Reporting a research study

Question 1

What are the typical sections that a scientific research report has

Answer 1

An abstract, introductions and aims/hypothesis, method, results, discussion, references

Question 2

What is in an abstract

Answer 2

A summary of the study covering a hypothesis the method results and conclusions the conclusions usually include implications of the current study

Question 3

What is in the introduction and aims/hypothesis

Answer 3

This outlines what a researcher intends to investigate. It begins with a review of previous research and provides the background. Imagine it like a funnel starting broadly and narrowing down to the particular research hypothesis

Question 4

Where might a researcher state his or her research predictions

Answer 4

In the introduction

Question 5

What is the the method section about

Answer 5

A detailed description of what the researchers did providing enough information for replication of the study

Question 6

The method section is subdivided into five key areas what are they

Answer 6

DPAPE

Design, participants, apparatus, procedures, ethics.

Question 7

What should be included in the design subdivision of the report

Answer 7

It should state the design e.g. repeated measures or covert observation

Question 8

What should be included in the apparatus materials Subdivision of the report

Answer 8

Descriptions of any psychological tests or questionnaires or other materials used

Question 9

What should be included in the procedures sub division of the report

Answer 9

This may include the standardised instructions the testing environment the order of events and so on

Question 10

What should be included in the ethics subsection of the report

Answer 10

Significant ethical issues may be mentioned as well as how they were dealt with such as issues relating to privacy in an observational study

Question 11

What should be included in the results section of the report

Answer 11

This section contains what the researchers found and would include descriptive statistics and inferential statistics,

Question 12

What are descriptive statistics

Answer 12

Tables and graphs showing frequencies and measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion

Question 13

What are inferential statistics

Answer 13

statistical tests to determine the significance of the results.

Question 14

What sort of detail is included in the results section of the report regarding inferential statistics

Answer 14

Any test used would be identified and the observed value of the test statistic reported. The significance value for the observed value would also be given

Question 15

What sort of detail would be included in the results section of the report regarding qualitative research

Answer 15

In the case of qualitative research categories and themes are described along with examples within these categories

Question 16

What would be included in the discussion section of the report

Answer 16

The research would aim to interpret the results and consider the implications of future research as well as real-world applications

Question 17

What are the typical 5 sections of the discussion subdivision

Answer 17

It may include summary of the results relationship to previous research, consideration of methodology, implications for psychological theory and possible real-world applications and finally suggestions for future research

Question 18

What would be included in the references subdivision of the report

Answer 18

If all details of any journal articles or books that are mentioned

Question 19

References are usually given in what form

Answer 19

The Journal articles author surname initial state article titled journal title volume page numbers and for a book were published and name of publisher