Reporting Investigations

Question 1

how are research studies reported?

Answer 1

research studies are written up and published in peer reviewed academic journals for everyone to read

they are usually organised in the following order…

1. abstract
2. introduction
3. method
4. results
5. discussion
6. references

Question 2

abstract

Answer 2

a summary of the study covering the aims, hypothesis, method, results and conclusions (including implications of the current study)

usually about 200 words in length

allows the reader to get a quick overview of the study and its results

Question 3

introduction

Answer 3

begins with a review of previous research so the reader knows what other research has been done and understands the reason for the current study

the focus of this research review should lead logically to the study to be conducted so the reader is convinced of the reasons for this particular research

should start broadly and narrow down to a particular research hypothesis

the researchers states their aims, research prediction and/or hypothesis

Question 4

method

Answer 4

contains a detailed description of what the researcher did, providing enough information for the replication of the study

should include information about….

• the design used — such as repeated measures of covert observation, and the decisions for using this design should be justified
• participants — information about sampling methods, how many participants took part and their details such as age, job, etc
• apparatus and materials used
• procedures — including standardised instructions, the testing environment, the order of the events and so on
• ethics — significant ethical issues may be mentioned as well as how they were dealt with

Question 5

results

Answer 5

details should be given about what the researcher found, including…

• descriptive statistics — tables and graphs showing frequencies and measures of central tendency and dispersion
• inferential statistics and statistical tests — including calculated values and significance level
• for qualitative research, categories and themes should be described along with examples for each of these categories

Question 6

discussion

Answer 6

the researcher aims to interpret the results of the study and consider their implications for future research as well as suggesting real-world applications

this may include….

• a summary of the results — the results are reported and some explanation is given about what the results show
• relationship to previous research — the results of the study are discussed in relation to the research reported in the introduction and possibly other research not previously mentioned
• consideration of methodology — criticisms may be made of the method used in the study and improvements suggested
• implications for psychological theory and possible real-world applications
• suggestions for future research

Question 7

references

Answer 7

full details of any journal articles or books mentioned in the research report are given

JOURNAL ARTICLES — authors name, date, title of article, journal title, volume (issue number), page numbers

BOOKS — authors name, date, title of book, place of publication, publisher