eHow.com
July 21
Writing an accurate and complete methods report is imperative to research. An experimenter’s study methods play a large part in establishing her credibility, and a study’s merit is often based on its replicability. A study cannot be deemed valid if it cannot be repeated by another researcher, so explicit methods are necessary to the peer review process and the expansion of scientific knowledge. To write a comprehensive methods report, take notes throughout the experiment. Detail procedures and measurements so you have a record to reference later.
Step 1
Describe the participants or subjects of the study. When working with human participants, list relevant demographics -- including age, race and sex. Any characteristic that has an impact on the study should be included, and selection criteria is a helpful addition as well. If the experiment studied nonhuman specimens, describe those thoroughly.
Step 2
List the instruments and materials used in the experiment. Any equipment or software used to conduct the experiment or surveys and tests conducted should be described in depth.
Step 3
Describe the procedure step-by-step and in chronological order so the experiment can be replicated precisely. This includes a description of the experimental design and assignment of participants to conditions. Also, identify the variables tested -- including independent, dependent and control variables.
Step 4
In a formal report, the methods section is followed by the results and an analysis of the data. In the analysis, list any problems that occurred in the experiment and how these can be handled by future researchers.
Resources and References
Purdue Online Writing Lab; Writing the Experimental Report: Methods, Results and Discussion; Dana Lynn Driscoll
Writing @ CSU: Methods -- Five Steps
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