How to Write the Methods Section of a Scientific Article
The Methods section explains clearly and transparently how a study was conducted. After reading this section, readers should be able to understand the research design, study population or data source, data collection procedures, and analytical approach.
A well-written Methods section makes the scientific quality of the research easier to evaluate and, where appropriate, provides enough information for the study to be understood or reproduced under comparable conditions.
What Should Be Included in the Methods Section?
The content of the Methods section varies according to study design. However, most studies should describe the following where applicable:
- Research design
- Study setting and period
- Population, sample, study group, or data source
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
- Data collection instruments or materials
- Data collection procedures
- Analytical methods
- Software used
- Ethics approval and informed consent, where required
Recommended Structure of the Methods Section
Original research articles may use the following structure:
- 2.1. Study Design
- 2.2. Population and Sample / Study Group
- 2.3. Data Collection Instruments / Materials
- 2.4. Data Collection Procedure
- 2.5. Data Analysis
- 2.6. Ethical Considerations
These headings are not mandatory for every study. The structure may be adapted according to the research design and established reporting practices of the relevant discipline.
1. Describe the Research Design
Begin by clearly identifying the overall design of the study. State whether the research is quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal, retrospective, prospective, methodological, or based on another recognized design.
Where necessary, briefly explain why the selected design was appropriate for the research question.
Example: This cross-sectional correlational study examined the relationship between X and Y among university students.
2. Describe the Population and Sample
Clearly state who, what units, or which data sources were included in the study.
For quantitative studies, the following information should be reported where relevant:
- Target population
- Sample size
- Sampling method
- Key participant characteristics
- Inclusion criteria
- Exclusion criteria
- How the sample size was determined
If sample size was determined through power analysis, population-based calculation, previous literature, or another scientific approach, the method should be explained.
3. Describe the Study Group in Qualitative Research
In qualitative studies, reporting only the number of participants is generally insufficient. Authors should explain how participants were selected, which sampling approach was used, and how the adequacy of the data was determined.
If purposive sampling, criterion sampling, maximum variation sampling, snowball sampling, or another approach was used, it should be clearly identified.
Where concepts such as data saturation or information power were used, authors may explain how these were assessed.
4. Describe Data Collection Instruments and Materials
Scales, questionnaires, interview guides, observation tools, devices, laboratory methods, software, databases, and other materials used in the study should be described in sufficient detail.
When a scale or measurement instrument is used, authors should report, where relevant, its developer, construct measured, number of items, scoring procedure, and appropriate validity and reliability information.
If an instrument was developed by the researchers, the development procedure should be briefly described.
5. Explain the Data Collection Procedure
Describe where, when, and how the data were collected. Readers should be able to follow the practical implementation of the research.
Depending on the study, relevant information may include:
- Dates of data collection
- Study setting
- Participant recruitment
- Administration of data collection instruments
- Duration of interviews or observations
- Experimental or intervention procedures
- Management of missing data or participant attrition
6. Describe the Data Analysis
The analytical methods used in the study should be reported clearly and in sufficient detail. The analyses should be appropriate for the research questions and characteristics of the data.
Quantitative Studies
Authors should identify relevant descriptive statistics, normality assessments, comparative tests, correlation analyses, regression models, mediation or moderation analyses, factor analyses, structural equation models, or other procedures used.
Where relevant, significance levels, confidence intervals, effect sizes, and statistical assumptions should also be reported.
Qualitative Studies
The analytical approach should be clearly stated, such as thematic analysis, content analysis, phenomenological analysis, grounded theory, discourse analysis, or another appropriate method.
Depending on the study, authors may describe coding procedures, theme development, researcher involvement, analytical validation, and software used for data management.
7. Report the Software Used
When software is used for statistical, qualitative, computational, or other analyses, the name of the software and, where possible, its version should be reported.
Examples include SPSS, R, JASP, AMOS, Stata, SAS, MAXQDA, NVivo, MATLAB, and other discipline-specific software.
Reporting the name of the software alone is not sufficient; authors should also explain which analyses were performed and how they were conducted.
8. Report Ethical Considerations
For studies involving human participants, personal data, animals, or other research requiring ethical review, relevant ethical information should be reported in the Methods section.
Where applicable, include:
- Name of the ethics committee or review board
- Date of approval
- Approval or protocol number
- How informed consent was obtained
- Measures used to protect confidentiality and data privacy
For studies that do not require ethics committee approval, the reason may be stated where appropriate to the study type.
Methods According to Study Type
Quantitative Research
The research design, population and sample, measurement instruments, data collection procedure, and statistical analyses should be clearly described.
Qualitative Research
Authors should explain the research approach, study group, researcher role, data collection methods, analysis procedures, and practices used to support the trustworthiness of the study.
Mixed Methods Research
The quantitative and qualitative components should be described separately, together with an explanation of when and how the two forms of data were integrated.
Systematic Reviews
The protocol, databases searched, search strategy, eligibility criteria, study selection process, quality or risk-of-bias assessment, and synthesis methods should be described.
Experimental and Clinical Research
Authors should provide appropriate detail regarding study design, intervention and control conditions, randomization, blinding, sample, outcome measures, and analysis plan.
Common Mistakes in the Methods Section
- Failing to identify the research design clearly
- Not reporting the sampling method
- Failing to explain how sample size was determined
- Providing insufficient information about data collection instruments
- Describing analysis only by naming the software used
- Listing analyses that were not actually performed
- Providing incomplete ethics approval or consent information
- Reporting findings in the Methods section
- Reusing another study's Methods text without adapting it to the current research
Practical Questions for Reviewing Your Methods Section
- Have I clearly identified the study design?
- Have I explained who or what data were studied?
- Have I described the sampling or selection process?
- Have I described the instruments and materials sufficiently?
- Is the data collection process clear?
- Have I explained which analyses were used and why?
- Have I reported relevant software?
- Have I included all required ethical information?
- Could another researcher understand my research process from this section?
Check Before Submission
- Is the research design clearly stated?
- Is the sample or study group clearly defined?
- Are inclusion and exclusion criteria reported where necessary?
- Are the data collection instruments sufficiently described?
- Is the data collection procedure understandable?
- Are the analytical methods appropriate for the research questions?
- Are software and version information provided where relevant?
- Are ethics approval and informed consent details complete?
