The methods section of a psychology paper in APA format provides the methods and procedures used in a research study orexperiment. This part of an APA paper is critical because it allows other researchers to see exactly how you did your research.
Method refers to the procedure that was used in a research study. It included a precise description of how the experiments were performed and why certain procedures were selected. Although the APA technically refers to this section as the 'methods section', it is also often referred to as the 'methods section'.
The methods section ensures the reproducibility of the experiment and the evaluation of alternative methods that may produce different results. It also allows researchers to replicate the experiment and judge the validity of the study.
This article discusses how to write a methods section for a psychology article, including important elements to include and tips that can help.
What to Include in a Method Section
So what exactly do you need to include when writing your method section? You must provide detailed information about the following:
- Research design
- Participants
- Equipment
- Materials
- Variables
- Participants' behavior
The method section should provide enough information to allow other researchers to replicate your experiment or study.
Components of a method section
The method section must use subheadings to divide different subsections. These subsections usually include participants, materials, design, and procedure.
Participants
In this part of the method section, you should describe the participants in your experiment, including who they were (and any unique characteristics that set them apart from the general population), how many there were, and how they were selected. if you usedrandom selectionTo choose your participants, you must register here.
For example: "We randomly selected 100 elementary school children near the University of Arizona."
At a minimum, this part of your method section should convey:
- Basic demographics of your participants (such as gender, age, ethnicity, or religion)
- The population from which your participants were selected
- Any restrictions on your participant pool
- How many participants were assigned to each condition and how they were assigned to each group (i.e.,random task, another selection method, etc.)
- Why did the participants participate in your research (i.e., the study was publicized at a university or hospital, did they receive some type of incentive, etc.)
Summary
Information about the participants helps other researchers understand how your study was conducted, how generalizable the result might be, and allows other researchers to replicate the experiment with other populations to see if they can get the same results.
Materials
In this part of the method section, you must describe the materials, measurements, equipment, or stimuli used in the experiment. This can include:
- test instruments
- technical team
- Any psychological assessment that has been used
- Any special equipment that has been used
For example: "Two stories by Sullivan et al. (1994) second-order false belief attribution tasks were used to assess children's understanding of second-order beliefs."
For standard equipment such as computers, televisions and VCRs, you can simply name the device and say no more.
More detail should be given to specialized equipment, especially if it is complex or created for a specific niche. In some cases, such as if you created a special material or apparatus for your study, it may be necessary to include an illustration of the item in the appendix of your work.
Project
In this part of your method section, describe the type of design used in the experiment. Specify the variables as well as the levels of those variables. Identify:
- Heindependent variables
- dependent variables
- control variables
- Any extraneous variables that might influence your results.
Also, explain whether your experiment uses awithin groupsthe design between groups.
For example: "The experiment used a 3x2 between-subjects design. The independent variables were age and understanding of second-order beliefs."
How variables are used in psychological research
Procedure
The next part of your method section should detail the procedures used in your experiment. Your procedures should explain:
- What the participants did
- How the data was collected
- The order in which the steps occurred
For example: "An examiner interviewed individual children at his school in a session that lasted an average of 20 minutes. The examiner explained to each child that they would be told two stories and that after each story they would be asked some questions. All sessions were videotaped to so that the data could be encoded later.
Keep this subsection concise but detailed. Explain what you did and how you did it, but don't overwhelm your readers with too much information.
Tips on writing a methods section
In addition to following the basic structure of an APA method section, there are also a few things to keep in mind when writing this section of your paper. Keep the following tips in mind when writing this section:
- use the past tense: Always write the method section in the past.
- be descriptive: Provide enough detail so that another researcher can replicate your experiment, but focus on brevity. Avoid unnecessary details that are not relevant to the outcome of the experiment.
- Use an academic tone.: Use formal language and avoid slang or colloquial expressions. Word choice is also important. Refer to the people in your experiment or study as "participants" rather than "subjects".
- To useAPA format: Have a style guide handy as you write your method section. HePublishing Handbook of the American Psychological Associationis the official font of the APA style.
- make connections: Read each section of your article to agree with the other sections. If you mention procedures in the method section, those items should be discussed in the results and discussion sections.
- Correct: Proofread your work for grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors... typos, grammatical errors and misspellings. While a spell checker is a useful tool, there are some mistakes that only you can spot.
After writing a draft of your method section, be sure to get a second opinion. You can often get too close to your work to see errors or lack of clarity. Take a draft of your method section to your college's writing lab for additional help.
How to write an APA results section
A Word from Verywell
The method section is one of the most important components of your APA format paper. The aim of your article should be to clearly detail what you did in your experiment. Provide enough detail so that another researcher can replicate your study, if desired.
Finally, if you are writing your paper for a specific class or publication, be sure to consider the specific instructions provided by your instructor or journal editor. Your instructor may have certain requirements that you must follow when writing your method section.
Common questions
Which three components should be included in an APA methods section?
Although the subsections can vary, the three components that should be included are the sections on participants, materials, and procedures.
- Describe who the study participants were and how they were selected.
- Define and describe the materials that were used, including any equipment, tests or assessments.
- Describe how the data was collected.
How do you write the methods section in APA?
To write your methods section in APA format, describe your participants, materials, study design, and procedures. Keep this section succinct and always write in the past tense. The main title of this section should be labeled "Method" and should be centered, bold, and capitalized. Each subheading within this section must be bold, left-aligned, and in uppercase and lowercase letters.
What does a method section include?
The purpose of the methods section is to describe what you did in your experiment. It should be brief but include enough detail that someone can replicate your experiment based on this information. Your methods section should detail what you did to answer your research question. Describe how the study was conducted, the study design used and why it was chosen, and how you collected the data and analyzed the results.
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Erdemir F.How to write a materials and methods section of a scientific article?Turco J Urol. 2013;39(Supplement 1):10-5. doi:10.5152/all.2013.047
called HR.How to write the methods section of a research paper.I breathe which. 2004;49(10):1229-32. PMID: 15447808.
American Psychological Association.Publishing Handbook of the American Psychological Association(7th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association; 2019.
further reading
American Psychological Association.APA style journal article reporting standards. Published 2020.
American Psychological Association.Publishing Handbook of the American Psychological Association(7th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association; 2019.
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ByKendra's Cherry
Kendra Cherry, MS, is the author of the "Everything Psychology Book (2nd Edition)" and has written thousands of articles on various psychology topics. Kendra holds a Master's in Education from Boise State University with a primary research interest in educational psychology and a BA in Psychology from Idaho State University with additional courses in substance use and case management.
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FAQs
How do you write the methods section in APA? ›
Structuring an APA methods section
The main heading of “Methods” should be centered, boldfaced, and capitalized. Subheadings within this section are left-aligned, boldfaced, and in title case. You can also add lower level headings within these subsections, as long as they follow APA heading styles.
Your methods section should detail what you did to answer your research question. Describe how the study was conducted, the study design that was used and why it was chosen, and how you collected the data and analyzed the results.
How do you write a method section for a questionnaire? ›Therefore, the methods section structure should: describe the materials used in the study, explain how the materials were prepared for the study, describe the research protocol, explain how measurements were made and what calculations were performed, and state which statistical tests were done to analyze the data.
How do you write a method example? ›- Restate your thesis or research problem. ...
- Explain the approach you chose. ...
- Explain any uncommon methodology you use. ...
- Describe how you collected the data you used. ...
- Explain the methods you used to analyze the data you collected. ...
- Evaluate and justify the methodological choices you made.
From these data, we can conclude that the methods sections in most research papers are between 6 and 14 paragraphs (31 to 64 sentences). If you are interested, here are the links to the articles with the shortest and longest methods sections.
What is APA method in citation? ›WHAT IS APA'S STYLE OF REFERENCE CITATION? APA style uses the author/date method of citation in which the author's last name and the year of the publication are inserted in the actual text of the paper. It is the style recommended by the American Psychological Association and used in many of the social sciences.
How to start the methods section of a research paper example? ›Typical structure of a Method section in an empirical research paper: Most Method sections are organized chronologically. That is, they begin with what happened first (e.g., the recruitment and selection of participants) and end with what happened last (e.g., the coding and analysis of data).
What is the method in a psychology report? ›The method is the section of a report/journal that contains a detailed description of the methodology. This needs to be detailed enough to allow someone else to replicate the study, and includes details of the design, participants, apparatus/materials, procedure and ethical considerations.
How do you write a methodology section of a research paper example? ›Your methodology should begin by describing your research question and the type of data you used in answering it. You want to indicate why this type of data is appropriate, relevant, and important to the question being asked. You will then explain your process of data collection.
What are the four components of a methods section? ›Typically, the main elements of a methods section are: study design and data collection; setting, analytic sample and variables; data and statistical analysis.
How do you describe your method of research? ›
Descriptions of methods usually include defining and stating why you have chosen specific techniques to investigate a research problem, followed by an outline of the procedures you used to systematically select, gather, and process the data [remember to always save the interpretation of data for the discussion section ...
How do you write a methods section of a quantitative study? ›The methods section of a quantitative study should describe how each objective of your study will be achieved. Be sure to provide enough detail to enable the reader can make an informed assessment of the methods being used to obtain results associated with the research problem.
What is a good sentence for method? ›He claims to have developed a new method for growing tomatoes. Their teaching method tries to adapt lessons to each student. We need to adopt more modern methods of doing things.
What do you write for methods? ›“Methods” referred to how subjects or objects were manipulated to answer the experimental question, how measurements and calculations were made, and how the data were analyzed. Second, the writing should be direct and precise and in the past tense.
What are examples of methods used in research? ›- Observation / Participant Observation.
- Surveys.
- Interviews.
- Focus Groups.
- Experiments.
- Secondary Data Analysis / Archival Study.
- Mixed Methods (combination of some of the above)
- The logic of Inquiry (Qualitative or Quantitative)
- Research Setting and participants.
- Methods and Procedure of Data Collection.
- Methods and Procedure of Data Analysis.
- Ethical Issues.
The Method section has three main subsections: Participants, Materials, and Procedure.
Which of the following should you include in the methods section? ›- Explain the research design, subjects, and sample details.
- Include information on inclusion and exclusion criteria.
- Mention ethical or any other permission required for the study.
- Include information about materials, experimental setup, tools, and software.
- Add details of data collection and analysis methods.
Method (labeled, centered, bold) 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.
What does APA method stand for? ›APA stands for American Psychological Association; its Publication Manual is the most commonly used manuscript and documentation format within the social sciences.
What is the citation method for APA 7? ›
APA 7 Style uses the author-date citation method with parentheses. After a quote, add parentheses containing the author's name, the year of publication, and the page number(s) the quote appears. For quotations that are on one page, type "p." before the page number.
How do you write an introduction and methods section? ›- Use subheadings to separate different methodologies.
- Describe what you did in the past tense.
- Describe new methods in enough detail that another researcher can reproduce your experiment.
- Describe established methods briefly, and simply cite a reference where readers can find more detail.
In a scientific paper, the methodology always comes after the introduction and before the results, discussion and conclusion. The same basic structure also applies to a thesis, dissertation, or research proposal.
What is an example of a method in psychology? ›Case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, and laboratory observation are examples of descriptive or correlational research methods. Using these methods, researchers can describe different events, experiences, or behaviors and look for links between them.
What do methods in psychology include? ›What are the methods of psychology? The methods of psychology are observation, case study, and experimentation. The observation method in psychology is when a psychologist observes the behavior of someone without interacting with them. This can be done in a natural setting or in a laboratory setting.
What are the 5 methods of psychology? ›Methods such as observation, experimental, correlational research, survey, psychological testing and case study are more frequently used to study the problems of psychology.
What should a method contain? ›- Restate your thesis or research problem. ...
- Explain the approach you chose. ...
- Discuss any uncommon methodologies you use. ...
- Describe how you collected the data you used. ...
- Explain the methods you used to analyse the data you collected. ...
- Evaluate and justify the methodological choices you made.
The Methods section of a research article includes an explanation of the procedures used to conduct the experiment. For authors of scientific research papers, the objective is to present their findings clearly and concisely and to provide enough information so that the experiment can be duplicated.
What are the parts of a method section psychology? ›The Method section typically consists of three subsections: (1) Participants, (2) Apparatus (or Materials or Apparatus/Materials), and (3) Procedure. You can choose to add other subsections if they can be justified. Your instructor (or the journal in which you wish to publish) may request additional subsections.
How do you write materials and methods in a research paper? ›It is generally recommended that the materials and methods should be written in the past tense, either in active or passive voice. In this section, ethical approval, study dates, number of subjects, groups, evaluation criteria, exclusion criteria and statistical methods should be described sequentially.
What are the 3 types of research methods? ›
Most research can be divided into three different categories: exploratory, descriptive and causal. Each serves a different end purpose and can only be used in certain ways.
How do you describe methods in a research proposal? ›- What is your study design and why did you choose it?
- Is the study qualitative or quantitative?
- What are the methods you will use to collect data?
- Who will be the participants of your study?
An example of quantitative research is the survey conducted to understand how long a doctor takes to tend to a patient when the patient walks into the hospital.
What are examples of quantitative study methods? ›Quantitative data collection methods include various forms of surveys – online surveys, paper surveys, mobile surveys and kiosk surveys, face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, longitudinal studies, website interceptors, online polls, and systematic observations.
What does the sentence method look like? ›The Sentence Method. The Sentence Method involves using sentences to summaries and organize your thoughts. You write each topic and the supporting details in sentences using your own words. Each new topic begins on a new line with a number in the margin.
What is the 3 sentence method? ›The three sentence rule means you have to ask yourself a series of questions for every email you read before you reply. Is this an email I should be responding to? If you can't answer it in three sentences or less, you have to decide what to do with it.
What is the one sentence method? ›Your "one sentence" is that irreducible part of your message that you want your audience to remember. A good sentence stops people in their tracks.
What is a method statement in research? ›The purpose of a methodology statement is to give the reader a clear sense of the specific steps that will be used in your research.
What are methods examples? ›Methods are the specific tools and procedures you use to collect and analyze data (for example, experiments, surveys, and statistical tests).
How do you use methods in a research paper? ›- Step 1: Explain your methodological approach. You can start by introducing your overall approach to your research. ...
- Step 2: Describe your data collection methods. ...
- Step 3: Describe your analysis method. ...
- Step 4: Evaluate and justify the methodological choices you made.
How do you write a methods section of a literature review? ›
Keep it brief. The methods section should be succinct but include all the noteworthy information. This can be a difficult balance to achieve. A useful strategy is to aim for a brief description that signposts the reader to a separate section or sections of supporting information.
Does the methods section start on a new page APA? ›It contains the text of the APA paper divided into Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion. Each of these sections should naturally follow the other, which means they do not necessarily begin on a new page. Each section requires a title centered on the page.
How to write the methods section of a research proposal example? ›- What is your study design and why did you choose it?
- Is the study qualitative or quantitative?
- What are the methods you will use to collect data?
- Who will be the participants of your study?
- What procedures/activities will the study involve?
Descriptions of methods usually include defining and stating why you have chosen specific techniques to investigate a research problem, followed by an outline of the procedures you used to systematically select, gather, and process the data [remember to always save the interpretation of data for the discussion section ...
How do you write a methods section in a critical review? ›- Explain the research design, subjects, and sample details.
- Include information on inclusion and exclusion criteria.
- Mention ethical or any other permission required for the study.
- Include information about materials, experimental setup, tools, and software.
- Add details of data collection and analysis methods.
The Methods section of a research article includes an explanation of the procedures used to conduct the experiment. For authors of scientific research papers, the objective is to present their findings clearly and concisely and to provide enough information so that the experiment can be duplicated.
How do you write a method paper? ›- Describe actions taken to explore research question.
- Describe reasoning for specific procedures or techniques utilized to identify and analyze data.
- Allow reader to critically determine the validity of the research.
Aim for three to five or more sentences per paragraph. Include on each page about two handwritten or three typed paragraphs. Make your paragraphs proportional to your paper.
Which sections of an APA formatted paper should begin on separate pages? ›The text of the paper should start on a new page after the title page (and abstract, if included). On the first page of the text, you should repeat the paper title in title case, bold, and centered.
What are the four parts that APA Style requires in a citation? ›All APA reference list entries contain four main components: author, date, title, and source.
What is a APA format example? ›
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Article title. Magazine/Journal/Newspaper Title, Volume number(Issue number), Page numbers.
What does APA 7th format look like? ›Basic Elements of APA 7 Style
Title page (also known as a cover page). Font options: sans serif fonts such as 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, or 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode. serif fonts such as 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or normal (10-point) Computer Modern (the default font for LaTeX)
To format questions and answers in APA format:
Begin the question on a new line and type number 1 followed by a period. Type the discussion question in an approved font and size. Use the correct punctuation at the end -- a question mark if the prompt is a question; a period if it is a statement.