Hi guys,
I'm just wondering how you scientists organised your materials and methods? I was thinking of doing it by technqiues used in each chapter but some are common to more than one and so it could potentially get very repetitive...how did you/will you do yours?

I've organised my (molecular biology) methods by chapter. Where I've used a single technique in more than one chapter I've referred back to the M&M section where it was first mentioned. Hope this helps!

it does indeedy! thanks for your reply

Yep. Thats how I'm doing my neuroscience one too. Describe one and refer back. Its good to get confirmation from others though.

Good luck writing - I'm procrastinating right now!

Procrastination...that pretty much describes me today!

Oh! Can I join the Procrastination Club too? I'm highly skilled y'know...

My methods are in the individual chapters and I just refer back to the earlier chapters for repeat methods. The other approach (one big fat M&M chapter for the whole thesis) sounds way to complicated to me.

I had one big M&M chapter, was the most logical way for me. Every thesis is different though so you should go with the way that seems to make the most sense for you (and hopefully, your examiners too!). Good luck.

My lab do one specific M&M chapter. I've done some general techniques, then divided by protein, but it's a work in progress.

Hi, I'm writing my thesis just now and going to write all my final detailed methods in one big M and Ms (chapter 2) then a brief methods in each results chapter with the method development and how I arrived at the final method, different incubations, dilutions, methods of quantification etc. (I'm doing a cell and molecular biology project). Hope this helps.

That reminds me...I explained non standard methods, e.g. if I had to develop protein purification to get it to work,
or it needed an explanation,
and why I chose that method in the relevent results chapter

Oh dear mine sounds quite a bit different from everyone elses! I'm planning each chapter to focus on a different techique, so each chapter will have a short background, method, discussion and conclusion section. So that's another way of doing it I suppose.

I think I've decided to have one 'big' MM chapter - I say big, but in reality many of the techniques are more or less the same. I have 3 results chapters, and will order the MM in order of the techniques used in each and if I have something in results chapter 3 that is similar to chapter 1, I think I'll say something like, X was conducted as described (refer to earlier thingy), modified by the omission/addition..... etc.