By the end of this unit you should:
One person is the speaker. One person is the listener. The speaker describes the method of their research project in English. The listener asks questions (in any language) if they do not understand anything. Once the listener understands. The listener uses Japanese (or English) to confirm the method. The speaker and listener then change roles.
Work in pairs. Describe how you carry out your research project.
Answer these questions about your performance as speaker in Activity 1.
| # | Question | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How clear was your description? | unclear | unclear at times | fairly clear | clear | very clear |
| 2 | Did your listener understand your description? | not really | some parts | most parts | yes, probably | yes, sure |
| 3 | Did your description include enough specific details? | no | probably, no | not sure | yes, probably | yes, enough |
Remember there may be a big difference between your understanding of your method, and someone else`s understanding of your description. One of your aim is to minimize this discrepancy. The method should provide enough details so someone with the appropriate skillset can replicate your research.
Share your impression of the description of the method using the Table in Activity 2. Discuss any differences between your ideas.
Read the two methods sections given below.
The content of each description is the same, but the format differs.
A method section describes: the research design, the procedures used in your study, and the materials used in your study. Sufficient detail needs to be provided so that someone else can replicate or extend your study. The method section should also include reasons for choosing the method of investigation and explanations of the method.
A method section describes:
Sufficient detail needs to be provided so that someone else can replicate or extend your study. The method section should also include:
Image source: Image library of Understanding science, University of Berkeley.
Work in pairs. Compare and contrast prose and bulletpoint formats.
| Prose | Bulletpoint |
|---|---|
| A method section describes: the research design, the procedures used in your study and the materials used in your study. Sufficient detail needs to be provided so that someone else can replicate or extend your study. The method section should also include reasons for choosing the method of investigation and explanations of the method. |
A method section describes:
Sufficient detail needs to be provided so that someone else can replicate or extend your study. The method section should also include:
|
Read.
Lists are a concise way to present information. Lists may be numbered (ordered) to show the sequence or the relative importance of items. Lists may use bulletpoints to introduce each item (unordered). There are two common types of lists: horizontal lists and vertical lists.
Horizontal lists
Horizontal lists are written in the same way as a normal sentence.
XXXXXXX include(s): aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, and cccccccccccccccccccccc. Horizontal lists may include numbers, e.g. The steps in the process were: (1) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, (2) bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb, and (3) cccccccccccccccccccccc.
Vertical lists
Vertical lists are written by placing each list element on a new line.
XXXXXX include(s):
Note that each list begins with a colon. Colons are commonly used to introduce lists. The list elements are usually divided by commas. In formal texts, such as a graduation thesis, the final list item is introduced using and. List items can be words, phrases or clauses. However, do not mix item types in the same list.
When creating lists you can use ordered lists (numbered lists) or unordered lists (bullet-point lists). We use unordered lists when it does not matter about the order of the elements. We use ordered lists when it matters about the sequence. Ordered lists can be used to show chronological order and priority order.
Decide which of these are relevant to your method section.
Method sections vary greatly according to the type of graduation thesis. Some common elements include:
Method sections in particular domains have specific features. For example,:
Image source: Nagasaka et al (2013)
Nagasaka, Y., Chao, Z.C., Hasegawa, N., Notoya, T. and Fujii, N., 2013. Spontaneous synchronization of arm motion between Japanese macaques. Scientific reports, 3, p.1151.
Read to discover which language features are commonly used in method sections.
Verb tense
When describing procedures, use the simple past tense when referring to the procedures that you carried out. However, you can use the present tense if you are describing some standard procedures widely used by other researchers.
Voice
Passive voice is commonly used in describing procedures because your emphasis is on the procedure rather than the person.
Passive voice
The specimen was weighed in an electric balance before the test. Then it was placed at the center of the load cell.
Active voice
We weighed the specimen in an electric balance before the test. Then we placed it at the center of the load cell.
Note: The use of active or passive voice in a graduation thesis depends on the conventions of different disciplines. You should talk to your supervisor for the best advice.
Imperatives
In the method section, it is common to refer your readers to relevant figures for more information. There are two ways of doing this. One is to use the imperative, for example:
The use of imperatives is common in textbooks and course materials. However, it may sound a bit impolite if you use them in your graduation thesis. Remember, your main readers are your supervisor and other second-readers. One way to avoid using imperatives is to use the passive voice. We can rewrite the two examples above using the passive voice:
Watch the slideshow presentation to make it easier to complete the followiing activity
Read the text below to answer these questions.
2.1 Apples
Liberty apple cultivar was chosen for this study because it is highly prone to browning (Kim, Smith, & Lee, 1993). The apples were harvested at commercial maturity in the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station orchard during the 1998 growing season and stored in the cold room (0−2°C and 90−95% RH). The moisture content of the apples was 83.6% [...].
2.2 Anti-browning agents
Five major groups of chemical compounds [...] were either certified ACS grade or analytical grade [...]. Concentration of each dipping solution started at 1% and then decreased to lower concentrations [...].
2.3 Slicing and dipping
Selected apples of uniform size and color were washed by hand and sliced longitudinally into 10 equal pieces using a stainless steel hand slicer. Ten apple slices were treated in 500 ml of dipping solution for 3 minutes and drained. The excess liquid was removed on cheese cloth. Samples were kept on the laboratory bench at room temperature for 3 hours.
2.4 Slicing and dipping
The changes in flesh color of the treated apple slices were measured by a Hunter Colorimeter (Hunterlab D-25, USA) at 10 min intervals for 3 h. The degree of browning was expressed by “δL” value [...]. The results were expressed as a mean value from three replications of the 10 measured samples.
2.5 Slicing and dipping
Statistical analysis was carried out using a PC SAS package (SAS, 1990). Duncan's multiple range tests (P=0.05) were performed to determine any significant difference among various treatments.
Son, S.M., Moon, K.D. and Lee, C.Y., 2001. Inhibitory effects of various antibrowning agents on apple slices. Food Chemistry, 73(1), pp.23-30.
Answer these general questions about the method section.
Answer these general questions about YOUR method section.