Report Writing

Question 1

What is the order of sections in a psychological report?

Answer 1

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Method
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. References
7. Appendices

Question 2

What is an abstract?

Answer 2

A summary of the entire investigation.

It includes a few sentences for each of the sections outlined above.

The abstract is written at the last stage of your report writing process.

Question 3

What is in the introduction?

Answer 3

Contains relevant background theory and studies which are written in a logical manner to put the aim and hypothesis of your investigation into context.

• Introduce the topic, general theory
• Narrow down to specific and relevant theory and research
• Use previously cited research to explain your expectations
• State your aim
• State the alternate hypothesis and null hypothesis

Question 4

What is in the method section of a psychological report?

Answer 4

The Method Section includes four key sections:

D – Design
A – Apparatus/Materials
P – Participants
P – Procedure

Question 5

What is in the results section of a psychological report?

Answer 5

Summarized account of the data collecting using descriptive statistics, mean, median, mode and statistical results. Do not include the raw scores. The results section should indicate what is happening rather than the why.

Question 6

What is in the discussion section of a psychological report?

Answer 6

The discussion will include the following:

1. Explanation of results
2. Linking to and comparing against studies in introduction
3. Are your results similar or different to previous research
4. Highlighting the weakness of your study and mentioning modifications to your study
5. Providing an overall conclusion in the conduction of your study

Question 7

What is in the references section of a psychological report?

Answer 7

It is the Introduction and Discussion sections of your report that you will need to acknowledge researchers’ theories, studies or models.

Question 8

What is in the appendices section of a psychological report?

Answer 8

Appendices should contain the following items:

• Consent Form
• Standardised Instructions
• Ethics Sheet
• Materials
• Raw Data
• Statistical Analysis – any calculations conducted on data

Question 9

How do you Harvard reference a book?

Answer 9

Book: Author, A. A. (year). Title of work. Location: Publisher, Page numbers

Question 10

How do you Harvard reference a journal?

Answer 10

Journal: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Article title. Journal Title, volume number (issue number), page numbers.

Question 11

What is peer review?

Answer 11

Researchers get to read other people’s studies and keep in touch with new ways of thinking and scientific developments. Knowledge grows through the sharing of information. ​
Studies submitted for publication are subjected to critical appraisal, which helps to ensure poor quality research does not enter the public domain.

Question 12

What are some problems with peer review?

Answer 12

Bias: a contrasting view that defies popular theory may not be published

The reviewer is more likely to look favorably upon research presented by someone within their social circle

Institution bias: research from prestigious universities is favored.

Criticism Gender Bias: male researchers seem to be favoured

Question 13

What are the ways to overcome problems with peer review?

Answer 13

Issues of bias can be overcome by using a double-blind peer review. This is when both the reviewer and the author are anonymous, and therefore no extra information is provided which could influence their judgement.​

The use of experts to evaluate the quality of research ensures a high standard of rigor in order to guarantee validity of research that the public can use.