I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: vet your research design before you start collecting data. (This is especially important for the non-dirtbagging variety of qualitative research where you’re hypothesis testing or exploring the relationship between prespecified vars.)
For the love of god, do not use passive voice in your data and methods sections. Your data were not magically collected/analyzed by some unknown entity; it was you, you did it, you collected/analyzed your data!
If you are writing an empirical paper, always make sure you include a data and methods section. This will cover your research design choices, your data and how you collected it, and how you analyzed it.
What level of detail should you go into? A good rule of thumb: provide enough information that someone could (theoretically) replicate your study. Replication isn’t always possible (or advisable), so that’s why I say “theoretically.”
Another way to think about this is provide enough information that a reader/reviewer/editor can properly evaluate your study. What do we need to know to decide for ourselves if your findings are valid?
If you really want to nerd out, put it in the appendix. The appendix is a great place to provide more information, but at a greater level of detail than is necessary for someone to understand your study—such as if someone wanted to exactly replicate your study.
An appendix is a great place for your exact qualitative coding scheme or the full list of your interview questions. The data and methods section can summarize this material.
Speaking of research ethics, if your project involves living human subjects, note in your data and methods section that you received IRB/REB clearance (or exemption) and what steps you took to protect your subjects/participants.
Ashley T. Rubin 