Method section (as well as all section of and APA write-up. "Insufficient detail leaves the reader with questions; too much detail burdens the reader with irrelevant information." The Method section typically consists of three subsections: (1) Participants, (2) Apparatus (or Materials or Apparatus/Materials), and (3) Procedure The Method section is the second of four main parts of an empirical paper (see Section of the APA [] manual). (Be aware that some papers are reviews of the literature and Feb 05, · How to write an APA methods section. Published on February 5, by Pritha Bhandari. Revised on April 6, The methods section of an APA style paper is where you report in detail how you performed your study. Research papers in the social and natural sciences often follow APA style
How to Write a Method Section of an APA Paper
The method section of an APA format psychology paper provides the methods and procedures used in a research study or experiment. This part of an APA paper is critical because it allows other researchers to see exactly how you conducted your research, allowing for the reproduction of the experiment and assessment of alternative methods that might produce different results.
So what exactly do you need to include when writing your method section? You should provide detailed information on the research design, participants, apa style methods section, equipment, materials, variables, and actions taken by the participants. The method section should provide enough information to allow other apa style methods section to replicate your experiment or study.
The method section should utilize subheadings to divide up different subsections. These subsections typically include participants, materials, design, and procedure. In this part of the method section, apa style methods section, you should describe the participants in your experiment, including who they were and any apa style methods section features that set them apart from the general populationhow many there were, apa style methods section, and how they were selected.
If you utilized random selection to choose your participants, it should be noted here. For example: "We randomly selected children from elementary schools near the University of Arizona. At the very minimum, this part of your method section must convey basic demographic characteristics of your participants such as sex, age, ethnicity, or religionthe population from which your participants were drawn, and any restrictions on your pool of participants.
For example, if your study consists of female college students from a small private college in the Midwest, apa style methods section, you should note this in this part of your method section, apa style methods section. This part of your method section should also explain how many participants were assigned to each condition and how they were assigned to each group. Were they randomly assigned to a condition, or was some other selection method used? It is also important to explain why your participants took part in your research.
Was your study advertised at a college or hospital? Did participants receive some type of incentive to take part in your research? Information on participants helps other researchers understand how your study was performed, how generalizable the result apa style methods section be, and allows other researchers to replicate the experiment with other populations to see if they might obtain the same results.
Describe the materials, measures, equipment, or stimuli used in the experiment. This may include testing instruments, technical equipment, or other materials used during the course of research. If you used some type of psychological assessment or special equipment during the course of your experiment, it should be noted in this part of your method section. For example: "Two stories from Sullivan et al. For standard equipment such as computers, televisions, and videos, you can simply name the device and not provide further explanation.
So if you used a computer to administer a psychological assessment, you would need to identify the specific psychological assessment used, but you could simply state that you used a computer to administer the test rather than listing the brand and technical specifications of the device. Specialized equipment, especially if it is something that is complex or created for a niche purpose, should be given greater detail. In some instances, such as if you created a special material or apparatus for your study, you may need to provide an illustration of the item that can be included in your appendix and then referred to in your method section.
Describe the type of design used in the experiment. Specify the variables as well as the levels of these variables. Clearly identify your independent variablesdependent variablescontrol variables, and any extraneous variables that apa style methods section influence your results. Explain whether your experiment uses a within-groups or between-groups design.
For example: "The experiment used a 3x2 between-subjects design. The independent variables were age and understanding of second-order beliefs. The next part of your method section should detail the procedures used in your experiment.
Explain what you had participants do, how you collected data, and the order apa style methods section which steps occurred. For example: "An examiner interviewed children individually at their school in one session that lasted 20 minutes on average. The examiner explained to each child that he or she would be told two short stories and that some questions would be asked after each story.
All sessions were videotaped so the data could later be coded. Keep this subsection concise yet detailed. Explain what you did and how you did it, but do not overwhelm your readers with too much information.
The method section is one of the most important components of your APA format paper. The goal of your paper should be to clearly detail what you did in your experiment. Provide enough detail that another researcher could replicate your study if they wanted. Finally, if you are writing your paper for a class or for a specific publication, be sure to keep in mind any specific instructions provided by your instructor or by the journal editor. Your instructor may apa style methods section certain requirements that you need to follow while writing your method section.
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Published Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th ed. Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Additional Tips. How Variables Are Used in Psychological Research. How to Write an APA Results Section.
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, time: 11:32How to Write an APA Methods Section | With Examples
The Method section of an APA-style paper is the most straightforward to write, but requires precision. Your goal is to describe the details of your study in such a way that another researcher could duplicate your methods exactly. The Method section typically includes Participants, Materials and/or Apparatus, and Procedure sections Feb 05, · How to write an APA methods section. Published on February 5, by Pritha Bhandari. Revised on April 6, The methods section of an APA style paper is where you report in detail how you performed your study. Research papers in the social and natural sciences often follow APA style The Purdue University Online Writing Lab serves writers from around the world and the Purdue University Writing Lab helps writers on Purdue's campus
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