This assignment is designed to allow you to demonstrate your knowledge in the following areas:
- effective communication of manipulative experiments,
- detailed understanding of study system, variables, and measurement techniques, and
- understanding of the utility of data analysis techniques.
For this assignment, you will draft a Methods section that will be incorporated into an original research paper. Using notes from in-class discussion and any appropriate papers from your Annotated bibliography assignment, you will write a methods section for your research paper. The content of the Methods should
- convey the overall approach used in your experiment,
- convey detailed information to allow for repeatability,
- justify the methods used,
- explicitly link methods to your research questions, and
- adequately describe analytical methods used.
Overall, the methods section should clearly link to the specific research questions addressed in your introduction. Importantly, the methods section should use a “parallel structure” where elements of your research question, methods, and results, are organized in a consistent order. As with the introduction, the methods section should begin with an overview of the experimental approach. As always, organize writing within each paragraph starting with a topic sentence followed by supporting details and a transition to the next paragraph. A minimum of two references are required, however, more references wil likely be needed to provide adequate justification for methods used.
The methods section should be approximately 250 – 500 words. Include appropriate in-text and bibliographic citations for all scientific literature that is referenced. Check all spelling, grammar, and punctuation for accuracy. Always use past tense to describe your methods (even if you are still working on them!) and use active voice as much as possible (“We measured basal area” rather than “Basal area was measured”). See this article on active vs. passive voice.
For details on how to go about writing a methods section, refer to class notes. Please read the “Materials and Methods” section (pages 7 – 10) of The Structure, Format, Content, and Style of a Journal-Style Scientific Paper. You may also refer to the example research paper included in the Resources folder. Review the Scientific Style and Format Citation Quick Guide for details on format for in-text and bibliographic citations.
| Topic | Criteria | Points possible |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Summarizes overall trends | 2 |
| Individual results reported and digested | 4 | |
| Statistical results reported properly (include effect size, statistic, p-value, r2, etc.) | 2 | |
| Figures and tables | Tables and figures display important data | 2 |
| Figures and tables with labeled axis, units, error bars (if necessary), and legend | 4 | |
| Figures and tables with captions that briefly explain the data shown | 2 | |
| Writing cohesiveness | Written in past tense and active voice | 2 |
| Use of parallel structures to link questions, methods, and findings | 1 | |
| Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation | 1 | |
| Total | 20 |