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Chapter 15

Methods

- What was done?

- Who did it?

- What hypotheses?

- Where was the study carried?

- What characteristics did the location have?

- How was the experiment designed?

- Sampling

- What variable(s) was measured and why?

- Assumptions

- How were materials/subjects handle/ house/treated (care, precautions taken)?

- Equipment

- Protocol

- Analyses

- Statistical procedures

- Mathematical equations

- Software

- Statistical Significance

- Saving time (Referencing others’ procedures)

- Difficulties

- Comparisons of methods to others

- How to justify aims and choices?

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- It’s somebody else’s method

- What was done and justify choice

Describe the methods section in a logical order to enable readers to easily follow what

you did (possibility of replication).

How should I begin the methods section?

- It depends on the target Journal. (a) Making a general statement (b) Referring to other investigation

(c) Stating the origin of materials used (d) Origin of subjects

(e) Geographical area of the investigation (f) By using a table (g) First step in the procedure

What tense should I use? Should I use the active or passive?

- Simple past tense and the passive voice.

How many actions can I refer to in a single sentence?

- Up to two actions in a sentence

How can I avoid my methods like a series of lists?

- Do not make it as a PP.

- Use a narrative.

Can I use bullets?

- It’s necessary to number bullets if each bullet describes a step that is part of a

chronological sequence.

How can I reduce the word count?

- Combine sentences

- Assume readers possess basic knowledge of the techniques (delete superfluous

information).

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- Cite references

- Use tables to summarize

- Be concise

How should I designate my study parameters in a way that my readers do not have to constantly

refer backwards?

- Name/number the procedures

- Use names of the process

- Use acronym

Should I describe everything in chronological order?

- Not necessarily

- Present information in a way to make sense

Summary: How can I assess the quality of my methods section?

- Have I described my methods in a way that is easy for readers to follow and which

would enable them to replicate my work? Have I ensured that I have covered every

step? Is my structure clear and complete?

- Have I been as concise as possible? Have I used references to previous works rather

than repeating descriptions that readers could easily find elsewhere?

- Do the individual sentences in each paragraph contain too many, too few, or just the

right manageable number of steps? Have I assured that my sentences don’t sound like

lists?

- Have I thought about the way readers prefer to receive information (no ambiguity, no

back referencing, everything in a chronological order, headings, bullets)?

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- Have I checked the grammar (infinitive, gerund, allow, thus etc.) with regard to how I

outline how and why I made certain choices?