Metamethod

For convenience, when specifically discussing background ideas that ground methods, we will use the term metamethods. […] Theories are about the empirical phenomena in a specific subject area, and methods are the procedures used to generate or capture these phenomena; by contrast, metatheories and metamethods are about the theories and methods themselves.

The primary function of metatheory—including metamethod—is to provide a rich source of concepts out of which theories and methods emerge.