Summarizing Articles for Your Paper

First, read the article! Take notes and try to answer the following questions about the study in your own words:

• What was the purpose of the study? The hypothesis?• Who were the subjects? How were they selected? How

many per group? How were they assigned to groups?• What procedure was used to test the hypothesis?

Describe the operational definitions of the IV(s) and DV(s), including the different levels of each IV.

• What were the results and conclusions? Provide enough detail so that a reader who is unfamiliar with the

article can understand the study, but avoid excessive detail.Cite the source in APA format

• Learn how to use your APA Manual!!!

Plagiarism and How to Avoid It

Do not plagiarize from articles OR from other students!Review the academic honesty policy at:

• http://www.sjfc.edu/PDFs/AcademicHonesty.pdfComplete the Plagiarism Tutorial on the Blackboard if you

need more helpBe sure to cite your sources in APA format in the text of your

paper (pp. 207-214) and in the References (pp. 215-281)• Generally, you should cite a source once per paragraph

(unless you are discussing more than one source in the same paragraph, see p. 208 in APA Manual), and it is best to cite the source at or near the beginning of the paragraph.

Citing Sources in APA Format

One work by one author (section 3.94, pp. 207-208):• Ponicki (1974) conducted an experiment to

investigate…• In a recent study of reaction times (Walker, 2000),

researchers found…

One Work by Two Authors

Always cite both names (section 3.95, p. 208):• Johnson and Cooper (1992) found that…• One study has shown that cats are just too much

trouble (Johnson & Cooper, 1992).

One Work by Three to Five Authors

Cite all names the 1st time and later cite just the first author followed by et al. (section 3.95, p. 208)

• First time citing the source: Gardner, Phelan, and Beam (2004) did a study… One study investigated whether people prefer

cats or dogs (Gardner, Phelan, & Beam, 2004). • Later, if citing same source again:

Gardner et al. (2004) found… One study found some people prefer cats to dogs

(Gardner et al., 2004).

One Work by Six or More Authors

Six or more authors (section 3.95, p. 209):• Cite only the 1st author followed by et al. the 1st

time as well as in later citations Doe et al. (2005) conducted a study…. One study (Doe et al., 2005) found that…

General Information and Tips

Always type your writing assignments.• Use 10-12 point standard font.• Double-space all lines.

Refer to authors by last name only. Do not mention titles of works.Do not cite sources that you have not read (secondary sources).Quotations should be rare – no more than one or two brief quotes

per paper (and must be properly cited with source and page # in other classes).

Capitalize proper nouns (e.g., Stroop effect).Do not capitalize names of disorders (e.g., bulimia) unless they

involve proper nouns (e.g., Parkinson’s Disease).Use past tense when describing studies that have been completed.See Ch. 2 (pp. 31-76) of the APA Manual on Expressing Ideas and

Reducing Bias in Language.

Expressing Ideas

Organize your paper so that it flows smoothly (sections 2.01-2.02).Be as clear and concise as possible. Avoid wordiness, jargon, and

redundancy (sections 2.03-2.04).Use different strategies to improve your writing (see section 2.05)

• e.g., outlines, drafts/revisions, reading the paper out loud, having others read your paper, visiting the Writing Center or Professor…

Avoid writing in an informal or indirect tone. Be formal and direct.• Avoid: “In the article by…” OR “The study that I read…”• Better: “Doe (2005) conducted a study to investigate….”• Also avoid contractions (e.g., don’t) and slang (e.g., ain’t)

Use more active language.• Avoid: “Participants were given a test…”• Better: “Participants took a test…”

Reducing Bias

Avoid biased or unscientific language• Never use the word prove or its variations• Avoid words such as thought, felt, believed or said. Instead use

words such as hypothesized, reasoned, found, investigated…• Studies are designed to test hypotheses, not to prove or support

hypotheses. Also, hypotheses are neither correct/right nor incorrect/wrong.

• However, the results may either support/be consistent with the hypothesis or fail to support/be inconsistent with the hypothesis.

Be sensitive to labels and avoid them if possible (pp. 63-76)• Avoid: bulimics, alcoholics• Better: “Women diagnosed with bulimia…”

Acknowledge participation• Use participants, men, women when referring to humans• Use subjects, males, females when referring to animals

Numbers and APA Style

See sections 3.42-3.49 (pp. 122-13) in APA Manual• Numbers 0 to 9 are words• Numbers that begin a sentence are always words• Numbers 10 and up are digits (unless they begin a sentence)• Units of measurement (e.g. age, time, etc.) are digits (unless…)

Sections of an APA Empirical Paper

See descriptions in sections 1.06-1.15 (pp. 10-30) Instructions for typing the paper are on pp. 296-302Sample papers can be found on p. 306-320 of the APA Manual, and in Ch. 16

of the Gravetter and Forzano (2006) textbookThe major sections of an empirical paper (that we will be developing in our

class) include:• Title Page• Abstract• Introduction• Method

Participants Materials or Apparatus Procedure

• Results• Discussion• References

Title Page

Margins for entire paper should be 1” on all four sides, and all lines should be double-spaced

Page header (abbreviated title, no more than three words) and page number should be in upper right corner on every page, beginning with title page

Running head: located upper left at margin; actual running head is in capital letters and limited in length (see APA Manual, pp. 12 & 296)

Title: centered on page; summarizes the topic and main variables of the study; 10 – 12 words

Your name(s) and institution are below the title and centered

See sample papers in APA Manual and textbook for examples!

Abstract

Formatting:• It is on a page by itself just after the title page with the

heading (Abstract) centered (no bold or italics)• Do NOT indent the first paragraph• It does not exceed 120 words• All numbers are digits, except at the start of a sentence

See section 1.07 in APA ManualThe abstract should, as concisely as possible, summarize:

• the purpose and hypothesis of the study• the method that was used to test the hypothesis (including

brief descriptions of the participants and procedure)• the results (include the p value but do not include the other

statistics) and conclusions

Introduction

Should be written in “funnel” fashion, moving from the general to the specific

1st paragraph should introduce topic in a general way• Identify and define/explain the general topic under study

Start by identifying a central theme (thesis) that connects the articles that you read as well as the study that you are about to describe

Define or explain the essential elements of the theme

Introduction (cont’d)

Main body should review the relevant past literature (i.e., the articles you read) and use the articles to logically develop your hypothesis

• Do not simply paste together article summaries• You want to build an argument! • Briefly explain each article, but also indicate how the studies

are related, similar to, and different from one another Discuss how each article relates to your central theme Highlight important similarities and differences

Introduction (cont’d)

Last paragraph should contain a clear statement of the research purpose, hypothesis (or hypotheses), and variables

• How does the information in your introduction logically relate to the general purpose of your study? How is your study related to your central theme?

• State your hypothesis clearly• Identify your IV(s) and DV(s)• What type of research design was used to test your

hypothesis?Remember that you should use past tense to describe studies that

have already been completed (including the studies in the articles and your own study)

Method

Describes how your study was done in enough detail so that the reader can

• understand and evaluate your study• replicate your study

Formatting• New section with heading centered and capitalized but not

underlined or italicized • Not a new page (should begin at end of Introduction)• Subsections are named, italicized, and left justified

Participants: number of participants, age, gender, groups, and how they got into the groups

Materials or Apparatus: (if needed) Procedure: Should describe details of your design (including

the IVs and DVs and how they were operationally defined) and explain what was done, how, and where.

Method - Participants

Who were they? • Where were they from (e.g., college, city, state)?• Include other important characteristics (e.g., gender, age range)

How many (total) and how were they selected?How did they get put into groups?

• If appropriate, state that participants were randomly assigned, but do not explain the procedure for random assignments (e.g., a coin toss)

• How many per group?

Method – Apparatus or Materials

Describe any special equipment needed for study• e.g., computers, special laboratory equipment

Describe any special materials need for study• e.g., surveys, tests, particular websites (give URL)

Do not include ordinary items such as pencils and paper

Method – Procedure

Include important details for understanding/replicating the procedure

Organize by describing the procedure step-by-step in chronological order

• Where did the procedure take place?• What happened first? Then what happened next?

Be sure to identify and operationally define the variables by describing the manipulations and measurements

• What did the participants see, hear, and/or do at each step?• How were the different levels of the IV manipulated?• What was the DV? How was it measured?

Results

Describes what data were analyzed and how, and provides results of statistical analyses

Formatting• New section with heading centered and capitalized but not

underlined or italicized • Not a new page (should begin at end of Introduction)• Statistical symbols are italicized

Be sure to include• Descriptive statistics (e.g., means, standard deviations) for

each DV. • Inferential statistics

Types of statistical tests used and results of each test

Discussion

Formatting: New section beginning immediately after results, with heading centered and not underlined or italicized (section 1.11)

Start with a clear statement of whether or not your results support your hypothesis, and explain the meaning of your findings.

In the next paragraph or two, discuss how your study and results compare with previous research:

• Compare your findings to the studies cited in your introduction, and discuss important similarities and/or differences and how they relate to your overall theme or thesis

• Do not simply repeat information from your introduction• Organize your discussion so that it flows logically and smoothly

End the discussion with a paragraph or two highlighting:• the major conclusions and implications of your study • any important limitations of your study• suggestions for further research

References Section

See Ch. 4, pp. 215-281 in APA ManualInclude only articles cited in the text of your paper (section

4.01). Likewise, anything cited in your paper must appear in the References.

Articles in the References list should be arranged in alphabetical order (section 4.04).

• Double-space all lines.• Left justify the 1st line for each new reference.• Indent subsequent lines for the same reference.

Pay careful attention to forms for different types of references such as articles, books, electronic sources, etc. (section 4.07).

Examples of references for journal articles are on pp. 239-241.Examples of references for electronic sources (including online

journal articles) can be found beginning on p. 268.

References Section - Sample

References

Doe, J. D., Ray, L. S., & Mee, T. P. (1997). The relationship between alcohol

use and aggression. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 39, 206-218.

Doe, J. D., Ray, L. S., Mee, T. P., Fah, K. G., Sow, J. H., & Lah, D. Y. (1999).

The effects of alcohol on aggressive behavior in laboratory rats [Electronic

version]. Journal of Animal Psychology, 9, 6-12.

Smith, M. T. & Jones, R. S. (1994). Effects of alcohol on inappropriate

behavior. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 35, 176-183.