Methods Section Flashcards
Main sections of a research article:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- References
Abstract section should contain
- Overview and purpose of the study
- General description and methods
- Highlights of results
- Statement of significance of results
- General conclusions
Introduction section should include
- Statement of the Problem
- Clinical Relevance
- Review of current literature
- Rationale and theoretical framework
- Specific purpose and hypotheses (guiding research question)
Introduction section of research article often concludes with
A research question
Methods section should contain
- Study design
- Criteria for and methods of subject selection
- Description and number of subjects
- Measurement methods and data collection techniques
- Data analysis procedures
Results section should contain
- Narrative description of statistical outcomes
- Tables and figures that summarize findings
- Statements of support of the hypotheses or rejection of the hypotheses
Discussion section should contain
- Importance of the results
- Limitations of the study
- Suggestions for future research
- Applicability of the results to clinical practice
Just a brief statement of the purpose of the study and it’s findings. It is usually phrased “the results of this study indicate…” or ”this study demonstrates….”
Conclusion
Reference section must include
All references used, in APA format
• Enough details are included in this section so the study can be replicated
• A clear description of the subjects/participants
• Including exclusion and inclusion criteria
• Subject sample size should be sufficient for the purposes of the study
• Sample size is affected by the study design
Methods section
• Each individual in a population of interest has an equal chance of being
selected for the study
• The generalizability of the study is enhanced when the subject sample is large and randomly selected from the population of interest.
Random sampling
• Should be adequate to measure the variables being studied
The IV can be described as “what changes the behavior”
The DV can be described as “the behavior that may change”
Materials
These are other factors (confounding factors) that may alter the dependent variable (the behavior that may change) making it difficult to know what actually affected the behavior
Extraneous Variables
Characteristics of levels of measurement
- Identity- (nominal)
- Identity and magnitude – (ordinal level)
- Identity, magnitude, & equality of an interval- (interval level)
- Identity, magnitude, equality of an interval and a true zero – (ratio level)
refers to how much we can depend on a measure
Reliability
Reliability of a measurement can be evaluated in the following ways
• Test-retest method
• Equivalence of measurement
• Internal consistency – split-half method
A measurement can be evaluated for its precision and also for its accuracy
• A measurement that is precise remains relatively stable if it is repeated
with the same research subjects under similar conditions
• A measurement that is precise may not always be accurate
• The accuracy of a measurement reflects the level of error that is present
Precision and accuracy
Potential sources of error
Systematic and unsystematic errors
equipment needing to be calibrated
Systematic errors
equipment malfunction
Unsystematic errors
indicates the expected variability of the
subject’s scores if the measurement were repeated several times. A small standard of error suggests higher reliability. A large standard of error suggest lower reliability.
Standard error
how consistent 2 or more researchers are in making a particular measurement
Interobserver (inter-rater) agreement
how consistent one researcher is when making the same measurement more than once
Intraobserver (intra-rater) agreemen
Agreement coefficients can be calculated to determine
the level of interobserver or intraobserver agreement
