Writing an Effective Materials and Methods Section in Your Research

1. Begin writing the Materials and Methods while you are

performing your experiments.
2. Start with general information that applies to the entire
manuscript and then move on to specific experimental details.
3. Match the order in which methods are described to the order of
the results that were generated using those methods
4. Always include citations for procedures that have been
described previously
5. Describe statistical tests as fully as possible
6. Avoid discussing the pros and cons of certain methods or results
of any kind
7. To save space, be concise, yet thorough, when listing the
equipment, you used.

• This should be the easiest section to write.

• Order your procedures chronologically or by type of
procedure and then chronologically within type of procedure
using sub-headings,
• Use the past tense and the third person to describe what you
did.
• Describe your experimental design clearly,
• Explain why each procedure was done.
• Identify the source of any specific type of equipment,
• Describe in detail any modifications to equipment or
equipment constructed specifically for the study
• Precisely quantify measurements
• Describe the dates and the site where your field study was
conducted
• Identify treatments using the variable or treatment name,
• Mention the approval for the study by the relevant ethics
committee(s) and the informed consent of the subjects.
• Describe statistical tests and the comparisons made
• Show your Materials and Methods section to a colleague and
ask whether they would have difficulty in repeating your
study.
Writing the Results
1. Graphs, Tables, or Photographs
Observations derived from the application of your methodology are
best presented using tables and graphs, which offer objective
representations of your measurements. Numbers provide more
definite approximations of reality compared to words, which can be
subjective and prone to misunderstanding.
1. Consistency in Units: Maintain uniformity in your units
of measurement throughout your paper. If you begin with
kilograms (kg), use kg consistently to avoid confusion.
2. Honest Reporting: Present your measurement outcomes
truthfully. Do not manipulate the data, regardless of
whether the results are expected or unexpected. Both
positive and negative results contribute to the integrity of
your research.
3. Relevance of Photographs: Include photographs only if
they add value to your presentation. Ensure they are
relevant and not just added to showcase photography
skills. While good photography can enhance your
presentation, it should always serve a purpose related to
your research.
4. Detail-Oriented Presentation: Provide as much detail as
possible in your results. Carefully review your
statements for clarity, and consider having a colleague
review them for additional precision.
2. Topic sentences or subheadings
the first subheading will be about objective one, the second
subheading about objective two, and so on. Notice that in writing
this article, it is an easy read to have a subheading for every major
thought. This makes for easy reading thus understanding. And the
writing becomes logical

3. Key results
Your key results should be stated clearly at the beginning of each
paragraph. It should serve as the topic sentence. Support that
statement with more detail such as presenting the results of statistical
analysis.
Discussion and conclusion

1. Always try to structure your Discussion chapter from the ‘specific’

to the ‘general’: expand and transition from the narrow confines of
your study to the general framework of your discipline

2. Make a consistent effort to stick with the same general tone of the
introduction. This means using the same key terms, the same tense,
and the same point of view as used in your introduction.

3. Start by rewriting your research questions and re-stating your

hypothesis (if any) that you previously posed in your introduction.
Then declare the answers to your research questions – make
sure to support these answers with the findings of your dissertation
.
4. Continue by explaining how your results relate to the expectations
of your study and to literature.
Clearly explain why these results are acceptable and how they
consistently fit in with previously
published knowledge about the subject. Be sure to use relevant
citations.

5. Make sure to give the proper attention for all the results relating to
your research questions, this is regardless of whether or not the findings
were statistically significant.

6. Don’t forget to tell your audience about the patterns, principles, and
key relationships shown by each of your major findings and then put
them into perspective. The sequencing of this information is important:
1) state the answer, 2) show the relevant results and 3) cite the work of
credible sources. When necessary, point the audience to figures and/or
graphs to ‘enhance’ your argument.

7. Make sure to defend your answers. Try to do so in two ways: by

explaining the validity of your answer and by showing the
shortcomings of others’ answers. You will make your point of view
more convincing if you give both sides to the argument.
8. Also make sure to identify conflicting data in your work. Make a
good point of discussing and evaluating any conflicting explanations of
your results. This is an effective way to win over your audience and
make them sympathetic to any true knowledge your study might have
to offer.

9. Make sure to include a discussion of any unexpected findings. When

doing this, begin with a paragraph about the finding and then describe
it. Also identify potential limitations and weaknesses inherent in your
study. Then comment on the importance of these limitations to the
interpretation of your findings and how they may impact their validity.
Do not use an apologetic tone in this section. Every study has
limitations.

10. Conduct a brief summary of the principal implications of your

findings (do this regardless of any statistical significance). Make sure
to provide 1-2 recommendations for potential research in the future.

11. Show how the results of your study and their conclusions are
significant and how they impact our understanding of the problem(s)
that your dissertation examines.

12. On a final note, discuss everything this is relevant but be brief,

specific, and to the point.

• Topic sentence
o Fresh rephrasing of thesis statement
• Supporting sentences
o Summarize or wrap up the main points in the body of the essay o
Explain how ideas fit together
• Closing sentence
o Final words
o Connects back to the introduction o Provides a sense of closure
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