Writing the Methods and Results Sections
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the figure legend that the results shown in the figure are representative of the results of the other experiments. An example of this technique is shown below. Figure 1. Western blot analyses showing higher expression of total protein Z in group 1 (top) than in group 2 (bottom). Data are representative of similar results obtained in 3 independent experiments performed for both groups.
Minimizing Repetition between the Text and Figures and Tables
Be sure to minimize repetition between the text in the Results section and your figures and tables. For example, suppose your article includes a table showing the characteristics of patients in the 2 subgroups within a clinical trial. The first few rows might look like this:
Characteristic
Group A (n = 58)
Group B (n = 60)
Median age (range) 62 years (43 – 80 years) 61 years (55 – 82 years)
Clinical stage, no.
patients (%)
IIIa
36 (62)
34 (57)
IIIb
20 (34)
21 (35)
IV
2 (3)
5 (8)
When you refer to this table in the text, you might wish to mention some of the most important findings shown in the table. Of the 2 options below, option B is better because it summarizes the information in the table rather than repeating it. Option A: Stage IV disease was rare in both groups — only 2 patients (3%) in group A and 5 patients (8%) in group B had stage IV disease (Table 1).
Option B: Stage IV disease was rare in both groups (Table 1).
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