AJE Best Practices Series

SETTING THE SCENE:

BEST PRACTICES FOR WRITING
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Michael Bendiksby, PhD

T
he Materials and Methods in a field study to the details of bench
(hereafter “Methods section”) is work in the lab. The common feature
the section of a research paper is that the information needs to be
that provides the reader with all the presented in a way that is clear and
information needed to understand familiar to the reader.
your work and how the reported re-
It is important to note that the pur-
sults were produced. Having read
pose of the Methods section is not just
the Introduction, the reader already
to convey what you did; a thorough
knows why your work is important,
and well-organized Methods sec-
so the next step is to connect that sec-
tion reflects your knowledge and un-
tion to the experimental design used
derstanding of appropriate research
to address your research questions.
techniques and increases the reader’s
Depending on the type of paper, the confidence in your work.
Methods section can encompass any-
Purpose and Structure. The Methods
thing from the parameters of a litera-
section is easiest to follow when it be-
ture search to the methods employed
gins by providing a clear context for
 Setting the Scene: Best Practices for Writing Materials & Methods Michael Bendiksby, PhD

the detailed descriptions of the meth- scriptions of sample or data collection

ods and materials used in the study. should be described together, even if
This context is best achieved by be- these are performed at different times
ginning with general characteristics or with intervening analysis, because
and parameters (e.g., identification a purely chronological account would
of sample sources or populations, mean switching back and forth be-
descriptions of geographic areas, or tween procedures.
characterizations of study partici-
Key Information. Any procedure de-
pants). A reader who understands the
scribed in the Methods section should
foundation of your experiments will
be included to address a specific ques-
more easily understand the proce-
tion and to yield meaningful informa-
dures that follow.
tion. Hypotheses should be testable
The underlying principle for what in- and falsifiable, quantities should be
formation to provide in the Methods measurable and comparable (e.g., by
section is that the reader should be using consistent units), and all influ-
able to replicate your study. This sec- encing factors should be explicitly de-
tion must explain the methods used scribed or controlled. In short, the key
with enough detail to answer any of to writing a great Methods section is
the reader’s questions about how the to include all the relevant information
study was performed. Because the without providing excess or unneces-
Methods section is meant to convey sary detail.
how the research was conducted, con-
Journals typically provide guidelines
forming to the accepted conventions
on what to include, but certain infor-
of the field is extremely important.
mation should always be provided.
Generally, the Methods section All experimental procedures should
should assemble familiar concepts be mentioned, even if only in a single
and research activities into a logi- sentence with a citation of a previous
cal series of events. Terminology and publication, and all human or animal
sentence structure should be consis- studies should include an ethics state-
tent within the paper and conform to ment naming the body that approved
the conventions of the field, and rep- the experimental protocol.
etition is accepted or even expected.
Notation and Terminology. Methods
AJE is the Because Methods sections often rely
should be presented using accepted
on lists of information, consistency—
leading provider i.e., the presentation of like elements
conventions, terminology, and units
of manuscript so that the reader can focus on the
using the same terminology, notation,
protocols instead of trying to relate
services to and sentence structure—is especially
the name of a technique to something
academics and important.
familiar or trying to convert units to
researchers The information in the Methods sec- something more recognizable. The
worldwide. tion should follow the order of execu- common convention is SI units, but
tion as closely as possible, although because accepted conventions for
similar procedures should be pre- presenting quantities can vary across
sented together. For example, de- fields, you should follow the conven-
 Setting the Scene: Best Practices for Writing Materials & Methods Michael Bendiksby, PhD

tions of your field or a journal’s pref- citation, including location details at

erences where SI units are not stan- the first mention of the manufacturer.
dard.
Acquisition and Definition of the Results.
All the information should be pro- The format of the results should be
vided in the most easily recognizable clear from the description of their ac-
form; for example, solutions should quisition, and you should address any
be provided as a concentration, not potential ambiguity before moving on
the amount of solute, and centrifuga- to present the results themselves.
tion parameters should be presented
It should be clear how measurements
not in rpm, as different rotors subject
are taken, how they are processed, and
samples to different forces at the same
how data are stored. For example, the
rotor speed, but in units of linear ac-
equipment used to register data, the
celeration (typically x g).
relevant inclusion/exclusion criteria,
Equipment and Materials Citations. Be- and the form of combined data (e.g.,
cause a reader should be able to repli- means ± SE) should be presented. Of
cate your work from the information particular importance is clearly de-
in the Methods section, any materials, fining any study-specific criteria; for
quantities, procedures, and equip- example, if air temperature in a me-
ment that are essential to the study or teorological study is to be classified
that could influence the results should as cool, intermediate, or warm, then
be specified. The guiding principle for thresholds for these categories should
determining when to provide specific be stated in the Methods section.
information and manufacturer cita-
Statistical Methods. Statistical tests are
tions for the equipment used is when
an integral part of most studies and
it is integral to a procedure.
should be described as thoroughly as
For example, the manufacturer of the any other procedure, usually at the
light microscope used for cell counts end of the Methods section. Because
does not need to be identified, but statistical tests strongly influence the
the make, model, and manufacturer veracity of a study’s findings, their ra-
of an electron microscope should be tionale should be presented in enough
included; the details about the glass- detail for the reader to evaluate their
ware used to prepare culturing agar applicability and use.
AJE is the can be omitted, but types of flasks
In particular, this part of the Methods
leading provider should be specified for a study that
section should include the specific
of manuscript compares them; and the provider
tests used for the different types of
of the sodium chloride used to mix
services to physiological saline is unimportant,
data, what prerequisites (e.g., distri-
academics and bution normality) were tested, what
but the provider of any experimental
significance or confidence interval
researchers grade compounds or pharmaceuticals
levels were used, and which post
worldwide. should be cited.
hoc tests were applied. An additional
Furthermore, any equipment that is benefit to thoroughly addressing the
important enough to mention by name statistical methods here is that the sta-
will generally require a manufacturer tistical criteria will likely not need to
 Setting the Scene: Best Practices for Writing Materials & Methods Michael Bendiksby, PhD

be reiterated throughout the Results

section.
Concluding Statement. By its nature, a
Methods section is highly factual and
does not need to flow or engage the
reader like an Introduction or Discus-
sion. Nonetheless, the Methods sec-
tion is critical in helping a reader fully
understand your work. A clear and
well-organized Methods section pre-
pares readers for the results of your
work and allows them to proceed
through the paper without being dis-
tracted by questions about the origins
of those results.

About the Author

Dr. Bendiksby manages a unique group
of In-House
Editors,
selected for
their edit-
ing skills and
specialized areas of study. He received a
Bachelors in Pharmacology in Scotland,
a Neuroscience Cand. Scient. in Norway,
and his PhD from Duke University study-
ing visual perception and the cognitive
AJE is the
processing of attention and reward in
leading provider
rhesus macaques.
of manuscript
services to
academics and
researchers
worldwide.