Now that I have framed my research within a predominantly social-science perspective I will move on to what kind of methods that I have been using in my research. My research takes place within a broader research network, so the research methodology is largely established. The methods I use is similar to what others in this research and development network have used previously. There are some differences, however, because I am not primarily researching the introduction of a health information system in a country or region. I am primarily researching the use of FLOSS in the context of HISP and Ethiopia. The cornerstone methodology of the HISP network is action research, this will also be my cornerstone methodology. This methodology will be applied within case studies.
In this chapter I will first explain the methodology I will rely on and then I will move on to how I will apply this methodology in my research setting. At the end of the chapter I will identify some limitations with my research approach.