Writing... the method

The fourth in a series of practical guides about academic writing for a dissertation or publication in a peer reviewed journal. This article defines what a materials and methods section comprises and discusses the requirements of the methodology in a dissertation.

Introduction

Writing a materials and method section and a mediodology has to be undertaken thoroughly and with sufficient detail so that other workers can replicate die work in their own setting to see whether it gives rise to similar results ' .

Write up your method in the past tense and use a passive voice - many autiiorities believe that this makes die writing less personal and more scientific, ie, not 'we added two mis of saline' but 'two mis of saline were added'1**. Also, some advocate die use of the third person, promoting it as scientific, while others prefer the use of die first person, claiming that this is equally scientific5. Consequently, it is worth checking with your supervisor or the journal to which you are submitting.

There are two broad categories of research: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative research is a systematic, scientific, empirical investigation of a phenomenon, collecting data that can be 'quantified' ie, that can be analysed statistically. Quatitative research typically uses a flexible research design, investigating phenomena in depth and holistically, typically through the collection of rich narrative materials.

For example, to investigate issues around drug addiction, a qualitative approach would be interested in the 'why' and 'how' of die behaviour, while a quantitative approach would collect figures relating to the 'what, 'where' and 'when' of drug abuse7.

Writing a methodology for quantitative research is a contested area, with both differences and similarities in the philosophies adopted regarding die mediodology and thus analysing data6, eg, mixed mediods, ethnographic, and feminist. Readers using a qualitative approach are advised to read more widely in this area.

The sample in quantitative research tends to be random, ie, the selection of the sample is such diat each member of die population has equal probability of being selected* or case controlled, ie, a non experimental research design involving the comparison of 'cases' and matched controls6,8,9. This sort of research lends itself to statistical analysis.

Sampling in qualitative research tends to be purposive, ie, a...