How to write the materials & Methods

The methods section is part of the research proposal/paper that describes the methods used to collect the data It appears rights after the introduction The methods should be detailed enough for any researcher to be able to replicate the study from reading the method section It allows the reader to understand how the data was collected and to judge for themselves if the methods were good Make sure to include Who was the subject of the study? What was done in the study? What were the controls used? How was the study performed? How were the results analyzed? Ethical concerns

The method section contains several components Participants Who or what was in the study Explain what organisms were used in the experiment Was research conducted on humans, animals, plants, bacteria? Give details that are important to know for the experiment

Measures/Materials What measures were used (surveys, tests, interviews, etc.) Were physical characteristics measured? (height, weight, hair color, etc.) What materials were used (lab equipment, facilities, etc.) Measures are important because they are the source of your data All the results rest on whether or not the measures are adequate Describing how the measures were obtained helps the reader judge whether the results are valid or not Measures include the following elements Variable being measured How many items were measured (sample size) How the items were scored What the higher and lower scores mean Research supporting the reliability of the measure

Procedure What happened in the study The steps of the experiment in detail

The first step in writing the materials and methods is to list all of the materials that will be/or are used in the research project Remember to be as specific as possible when listing the materials used Materials needs to be detailed so another researcher may replicate the research project Example: 12 mung bean seeds 6 planting pots 1lb. bag of Miracle Grow garden soil Distilled water

The second step is to list out all of the steps taken from the moment the materials were collected to the end of the experiment (Ms. Cheung will be purchasing all your materials. You do not need to spend your own money.) Example: Materials were bought Two mung bean seeds added in each pot Just in case one seed does not sprout, the second seed is back up Water with 1 cup of distilled water After seed sprout, cut off one seed Only one plant will be used in measurements

The third step is to take the list of materials and the list of methods and combine them into complete sentences All of the materials were purchased from Home Depot in Alhambra, CA on January 6, 2017. Two mung bean seeds were plotted per pot (in case one seed failed to sprout) with 1 cup of Miracle Grow garden soil. Each pot was watered with 1 cup of distilled water. After 4 days, the mung bean seeds began to sprout. If both seeds sprouted, one plant was cut at the base of the soil so that only one seed was used in the measurements.