REPORTING PSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

Question 1

Tips about writing style

Answer 1

• Reports are usually written using the third person in the passive voice.
• Reports are written in the past tense.
• The report should be written keeping in mind that the reader is unfamiliar with the investigation, but should also be written in such a way that they could replicate it.

Question 2

Title

Answer 2

• This should provide a clear indication of the focus of the study.
• It should not be too general or complicated, neither too long nor short.

Question 3

what is the abstract in a scientific report ?

Answer 3

• a summary of the research report’s key details (e.g. the aim, hypothesis, method, results & conclusion etc.)

Question 4

how long is the abstract in a scientific report typically ?

Answer 4

150-200 words

Question 5

why is the abstract (in a scientific report) important ?

Answer 5

• it tells us whether the research study is worth examining further

Question 6

what does the introduction in a scientific report include ?

Answer 6

• information of past research on a similiar topic (e.g. relevant theories, studies & concepts etc.)

Question 7

how is the introduction in a scientific report presented ?

Answer 7

• at first, the introduction tends to be broad but gradually becomes more specific with the study’s aims & hypothesis being presented

Question 8

what is the method in a scientific report ?

Answer 8

• a description of what the researchers exactly did when conducting the study

Question 9

what may the method include in a scientific report ? give 5 examples

Answer 9

1. the study’s design
2. the sample collected (i… the target population & sampling method etc.)
3. the materials used
4. **the procedure (e.g. is it specific **(with standardised instructions given to each ppt?))
5. the study’s ethics

Question 10

what must the method (in a scientific report) include (& why) ?

Answer 10

• sufficient detail (so that one is able to read the report & replicate the investigation precisely)

Question 11

what are the results in a scientific report ?

Answer 11

• all the study’s findings (presented using inferential & descriptive statistics (& if qualitative data is collected, then a thematic analysis may be included))

Question 12

what is the discussion in a scientific report ?

Answer 12

• where the researcher considers the findings’s implications (e.g. potential influences’ on psychological theories etc.)

Question 13

why may also be included in the discussion (in a scientific report) ?

Answer 13

give 3 things
1. the study’s limitations
2. ways of improving the study
3. the study’s wider implications for society

Question 14

what is referencing in a scientific report ?

Answer 14

• a list of all the study’s sources which were quoted or referred to it (in the report) (e.g. journal articles, websites, books etc.) with full details being given (so that a reader is able to find the exact source the researcher is referencing)

Question 15

how are books referenced (in a scientific report) ?

Answer 15

in the order: author, date, title of book (in italics or underlined), place of publication, publisher

Question 16

how are journals referenced (in a scientific report) ?

Answer 16

• in the order: author, date, title of article, journal name, journal volume, issue number (in italics or underlined), page range

Question 17

in which sections of a scientific report would you expect to find reference to the results/findings of the investigation ?

Answer 17

• the abstract, the results section & the discussion