Chapter4MaterialsandMethodsGraduateAcademicEnglishWritingContentsMaterialsandMethodsforanAcademicPaper1StructureofMethods2StepstoBegintheMethods3MovesforWritingMaterialsandMethods4

VoicesandTensesinMaterialsandMethods56QualityassessmentofMaterialsandMethods

1.MaterialsandMethodsforanAcademicPaper

Itgenerallycoverstheproceduralstepsandthematerialsemployedateachstep.Theguidingprinciplesofthispart：accuracyandreplication.Describingthematerialsandmethodsclearly.Makingthedescriptionscompleteandconcise.

GuidelinesandConsiderations

Answeringmostoftherelevantproblems

Describinginalogicalorder

AdvisedproceduresforthispartAnexampleandsampleanalysis2.StructureofMethodsFunnel-shapedStructureTypicalwaysofhowauthorsstartthissection

Anexampleandsampleanalysis3.

StepstoBegintheMethods3.

StepstoBegintheMethodsHowyoubeginwillverymuchdependonyourdiscipline.Tohelpyoudecide,takealookattheMethodssectioninpapersfromyourchosenjournal,andseehowauthorsstartthissection.Typicalwaysinclude:(a)Makingageneralstatementaboutyourmethod.Themethoddescribedhereissimple,rapid,sensitiveand...Thestudyaimstosecureinitialsupportforthehypothesizedmodel...3.

StepstoBegintheMethods(b)Referringtoanotherpaper.Thematerialsusedforisolationandculturearedescribedelsewhere.MaterialswereobtainedinaccordancewithBurgessetal.’smethod.(c)Statingwhereyouobtainedyourmaterialsfrom.Bacterialstrains...wereisolatedandkindlysuppliedby...ThisanalysisofthepublicallyavailablydatasetisfromtheCanadianCommunityHealthSurvey(CCHS)cycle4.1,2009–2010.3.

StepstoBegintheMethods(d)Explaininghowyoufoundyoursubjects,i.e.beginwiththesetting.Subjectswerechosenfromarandomlyselectedsampleof...ParticipantswereselectedfrompatientsattheGynecologyFacultyoftheUniversityof...(e)Indicatingwhere(i.e.ageographicalregion)yourinvestigationwasfocused.OurempiricalinvestigationfocusedonTuscany,acentralregionofItaly,...ThestudywascarriedoutinfourboulevardsinAthens(Greece)and...3.

StepstoBegintheMethods(f)Referringthereadertoafigurewhichshowstheexperimentalset-up.Tohighlighttheadvantagesofthesystem,Fig.1showsthe...InputfeaturesofeachmethodaresummarizedinTable4.(g)Startingdirectlywiththefirststepinyourprocedure.

Frontalcerebralcorticesweredissectedfrom...Core-cellcompositematerialswerepreparedbycolloidalassemblyof...Move1：Overview

ashortsummaryoftheresearchmethod,atornearthebeginningoftheMethodssectionMove2：Researchaims/questions/

hypotheses

descriptionoftheresearchgoals,thequestionstobeanswered,orthehypotheses4.MovesforWritingMaterialsandMethods4.MovesforMaterialsandMethodsMove3：Subjects/materialsinBusiness,LanguageandLinguistics,Law,andPublicandSocialAdministration,adescriptionofthepeopleinthestudy;inthesciences,adescriptionofthematerials,equipmentandsoonMove4：Location

descriptionofwheretheresearchtookplaceandpossiblywhy4.MovesforMaterialsandMethodsMove5：Procedure

discussionoftheprocessusedtoobtainthedatathatwascollectedMove6：Limitations

focusonashortcomingofthemethod,possiblyaccompaniedbyanexplanationMove7：DataAnalysis

descriptionofhowthedatawasanalyzed

Notice：Movesdonotnecessarilyappearintheordergiven.Asampleanalysisofexample3:

Elements

Specificsentences

overview/researchobjective

S1—S4

participants/subjects

S25samplingmethodsS29,S31,S34,S40procedureS34–S41restrictions/limitationunmentioneddataanalysisS45–S58Thefollowingchartisbasedonaclosereadingofexample3.Twobasicverbtenseswidely

usedinthispart:

presentsimple

pastsimple5.VoicesandTensesinMaterialsandMethodsPastsimple

whenyoudescribeactionsthatyoudid,bothbeforeandduringyourexperiments(inthelab,inthefield,whileconductingsurveysetc)Anexplorativeresearchapproachwasadoptedusingasevensurveyonopinionsandreligiousbackground.Thefindingswerecollectedusinganinternetquestionnairesurvey.5.BasicVerbTensesinMaterialsandMethods5.BasicVerbTensesinMaterialsandMethodsPresentsimple

whenyoudescribeastandardmethodwhenyouarepresentingyourprocedure,model,software,deviceetcFirstly,wedefinexasanexogenousmeasureofthenaturalrateoflongevityofpeople.Theapplicationrequires10TBofspace…Notice：Ifyouareindoubt,thenreadyourchosenjournalandcheckwhattenseusedinthissection.6.QualityAssessmentofMaterialsandMethodsSomerelevantquestionstomakeaself-assessmentoftheMethodssection.TwoImportantConcepts:ValidityandReliabilityTheconceptofvalidity“validity”referstotheeffectivenessofameasuringtoolinfulfillingitsintendedpurpose.Twoquestionsrelatedtovalidity:Whodecideswhetheraninstrumentismeasuringwhatitissupposedtomeasure??Howcanitbeestablishedthataninstrumentismeasuringwhatitissupposedtomeasure?Theconceptofreliability

“Reliability”inrelationtoaresearchinstrumentrefe