Methods
Methodology is the systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods applied to a field of study. It comprises the theoretical analysis of the body of methods and principles associated with a branch of knowledge. Typically, it encompasses concepts such as paradigm, theoretical model, phases and quantitative or qualitative techniques.
A methodology does not set out to provide solutions - it is, therefore, not the same thing as a method. Instead, it offers the theoretical underpinning for understanding which method, set of methods or so called “best practices” can be applied to specific case, for example, to calculate a specific result.
A robust methodology provide automatic ways of detecting, downweighting (or removing), and flagging outliers, largely removing the need for manual screening.
Second part after
The methods section of a article is the study design. A well-elaborated methods section may convince the reviewers of the validity of the study design, the reliability and competence of the research team, and thus the reproducibility of the results. If other researchers apply the same methods under the same conditions, the results should be similar.
This section is the fundamental part of the paper where the reviewer will analyze the internal validity and external validity of the study. To do that, the reviewer needs to understand the specific aspects of the methodology with greater refinement and precision using PICOT 1), complemented with a verication of regulatory approval, examination of sample size, quality of patient allocation, maintenance of treatment, and presence of masking techniques 2)
The systematic review suggested in the methods section is: patients (P), regulatory approval, sample size calculation, allocation, intervention group (I), control group (C), maintenance, outcome (O), blinding techniques, time of study (T), and type of study (T).