Writing Methodology &
Results of Research Report
By:
Engr. Rahool Rai
Methodology Section
• The methods section is the most important part of a
research paper .
• It provides a clear description of :
• how the research was done.
• what was done to answer the research question
• how the results were analysed.
Methodology Section
It must be written with enough information so that:
(1) the research could be repeated by others to evaluate whether the
results are reproducible, and
(2) the audience can judge whether the results and conclusions are
valid.
Methodology Section
• The method starts directly below the introduction.
• It is typically divided into three subsections:
• Participants
• Materials
• Procedure
Methodology: Participants
• Information on
participants includes:
• Number of participants.
• Procedures for selecting
participants or the sampling
method (random, opportunistic
etc.).
• Demographic information (age,
gender, occupation, educational
level).
• If some participants did not
complete the experiment, state
how many and why they did not
continue
Example
Method
Participants
20 male and 20 female
participants from
Birmingham City
University participated
in the current study. No
other demographic
information was
collected.
Methodology: Materials
• Describe materials used and their function in enough detail so
others can replicate
• For example: in describing word lists, include the number of
words, approximate length of words, were they in capital or
lowercase letters, etc.
• A copy of the materials can be included in an appendix at the
end of the paper; you would refer your reader to that appendix;
(see Appendix for a complete list of the words used in this
experiment).
Methodology: Procedure
• The procedure is like the instructions for baking a cake or making
something from Lego.
• It describes exactly what was done in the study and the order in
which things were done.
• Describe the instructions given to participants
• The procedure should be logical, and contain sufficient information
for the reader to follow.
Methodology Example
Methodology
Participants
Sixty university students (30 males and 30 females)
participated in this study for extra course credit in a Psychology
Materials
Three word lists were created, each of which consisted of 20
words. See Appendix for a complete list of the words used in this
experiment. All words were written in lowercase letters. The length
of each word ranged from 5 to 8 letters...
Procedure
Participants were tested individually in the presence of the
experimenter...
•
A research report has seven components:
Methods
A METHODS SECTION MUST CONTAIN:
• Descriptions of Data
• Think in terms of: “Who, What, When, Where, Why and
How?”
• Target Population
• The Ways Data were Collected:
• Sampling
• Delivery Methods
• Response Rates
Descriptions of Variables
• Statement of dependent and independent variables
• Names for the variables—make them intuitive!
• Word for word description of the questions. The ways
variables are coded
• The techniques that will be used to test your hypotheses or
research questions
Results
•
The results section chronicles the findings of the statistical analyses
and assesses whether your expectations (hypotheses) were correct.
•
Professional tables showing descriptive and inferential statistics
• The narrative discusses ONLY VERY IMPORTANT findings and
refers to where information can be found in the tables as different
facts are discussed.
• The tables contain almost all statistical information so that the author
does not have to write a narrative for every detail in the analysis.
Results
Purpose: To report the key findings and the statistical
analyses conducted
●
The results section is one of the most feared sections of the
report.
●
The results section should start with descriptive (summary)
statistics (e.g. Mean, median, range etc.)
●
A summary table of descriptive statistics can be provided
●
Use graphs and graphs and axis are titled and the graph means
something to the overall report.
Result Example
Results
The mean number of words was 25.6 and the mean. See
Figure 1 for a summary of descriptive statistics. These
data were analyzed using a t-test and the results were
statistically significant, t(30) = 4.99, p = .002, suggesting
that younger participants were able to recall more words
than older participants.
Successful Report Writing
•
•
•
•
Start writing early – important details about the study
may be forgotten if the write-up is left to the last minute.
Remember – a naive reader should be able to follow your
report and replicate your findings.
Read – reading journal articles will help you with
structuring your report and understanding the required
style.
Reflect – reflect upon the comments you receive on your
practical reports and essays – these are provided to help
you!
Figure Example:
Figure 1. Average number of words recalled as a function of age.