A t-test, for example, is reported in the following format: t (18) = , p Running Head: EXAMPLE METHOD SECTION 1 Method Participants Participants in this study included 75 Loyola University New Orleans students. Participants included 41 females and 34 males between the ages of 18 and All participants in this study were volunteers. Some participants were recruited from the Psychology Human Participants Pool by signingFile Size: 68KB · The Method Section page 1 Method Section The Method section comes after the title page, abstract, and introduction, but we discuss it before all of those because it is the only section you have enough information to write about before you collect your data. The Method section is the section in which you describe the details of how your study was
How to Write a Method Section of an APA Paper
The method section of an APA format psychology paper provides the methods and procedures used in a research study or experiment.
This part of an APA paper is critical because it allows other researchers to see exactly how you conducted your research, allowing for the reproduction of the experiment and assessment of alternative methods that might produce different results. So what exactly do you need to include when writing your method section? You should provide detailed information on the research design, apa methods section example, participants, equipment, materials, variables, and actions taken by the participants.
The method section should provide enough information to allow other researchers to replicate your experiment or study. The method section should utilize subheadings to divide up different subsections. These subsections typically include participants, materials, design, and procedure. In this part of the method section, you should describe the participants in your experiment, including who they were and any unique features that set them apart from the general populationhow many there were, and how they were selected.
If you utilized random selection to choose your participants, it should be noted here. For example: "We randomly selected children from elementary schools near the University of Arizona. At the very minimum, this part of your method section must convey basic demographic characteristics of your apa methods section example such as sex, age, ethnicity, or religionthe population from which your participants were drawn, and any restrictions on your pool of participants.
For example, if your study consists of female college students from a small private college in the Midwest, you should note this in this part of your method section. This part of your method section should also explain how many participants were assigned to each condition and how they were assigned to each group.
Were they randomly assigned to a condition, or was some other selection method used? It is also important to explain why your participants took part in your research. Was your study advertised at a college or hospital? Did participants receive some type of incentive to take part in your research? Information on participants helps other researchers understand how your study was performed, how generalizable the result might be, and allows other researchers to replicate the experiment with other populations to see if they might obtain the same results.
Describe the materials, measures, equipment, or stimuli used in the experiment, apa methods section example. This may include testing instruments, technical equipment, or other materials used during the course of research. If you used some type of psychological assessment or special equipment during the course of your experiment, it should be noted in this part of your method section. For example: "Two stories from Sullivan et al.
For standard equipment such as computers, televisions, and videos, you can simply name the device and not provide further explanation. So if you used a computer to administer a psychological assessment, you would need to identify the specific psychological assessment used, but you could simply state that you used a computer to administer the test rather than listing the brand and technical specifications of the device. Specialized equipment, apa methods section example, especially if it is something that is complex or created for a niche purpose, should be given greater detail.
In some instances, such as if you created a special material or apparatus for your study, you may need to provide an illustration of the item apa methods section example can be included in your appendix and then referred to in your method section. Describe the type of design used in the experiment. Specify the variables as well as the levels of these variables. Clearly identify your independent variablesdependent variablescontrol variables, and any extraneous variables that might influence apa methods section example results.
Explain whether your experiment uses a within-groups or between-groups design. For example: "The experiment used a 3x2 between-subjects design. The independent variables were age and understanding of second-order beliefs.
The next part of your method section should detail the procedures used in your experiment. Explain what you had participants do, how you collected data, and the order in which steps occurred. For example: "An examiner interviewed children individually at their school in one session that lasted 20 minutes on average.
The examiner explained to each child that he or she would be told two short stories and that some questions apa methods section example be asked after each story. All sessions were videotaped so the data could later be coded. Keep this subsection concise yet detailed. Explain what you did and how you did it, but do not overwhelm your readers with too much information. The method section is one of the most important components of your APA format paper, apa methods section example.
The goal of your paper should be to clearly detail what you did in your experiment. Provide enough detail that another researcher could replicate your study if they wanted.
Finally, if you are writing your paper for a class or for a specific publication, be sure to keep in mind any specific instructions provided by your instructor or by the journal editor. Your instructor may have certain requirements that you need to follow while writing your method section. Ever wonder what your personality type means?
Sign up to find out apa methods section example in our Healthy Mind newsletter. You can opt-out at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy. American Psychological Association. APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards. Published Publication Manual of apa methods section example American Psychological Association 7th ed. Washington DC: The American Psychological Association; Table of Contents View All.
Table of Contents. Additional Tips. How Variables Are Used in Psychological Research. How to Write an APA Results Section. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Article Sources.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. How to Write a Paper in APA Apa methods section example. How to Write an Appendix in APA Format. What Is a Case Study in Psychology? Writing the Results Section of Your APA Format Psychology Paper.
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Running Head: EXAMPLE METHOD SECTION 1 Method Participants Participants in this study included 75 Loyola University New Orleans students. Participants included 41 females and 34 males between the ages of 18 and All participants in this study were volunteers. Some participants were recruited from the Psychology Human Participants Pool by signingFile Size: 68KB A t-test, for example, is reported in the following format: t (18) = , p Example Apparatus/Materials Subsection The stimuli were generated by an Apple Macintosh II computer. We used custom software (see appendix) and displayed the stimuli on an Apple in. color monitor. Participants viewed the display binocularly from a distance of 35 cm, and we stabilized their head position with the aid of a chin rest. More Examples
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