reporting psychological investigations

Question 1

title

Answer 1

-clear and concise as to what the research is investigating
-lets people know the focus of the study before actually reading it

Question 2

abstract

Answer 2

a short summary of the whole study (150-200 words approx.)
-covers:
aim/ hypothesis
introduction
method/ procedures
results
conclusion

-appears first but is written last

Question 3

introduction

Answer 3

a literature review of theories and previous studies

include:
-issues surrounding this topic
-gaps in knowledge

Question 4

method

Answer 4

describes how the study was conducted
-should be clear and detailed enough to be able to replicate

should include:
-design: type of research method used
-participants: sampling technique, age, gender etc.
-apparatus: materials used during the study
-procedure: step-by-step instructions on how it was carried out

Question 5

results

Answer 5

what the researchers found
-typically include descriptive statistics
-data summarised using the appropriate tables, graphs and averages
-inferential statistics- whether null should be rejected

Question 6

discussion

Answer 6

explains what the results show

includes:
-summary of findings
-relationship to previous relationships (including possible differences in results)
-limitations and modifications
-practical and theoretical implications

Question 7

reference

Answer 7

for a book: author’s surname, initial of first name(s), year, name of book, place of publication, publisher

Question 8

appendices

Answer 8

for additional material that would interrupt the flow of the research report if presented within any of the major sections