How to Write a Methods Section: Design, Sample, Instruments, Analysis

The methods section describes your study clearly enough for someone else to repeat it. After reading it, the reader should know exactly what you did, with whom and how you analysed it.

1. Research design

State the type of study and why you chose it:

• Quantitative: survey, correlational, causal-comparative, experimental/quasi-experimental
• Qualitative: phenomenology, case study, grounded theory, ethnography
• Mixed methods: explanatory sequential, exploratory sequential, convergent

Example: "A correlational survey design was used to examine the relationships between the variables."

2. Population and sample (participants)

• Define the population: whom does the study aim to generalise to?
• State the sampling method: random, stratified, convenience, purposive, etc.
• Justify the sample size.
• Present participant characteristics in a table.

Qualitative studies usually speak of "participants" or a "study group" rather than a "sample".

3. Instruments

For each instrument, report:

• Name and who developed or adapted it
• Number of items and subscales, scoring
• Validity and reliability (e.g. Cronbach’s alpha in the original study and in your sample)
• That permission to use the scale was obtained

If you developed your own questionnaire or interview protocol, describe how (expert review, pilot study).

4. Procedure

Explain when, where and how data were collected: in person or online, duration, how participants were informed. State the ethics approval date and number.

5. Data analysis

• Software used
• How assumptions (normality, homogeneity of variance) were checked
• Which analysis was used for each research question or hypothesis
• Significance level (usually .05)

For qualitative work, describe coding, theme development and measures taken for trustworthiness.

Common mistakes

• Naming the design without justifying it
• Reporting reliability only from the original study
• Not matching analyses to research questions
• Reporting results in the methods section

Methods with Academiana

When you choose a quantitative, qualitative or mixed approach in Academiana, the roadmap adapts — qualitative studies get a "Participants" section instead of "Population and sample". The assistant can write the section with subheadings, the "Method suggestions" action compares options with pros and cons, and "Ethics documents" drafts an application text and consent form.