Writing the Methods Section

1
Writing the Methods Section

• Describing in detail how the Study was conducted

2
Purpose for the Methods Section

• Enables reader to judge validity of the results
• Enables replication by others
• Establishes parameters to understand the
  conclusion

3
Dividing this Section using labeled subsections

• Describe the participants or subjects
• Describe the apparatus (or materials)
• Describe the procedure

4
Subjects

• Include the total number of participants
• List appropriate demographic information (age,
  gender, race, etc.)
• Describe selection and recruitment process

5
Subjects

• Report characteristics, even if they arent
  analytic variables
• Report any who did not complete the experiment,
  and explain why
• Include payments made

6
Materials (or Apparatus)

• List materials used except standard laboratory
  equipment
• Describe new instruments accurately
• Establish credibility of each measure by citing
  other studies

7
Procedure

• Summarize each step of the execution of the
  research
• Describe what it was like to be a participant
• Summarize instructions given to the participants

8
Procedure

• Summarize what the participants did
• Be accurate and concise
• Tell what you did and how you did it in
  sufficient detail so that a reader could
  replicate your study

9
Validity and Reliability

• The data that supports the reliability and
  validity of your findings can either be found in
  the Methods section or the Results section
• Choose carefully which section to insert this
  information into your narrative

10
Hints

• Dont make evaluative statements (those belong
  in the Discussion)
• Modify the IRB version to create this section
• Use past tense

11
More hints

• Be accurate and concise
• Refer to R19 to R21 for insights
• Give your readers a feel for what it was like to
  be a participant

12
Labels

• Use variable names with easily recognized labels
• Dont use abbreviations or empty labels
• Only discuss participant dropout if it might
  affect the validity or interpretation of results

13
Ethical Issues

• If you kept participants uninformed or
  misinformed, how did you tell them afterwards?
• Be prepared to justify your procedures

14
End of Methods Section

• End with a brief summary of your procedure and
  its overall purpose
• Your grandmother should be able to skim the
  method section without reading it
• The final paragraph should bring your
  grandmother back online (Bem)