Page 32 - Modul Academic Writing

… Practice …
Since Methods section outlines the methods that you used, it is described in past
tense. Analyze the tenses used in these excerpts from a thesis entitled The
effects of Fluoride on the reproduction of three native Australian plant
Species. Underline the verbs that use inappropriate tenses and revise them.
There are five (5) inappropriate verbs.

1. The major objective of this study is to look at the effects of fluoride on the
reproduction of native plant species found in the vegetation surrounding the
Tomago Aluminium Smelter. This is done by measuring several reproductive
characteristics of selected species and undertaking a study of the soil seed reserve
along a fluoride gradient …

2. By keeping other environmental variables constant, it is anticipated that these sites
would illustrate the relationship between fluoride and plant reproduction.

3. From each of the replicate sites in the high, low and background fluoride zones a
Y2 cone with follicles is collected from 10 randomly selected plants. The follicles
from the cones were opened by placing them in an oven, heated to 120o C for one
hour, and seeds were removed (Wrigley & Fagg,1991). When follicles fail to open…

4. For the Bossiaea heterophylla, regression analysis was used to determine which of
the other characteristics, if any, have a significant linear relationship with the
number of pods produced per plant. A one-factor ANCOVA was then performed
using…

Taken from https://student.unsw.edu.au/sample-methods

Remember that in Methods section you have to be able to answer
key questions: what, when, where, how and why you did what

you did to get your results.

Decide the previous excerpts answering which key questions. Here are the
possible answers.

Why (the research was done using a What (introductory overview) and Where
particular approach) (samples were gathered)

What (specific details of techniques and How (specific details of collection and
tests used) treatment of samples)

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