Hello Osei Yaw Akoto,

Genrally speaking, the corpus-based methodology essentially involves a deductive approach in which a given corpus acts as a catalyst helping to confirm or refute a pre-existing theoretical construct.  In other words, it tends to test the truth or falsity of a given hypothesis against a carefully chosen corpus data. By contrast, the corpus-driven approach is inductive in that it chooses a targeted corpus and through  cyclical  analysis and interpretation of the corpus data , it tends to generalize a rule or  some kind of theory. Finally, when the research circumstances allow for both corpus based and corpus driven analyses, the researcher may hybridize both approaches combining the merits of deduction and induction at the same time.

Best of luck,

R. Biria

Colleagues, thanks for your submissions. But the emphasis of my question is on WHEN. Do you determine the Corpus-basedness, drivenness, or hybridity of a study at the beginning middle or end.  So can I start a 'corpus-based' study and conclude that it has corpus-driven features, or...

Well, Dear Osei Yaw Akoto,

I want to believe that from the start, a study would have objectives/aims and so one should be clear in his/her mind what kind(s) of data one needs and what methods to be adopted, etc. Thus, it should be fairly clear from the start or immediately thereafter whether the study is going to be corpus-based or corpus driven. However, I can imagine that one may set out to do a corpus-based study but end up with what may be properly classified as a corpus-driven study (possibly stemming from a misunderstanding of the difference between the two) and a reviewer/editor may call the attention to an author to this. In that case, I suggest that you look at the reference provided up there which I copy here for convenience. 

Best wishes

CKIA

Biber, Douglas. "Corpus-Based and Corpus-driven Analyses of Language Variation and Use." The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis. : Oxford University Press, 2009-12-17. Oxford Handbooks Online. 2012-09-18. Date Accessed 10 Jul. 2017 ;

When is as study described corpus-based, corpus-driven or hybrid?. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/post/When_is_as_study_described_corpus-based_corpus-driven_or_hybrid [accessed Jul 13, 2017].

Prof. Clement Kwamina Insaidoo Appah, thanks for the insightful submission. It's very deep, and I think, CONCLUSIVE. 

Corpus-based if your methodology is based on corpus linguistics and corpus-driven if you base your study on corpus linguistics as a THEORY and not as a mere methodology! Hybrid if you hold an in between position!