Study Population Section
George Mason University’s IMRaD overview notes that Methods commonly reports the study population and sample as part of explaining how the study was conducted. Not every study involves human participants or uses a separately titled population subsection; terminology and required detail depend on the design, field, and reporting standard.
A Study Population section defines the people, cases, events, records, or other units the study is intended to describe or draw conclusions about and distinguishes that population from the actual sample when relevant.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Not every study involves human participants or uses a separately titled population subsection; terminology and required detail depend on the design, field, and reporting standard.
Further guidance
Content
Specify the population in terms that matter to the research question, such as setting, eligibility, time frame, or other defining characteristics; then make the relationship to the observed sample clear.
Practical Application
Define the population the study is intended to describe or draw conclusions about, then distinguish that target population from the actual sample or analyzed records when those differ.
Purpose
A Study Population section defines the people, cases, events, records, or other units the study is intended to describe or draw conclusions about and distinguishes that population from the actual sample when relevant.
Reader Check
Can readers tell who or what was eligible in principle, who or what was actually included, and which inclusion/exclusion boundaries shape interpretation?
Worked Example
Example: “The target population was adults receiving outpatient dialysis in the region. The analyzed sample included 412 patients meeting the prespecified eligibility criteria during 2025.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Scientific (IMRaD) Research Reports — Overview (opens in a new tab)George Mason University Writing Center · University writing-center overview that Methods reports how a study was conducted and includes population, sample, methods, and equipment as relevant.