How to read a methods section when you did not come from research

Read in this order, not top to bottom

Start with the sample size and the setting. Who was studied, where, and how many. This tells you what the findings can and cannot be generalised to before you invest time in the rest.

Next, find the outcome measure. What, specifically, did they measure, and how. If you cannot state the primary outcome in one sentence after reading this section, the paper has not told you yet, or you need to reread it once.

The table that matters most

Find the table comparing baseline characteristics between groups, usually Table 1. If the groups look meaningfully different before the intervention even starts, treat every later comparison with more scepticism. This single table does more to tell you whether a study is trustworthy than most of the discussion section.

What to skip on a first pass

Skip the full statistical model specification unless you specifically need to evaluate the analysis. Skip most of the limitations paragraph until you have decided the study matters to you; limitations sections are frequently boilerplate.

What to do with all this

You are not trying to become a methodologist. You are trying to decide, quickly and defensibly, whether a given study should change what you believe or do. Sample, setting, outcome, and Table 1 will get you there most of the time.