A research paper is a type of academic writing in which you collect data for a particular topic. In this, you have to select a topic and design a problem related to it. After that, you collect data from different academic platforms to provide a solution to that designed problem. You can also take it as a report. On the other hand, a research paper can be written after proper research. In this, you have to mention the whole research process, like how you worked on the research did, and what were its consequences? In the same way, you need to mention how the evaluated results are best to meet the provided solution for the discussed problem.
Here the method sections of a research paper are very important. That is why you need to be very careful while writing these sections. Many students research and write a dissertation, but they get confused about the writing method sections of a research paper. So, this article aims to discuss methods sections in detail.
How Do You Write A Methods Section Of Research Paper?
A method section of a research paper is that part in which you have to address the study’s validity. Here you explain what kind of experiments are required to meet the research objective. In the same way, you have to explain how to do experiments and detailed procedures. Suppose there is just one experiment; you have to address different steps of that experiment. You may come across a research type that includes more than one type of experiment. Here also,, you need to address each experiment with the same details. This is the section that has a detailed answer to the research question.
In simple words, you have to mention what kind of techniques you have used in your research work. Furthermore, it can be an experiment or another method. The purpose of mentioning the method’s section of a research paper is that it assists in getting the whole process of solving a query. Some students get research proposal help as they don’t know how to work on the methodology section.
Before writing this section, you must be aware of the method types. From a broader perspective, there are three main types of research methods as mentioned below,
- Qualitative Method of Research
- Quantitative Method of Research
- Mixed-Method of Research.
A brief discussion about these methods is given below:
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Qualitative Method of Research
If you are writing a research paper on already done research, you would not have to worry about it. You have to address what was followed in research simply. Otherwise, you have select one type of method based on your designed problem.
The qualitative method of research address 4 W’s of research out of 5. In this, you need to describe everything subjectively. These 4 W’s of research include when, where, what, and why. The fifth W is replaced by ‘how’. An amazing thing to note is that the qualitative research method is used very commonly. The reason behind this common use is that it can better evaluate facts.
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Quantitative Method of Research
On the other hand, the quantitative research method is used with numeric data. When you collect large samples of numeric data, you have to go for quantitative data. In this method’s section of a research paper, you can come up with statistical relationships between different variables. In a research paper, you have to address number-based results. If a researcher has used quantitative research, it would be very easy to share that data. That is how writing research can be made very easy.
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Mixed-Method of Research
You have to select the method section of the research paper based on the designed problem. Many problems demand qualitative as well as quantitative analysis. This type of research method is termed a mixed approach. Also, the purpose of using mixed method research can be the accuracy of work. The subjective and numeric description of the problem increases the level of precision. Also, it better addresses the different aspects of a problem.
What Are The Sections Involved In Writing A Methods Section?
When you write the method section of a research paper, you can make other different sections. First of all, you have to see how to collect data. You may have to prepare material for experimentation. In this case, mention the properties and other details of the study material. There should not be anything unclear to the reader. Make sure that the details are enough for a reader to understand. Also, if the reader wants to work on the same study area, he does not get confused.
The second section is about the data type. It can be in the form of numbers. Furthermore, it can be in personal form. Whatever the type of data, you need to mention how you have collected that data and if there was any experimentation in the lab or the field. Also,, mention if you have collected data from observation or interviews. The data collection type must have a logical connection with the material type. It should not be like that you have prepared material for the lab and are now discussing data collection through field methods. So, be careful about the aspects.
The third section is about data analysis. In method section of a research paper, mention the analysis details. If you have used any software, mention the name of that software. In the same way, mention the research technique you have used in that software. If there is one technique, mention that one technique in detail. If you have used more than one technique for analysis, mention the detail of each technique. Especially in the mixed approach, you need to use more than one technique because of different data types. So, do not skip any detail but mention each aspect in detail. The last section is related to the results obtained from the analysis.
Final Thoughts
You can work very well by getting the purpose, details, and steps of the method section of the research paper. A research paper that has followed all the steps has more chances of publication.
