Build a thesis.
Talk it through.

Methodology Match is a card game for people designing research. Everyone builds a thesis about the same object of study, then the table discusses whether each design holds together. Nobody scores points. Reviewer 2 not included.

How to playBrowse the cards

What you build

A thesis is a chain of four choices, each answering a question. Every card says which positions it fits and which it pulls against, so the argument is on the table.

How it plays

1. Draw a cardFrom the Positions deck, the Toolkit deck, or the discard pile. Hands are face-up, so everyone can read and help.
2. Play one or discard oneAdd a card to your thesis, or give one up. That is the whole turn.
3. Talk it throughWhen a thesis is complete, everyone reads theirs out and the table discusses what fits, what is in tension, and what each design cannot see.

2–4 players or teams · 20–30 minutes · no card-game experience needed · 72 cards

Who it is for

Doctoral and master’s researchers, especially in the arts, design, humanities and social sciences, and the people who teach them research methods. The cards also work as flashcards: name on the back, definition on the front. Scan the QR code on any card to reach its page here.

Made by Harry Whalley.