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