASRAI Editorial Board (2026). Methodology — CRediT contributor role (v2022.1). CASRAI. https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology

CASRAI Editorial Board. Methodology — CRediT contributor role [Internet]. CASRAI; 2026 [cited 2026]. Version v2022.1. Available from: https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology

CASRAI Editorial Board. 2026. "Methodology — CRediT contributor role." Version v2022.1. CASRAI. https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology.

@misc{casrai_credit_methodology_2026,
  author       = {{CASRAI Editorial Board}},
  title        = {{Methodology — CRediT contributor role}},
  year         = {2026},
  version      = {v2022.1},
  publisher    = {CASRAI},
  howpublished = {\url{https://casrai.org/credit/roles/methodology}},
  note         = {Aligned with ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022. Licensed CC-BY 4.0.}
}

Notable examples

Papers exemplifying the Methodology role

These published papers demonstrate the Methodology CRediT role in practice. Each example links to its DOI and explains why the role applies.

1. Example 1 of 4

   A Rapid Method for Determining Sequences in DNA by Primed Synthesis with DNA Polymerase

   Sanger, F., & Coulson, A. R. · 1975 · Journal of Molecular Biology · vol. 94 · pp. 441-448

   DOI: 10.1016/0022-2836(75)90213-2

   The chain-termination DNA sequencing methodology paper. Sanger and Coulson developed a new technique — primed synthesis with controlled chain termination — that defined a generation of molecular biology before next-generation sequencing. The paper's entire contribution is the development of methodology: the model and protocol that enabled tens of thousands of downstream studies. This is the canonical shape of CRediT Methodology.

2. Example 2 of 4

   Specific Enzymatic Amplification of DNA In Vitro: The Polymerase Chain Reaction

   Mullis, K., Faloona, F., Scharf, S., Saiki, R., Horn, G., & Erlich, H. · 1986 · Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology · vol. 51 · pp. 263-273

   DOI: 10.1101/SQB.1986.051.01.032

   The methodology paper for PCR — the polymerase chain reaction. The Nobel-prize-winning contribution is purely methodological: an iterative enzymatic amplification protocol that made trace-level DNA analysis routine in research and clinical practice. PCR is the canonical case study for why CRediT Methodology is its own role: a new technique that transforms what other roles can subsequently accomplish.

3. Example 3 of 4

   Basic Local Alignment Search Tool

   Altschul, S. F., Gish, W., Miller, W., Myers, E. W., & Lipman, D. J. · 1990 · Journal of Molecular Biology · vol. 215 · pp. 403-410

   DOI: 10.1016/S0022-2836(05)80360-2

   BLAST is both a methodology paper and a software paper, but it is paradigmatic as Methodology: the authors design a heuristic algorithm for biological-sequence database search that defines how the field would conduct similarity analysis for decades. The intellectual contribution is the methodology — the local-alignment heuristic — distinct from the later software implementations that brought it to the bench.

4. Example 4 of 4

   QIIME Allows Analysis of High-Throughput Community Sequencing Data

   Caporaso, J. G., Kuczynski, J., Stombaugh, J., Bittinger, K., Bushman, F. D., Costello, E. K., et al. · 2010 · Nature Methods · vol. 7 · pp. 335-336

   DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.f.303

   A foundational methodology paper for microbial-community analysis. The QIIME pipeline defined the standard workflow for 16S rRNA studies and was cited by tens of thousands of downstream investigations. The paper's contribution is the methodology and integrated protocol, not the underlying primary biology — exactly the kind of work that CRediT Methodology is designed to make attributable.

Examples curated by the CASRAI editorial board. Inclusion is illustrative of the role, not an endorsement of methodology or claims. Pre-CRediT-era papers are flagged illustrative.

Translations

Available in

The canonical, normative version of Methodology is this English page (ANSI/NISO Z39.104-2022). Community-drafted translations are available below for working reference; the English text prevails in case of any divergence.

• English (canonical)en-GB
• Méthodologie(Français)fr
• Metodología(Español)es
• Metodologia(Português)pt-BR
• 方法学(中文)zh
• 方法論(日本語)ja

All translations are community drafts. CRediT has not been officially translated by NISO.

Dictionary

Related CASRAI Dictionary terms

The Methodology role connects to these CASRAI Dictionary terms — the controlled-vocabulary concepts a contributor in this role typically works with. Each links to its canonical definition with worked examples and machine-readable encodings.

Adoption

Who collects Methodology — by publisher

The Methodology role is collected by the major publishers that have adopted CRediT portfolio-wide. See how each implements the taxonomy in their submission systems:

Related

Continue with CRediT