While not all papers include a methods section, just like with a literature review section, the majority do. In fact, it is rare for papers not to have a methods section, mainly those that are (literature) reviews with no descriptions of how they were done. Those papers usually have a bad reputation of being biased, or at least hugely subject to bias. (More on this in "Systematic Review.")
Quite simply, the methods section is where you describe, in full detail, how you did or performed your study and thus reached what you reached, representing a detailed roadmap of how you conducted your study. A solid and respected methods section is one that lets your reader, just by reading your methods, replicate your work exactly. (Note that the following is more for empirical primary research studies, yet some applies for secondary research, like doing a systematic review, which you are doing at ARPL. For differences, there would be more guidance later here and in "Systematic Review.")
Just like how many resources claim that the title and abstract are the two most important sections, packed with justified validations and reasons, many claim that the methods and results sections are the most essential sections of your paper, representing your study and research backbone. Besides presenting how you conducted your research, it lets your reader evaluate the reliability of your results while also checking your research rigor and validity. You may think of it as the root of the study: if it is not solid enough, everything, i.e., your whole paper or study, would be questionable.
You should think that you as an author are trying to solidify your study's validity through the methods section, in anticipation of potential criticism. Further, it also establishes a foundation for your reader to later understand your findings.
Among the first and most important points to be mentioned is what materials were used in your study, if any. This should detail all information, including how you prepared those materials. You should also include the different protocols you used; you need to also detail how you performed your data measurements, as well as how calculations were done. Usually, you should also state what statistical tests you used for your data analysis, yet this also depends on the type of research.
Given that there are a number of pieces of information that you should fit into a small portion of your paper, you need to make it as direct and concise as possible. Thus, you should start by creating an outline, having a complete list of all the critical parts you need to present. Remember, you need to put all necessary pieces so readers would be able to repeat the study, while putting those pieces in chronological order.
Usually, while writing your manuscript, your methods section is structured with different subheadings. The subsections may be participants, materials, design, and procedure, among others. Note that the following is not necessarily for what you will do in ARPL, as the majority of scholars do systematic reviews. However, as a few other researchers may include some of the following, it is necessary to cover in the curriculum as well.
Remember, it is not only for your journey in ARPL but in your journey as an African researcher and leader solving problems, relieving pain, and saving lives.
As the name clearly explains, this section is where you describe who or what was the subject of your study's experiment. You should include information about demographics of the study population, the selection process for participants, and the total number of participants. You need, at a minimum level, to specify who participated in the study, the population from which they were drawn, and any notable limitations. You should also include how many participants there were, the distribution among different cohorts, and any notable characteristics that could influence the findings.
In studies where materials were used, you should provide a comprehensive description of all of them and any other equipment you used for your study. Examples may include databases, testing instruments, and figures utilized. Note it is unnecessary to include very standard items like pencils, pens, paper, or computers. In cases where a unique instrument was developed specifically for your research, you should provide enough detailed explanation of its design and function, and it would also be helpful if you could provide charts or illustrations of this item.
In this section, you should outline the variables in your study and how these variables impact your research. You need to clearly identify the dependent, independent, and control variables, as well as any other variables that may have influenced your research outcomes.
In this last section, you should describe and detail how the experiment was conducted. You need to include the data collection process and the specific steps where data was gathered. While you need to be as specific as possible, you don't want to overload your readers with excessive details or overly irrelevant steps. It is important to keep an eye on this and always aim to be as concise as you are thorough.
By this point, you are aware of different methods in research, including the categorization of Quantitative, Qualitative, and mixed. While collecting your data, you need to be sure about which type you will use.