Post on 01-Apr-2015
Chapter 2: Where to StartAppendix A: Writing Research Reports
Hypotheses and Predictions [p17]
Informal hypotheses/predictions
- Simply questions about behavior or a guess at what elicits behavior
Formal hypotheses
- Formulated on the basis of past research findings and theoretical considerations
- Stated in very specific and formal terms
- Confirmed or unconfirmed by the results
Theory
A logically organized set of propositions (claims, statements, assertions) that serves to:
*define events (concepts),
*describe relationships among events
*explain the occurrence of events
[Ch2, p20]
Sources of Ideas [pp18-22]
Common sense
Observation of the world around us
Theories
Past research
Scholarly Journal Articles [p23]
The nature of journals
• Researcher sends written report to a professional journal
• Editor solicits reviews from other peer scientists
• Each journal has limited space
• Editor decides whether to accept the research report for publication
• Accepted research reports are published about one year later
Literature Review: Scholarly Psychology Journals
• Psychological Bulletin
• Annual Review of Psychology
• Journal of Environmental Psychology
• Others [pp24-25, Table 2.1]
Search Strategies: Shatford Library Databases
• Proquest
• Wilson Web--Science Full Text
• PsycInfo
• Others
• Yahoo, Google (Scholar), and Alta Vista
• Critically evaluate the quality of the information you
find
• Record the exact location of any Websites you will be
using in your research
Literature Review: Internet Searches [p32]
Communicating the Results of a Research Study
research conferencepsychology research journal
Writing Research Reports: APA Format
Sixth edition of the Publication Manual (2009) of the American Psychological Association (APA).
http://www.apastyle.org
[p283]
Guidelines for Effective Writing
Know Your Audience Identify Your Purpose Write Clearly
• Be concise
• Be precise
• Follow grammatical rules
Avoid biased language Write an interesting report
Structure of a Research Report [p298] A research report consists of the following
sections (the main text is in bold):
Title Page ■ ReferencesAbstract ■ Appendixes Introduction ■ Author NoteMethod ■ FootnotesResults ■ TablesDiscussion ■ Figure caption
page■ Figures
Title page [pp288-290]
• title of the research
• authors’ names
• where the research was done
• running head
• page header
Abstract [p290]
• One-paragraph summary
• 100-120 words
• Include:• Problem under investigation• Research methods used• Main findings• Conclusions and implications
• Write the Abstract last!
Introduction [pp290-291]
• Three primary objectives:• introduce the problem
• summarize briefly the relevant background literature
• describe the hypothesis and research design
Method [pp291-292]
• Describes how the study was conducted
• Provides enough detail for replication
• 3 common subsections of the Method section (Subsections depend on the complexity of the design): •Participants
•Design (optional)
•Materials (or Apparatus)
•Procedure
Method [p292](continued)
Information to include in Participants subsection • Procedures for recruiting and compensation
• Major demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, age, race/ethnicity)
• Total number of participants
• Number of participants in each condition
• Describe any attrition
Method [p292](continued)
Information to include in Materials/Apparatus subsection • Describe materials critical to the design and
implementation of the study variables
Method [p292](continued)
Information to include in Procedure subsection • Describe what happened from the beginning
to the end of the sessions in which you tested your participants
• Include enough detail to allow for replication
Results [pp292-294]
• Findings are presented in three ways1.Narrative form2.Statistical language 3.Tables or graphs (figures)
• Answers the questions raised in the introduction
• Sticks to the facts
Discussion [p295]
• What were the essential findings?
• Do the findings support the hypothesis?
• If yes, provide all possible explanations• If no, suggest potential reasons for this
• How are results similar to or different from previous research?
• Explain how the results compare with past results
• Limitations or problems in the research?
• Present methodological weaknesses and/or strengths
• Offer specific ideas for additional research based on the findings
• Include suggestions for possible practical applications
References [p295]
• Contains citation information for each source cited in the research manuscript
• References are listed in alphabetical order according to the last name of the first author of each source
• Sample on pp329-332
Appendixes [pp295-296]
• Sometimes used to provide a verbatim copy of instructions to participants or a copy of particular materials used in a research study
Author Note [p296]
• Sources of financial support for the research
• Acknowledgment of people who contributed to the research project
• Contact information should an interested reader desire more information
• The name and departmental affiliation of each author.
Footnotes [p296]
• Rare in research manuscripts
• Two types:• Copyright permission footnotes
• Content footnotes
• Footnotes appear on a separate page near the end of the manuscript
Tables and Figures [pp296-297]
• Tables or figures cited in the text (results section) are attached at the end of the research manuscript
• Place only one table or figure on a page
• Figures require a separate “Figure Captions” page preceding the figures