1.5 Methodology and methods of research

Specifically, the scientific methodology with its procedures deals with techniques, regulations, standards, articulates the principles, methods of concrete scientific activities, describes and justifies them. For example, they are methods of automata synthesis, methods of Boolean function minimization and the like.

The second level of the methodology reasoning is the general scientific methodology as the study of the principles, methods and forms of knowledge that operate in many sciences, which correspond to their subject and object of research. They are, for example, the methods of empirical research: observations, measure­ments, experiments, general logical methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, analogy, deduction, etc., as well as forms of knowledge as concepts and laws, hypotheses, and theories.

Method (from Greek metodos) in the broadest sense is "the path to something," the way of research, the path of knowledge, theory, doctrine, conscious way to achieve a certain result, the implementation of certain activities, specific tasks. It acts as a set of specific rules, methods, techniques, standards of knowledge and action. It is a system of regulations, guidelines, requirements. It orients the subject in solving specific problems, achieving a certain result in a certain field of activity.

The method is a tool for solving the main task of science, which means the discovery of the objective laws of reality. The method determines the need for and application of induction and deduction, analysis and synthesis, abstraction, formalization, simulation, comparison of theoretical and experimental studies.

Methodology is a type of research activities, which is aimed at the study, improvement and construction of the methods.

The term "methodology" has two basic meanings:

1) it is a defined system of rules and principles of operations used in a particular field of activity;

2) it is a system of teaching rules, a general theory of methods.

There are methodological notions and concepts of varying degrees of elaboration and constructivity, and different levels of comprehensiveness. They are general scientific methodology, methodology of science at the interdisciplinary level, methodology of the individual sciences.

The methodology features are:

— coordinating,

— integrating,

— heuristic.

Technique is a fixed set of practice methods, which leads to a predetermined result. The technique plays a significant role in the empirical studies (observational and experimental). In contrast to the method, the technique does not consider the theoretical prove of the scientific result. It concentrates on the technical side of the experiment, the process of designing, developing and researcher action regulation.

1.6 General scientific methods of research

In the structure of the scientific methods the following three levels are:

— methods of empirical research,

— methods of theoretical knowledge,

• general logical methods and techniques of research.