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Unit 4 Materials and Methods - student copy updated Sept'23

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Unit 4 Materials and Methods - student copy updated Sept'23

Uploaded by

kjjvn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Recap: Last Week

• Literature Review

• Short Reviews: Introduction, Results


• Longer Reviews: Literature Review Chapter

• Organisation: Thematic, Chronological, General


to Specific

• Language features: Tentative Language (use of


modal verbs), Organising Phrases.
UNIT 4
FYP REPORT:
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
HW0288
Engineering
Communication II
Learning objectives
• 1. understand the purpose and importance of the Materials and Methods section
in a research report;
• 2. select appropriate details and an appropriate level of detail for describing the
procedures used;
• 3. organise the information to make the description reader-friendly;
• 4. use appropriate and effective language forms and constructions when
describing materials and procedures; and
• 5. produce a systematic, clear, and precise description of the materials and
procedures used in a research report.
What’s the purpose of the Methods
and Methods Section?
Activity 4.1
‘it allows the reader to judge the validity and reliability of the results
and conclusions of your study’ (HW0288 Student Guide, p.44)

A. What would the reader look out for, in order to make a


judgement?
In addition, another purpose of the
section is to:
INFORMATION COMPONENTS
OF THE MATERIALS AND
METHODS/ DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENTATION SECTION
MATERIALS & METHODS DESIGN & IMPLEMENTATION

• details of the materials • details of the components and/or


equipment used for building the
and/or equipment used deliverable,
in the test or experiment • how they are used together
• E.g. smartphone app, the software
• how the equipment was
used and the system architecture
set up; and • description of process of building
• description of the test or the deliverable
• including explanations for some
experimental procedures steps taken, especially if these
used steps are innovative
Activity 4.2a (P.34)
Analysing information components in the Materials section of experiments and
tests

a. What details did the authors provide, and why do you think
they included these details?
Answer to 4.2a
.

b. What details about the materials might be important


for you to include in YOUR FYP?
Read the jumbled up paragraphs on
Pg. 35
From the materials section of a study
- sought to assess the energy savings and environmental benefits
which ‘vegetal facades’ for buildings can bring, in comparison to
traditional facades.
- to carry out their experiment, the authors built a translucent
green wall with a ‘vegetal layer’ (a layer with plants) in an
experimental building.
- They also built a similar wall without the layer.
Nominate a person to present
B.your
Explain howGroup’s
you sequenced the answers
paragraphs. What were some ‘clues’ that helped you?

C. Apart from details about the different parts and materials that make up the wall, what other
types of information did the authors provide? Why do you think they included such
information?

D. What can you learn from this exercise about:


i. what to include in describing the set-up or construction of
equipment in an experiment, &
ii. how to organise or structure such a description?
Answer:
In describing the mechanism or equipment set-up/installation,
you can use the following steps:

• OVERVIEW: general idea of the mechanism and purpose it is used for in two or three
sentences.
• DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPAL PARTS:
• characteristics of each part,
• important technical details (e.g. exact measurements) where necessary,
• a spatial or functional pattern of organization.
• FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION:
• function of individual parts where necessary,
• how the parts function together.
LANGUAGE COMPONENTS OF THE
MATERIALS AND METHODS/ DESIGN
AND IMPLEMENTATION SECTION
LANGUAGE FOCUS
In place of ACTIVITY 4.3 (P.39) Q2.
Pair up and fill in the blanks with the correct form of the
verb on WooClap.
Summary of Language conventions:

- Use______________, since the material, equipment, participants and


instruments have all already been used in a completed study
- Use ________________if stating facts about the materials/ equipment
CONTENT AND
ORGANIZATION OF
PROCEDURE)/ DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENTATION SECTION
(see P. 41 of Student guide)
What should be included in the
Procedure/ Design and
Implementation
- systematic, step-by-step account of what was one to carry out your experiment/ produce the
deliverable/ conduct the survey
- if the study comprises of stages, write the account stage by stage
- include exact, specific information on technical details, e.g.
ratio of dilution, pH range, temperature, duration of application of a force, etc.
- Rationale/ justifications for why you chose to do certain things the way you did

How much detail is enough?


How detailed should
the procedure be?
More specific guidelines:
- If you are using an established procedure without modification, you do not need to
go into detail, especially if it is very well-known. Name the procedure or experiment,
and if you think it is necessary for your reader, summarise it. You may also need to
justify why you have adopted the procedure.

- If you are using an established procedure, but modifying some of the steps, describe
the changes in sufficient detail, and draw attention to them. Be sure to explain the
reasons for each modification.

- If you are using a novel procedure which you have come up with, describe it in as
precise detail as possible. Also, explain how you came up with your procedure, as well
as justify why you have taken each step.
Organize and present the
information in the following ways:
1. If permitted to do so, present the procedure ( or some parts of it) in a list
of numbered steps
2. Precede the steps with a paragraph
3. Use sub-headings to identify stages/ steps, if there are many steps
4. Use appropriate visuals to illustrate the procedure, e.g. flowchart/
schematic diagram/ table
Note: Important in the oral presentation
Taken from: Markovits & Szederkenyi (2022)
Language Focus
Useful features (p.43):
- Paragraphing to indicate different stages
- Sequential order for stages and steps
- Signal markers of sequence (e.g. subsequently, then, After that, ) to mark
steps
- Signal markers of logic (e.g. in order to, because, since) for explanations
- Concrete action verbs in full sentences to capture main actions in the
procedure
- Non-finite ‘to …’ clauses and non-action verbs for justifications
Past passive tense usually used
• A simple dip-coating method was used to … The bare AFM tips were dip-coated
with … This was done by … The tips were then air-dried …
Extracted from [2]

• After the machine was weighed, it was secured to the testing bed… Once all the
ropes were correctly attached, the platform was raised …
Extracted from [9]

• Prospective participants in the focus group were selected from … Maritime experts
in Australia and New Zealand… were contacted. An e-mail containing the project’s
background, objectives and methodology was then sent to all participants.
Extracted from [5]
Activity 4.6 Writing a Materials and Methods
Task 1
section
Choose a simple engineering or scientific experiment or test that at least one of you has
carried out:
1. Make a list of the material and equipment used.
2. Share or discuss how the equipment was set up.
3. Recall the stages and steps taken in carrying out the experiment or test.

Write the Materials and Methods section of a report for this experiment or test, including
visuals that you think are necessary or helpful. Post it on the Discussion Forum. Comment
on 1 other post.
Peer Review
- Refer to the checklist on P 161 and give your partner
feedback.
- Pay particular attention to Content and Organization, and in-
text citations.
- If you notice that information that should be cited isn’t, mark it
with an asterisk
Reminders
- Submission of Assignment 1: Read Student Guide P. 159-161

- Submit to Turnitin by 2359hr on the day of your tutorial


- Attach the Declaration of Academic Integrity Form

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