Method

Why is a detailed description of your research method necessary?

Links with other sections (connecting the content)

with Introduction section (How do the subheadings in Method relate to the end of Introduction?)
with Results section (How do the subheadings in Method relate to the subheadings in Result?)

Types of Methods sections

knitr::include_graphics("method types.png")

Descriptions of materials, locations, species etc

Procedural descriptions

Divide into subsections with subheadings

Use combination of passive and active sentences

Avoid monotony use transition phrases

Order of presenting experimental procedures

Include tables/figures only if they reduce a large amount of text

Advice often given to avoid passive

be more direct & less wordy
Avoid very long subjects and a passive verb at the end of the sentence

Wheat and barley, collected from the Virginia field site, as well as sorghum and millet, collected at Loxton were used.
Place subject and verb within the first 9 words of the sentence
Place any list of items at the end of the sentence

Four cereals were used: wheat and barley, collected from the Virginia field site; and sorghum and millet, collected at Loxton.

Use passive

when the identity of the agent (experimenter) is less important than the action (experiment)

We drew blood samples.

Blood samples were drawn.
for variety (when the same agent is carrying out all the actions)
for modesty
by convention (e.g., first person pronouns I, my, me are rare in scientific papers)
to improve cohesion and coherence: information flow (Old -> New information)

Use both Passive and Active Sentences