Reporting psychological investigations Flashcards
What is an abstract in a scientific report?
This is 1/2 paragraphs at the start of the scientific report, which act as a summary of the report.
Abstracts are likely to include the aim and the tested research hypothesis, give details about how the researcher conducted the study (method), who took part (sample), and tell the reader the major results and conclusions.
Why are abstracts used in scientific reports?
Abstracts speed up the research process. It allows the researcher to identify if the article is relevant and if they should read the report in full or not.
What is an introduction in a scientific report?
The introduction explains the aim and gives the hypothesis of the study.
Why is an introduction important in a scientific report?
It acts as a guide to the academic background of the current study, acting as a justification for why the current research is being conducted.
What is a method in a scientific report?
it is a complete guide outlining in detail how the research was conducted.
Why is a method important in scientific reports?
The level of detail allows other researchers to see the research has been conducted carefully.
Gives other researchers the ability to replicate the study exactly and see if they get the same results.
Outlines factors the researcher has chosen in how to conduct the study - design, number of ppts, sampling techniques, physical equipment and target population.
What is a procedure?
It is a step by step guide on how to actually conduct the study; this can include standardised procedures, such as scripts to be read to all participants.
What is Results in a scientific report?
This is a summary of the data collected in the research study. There will be tables of descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency and distribution).
Key figures will be displayed on appropriate graphs.
What is a discussion on a scientific report?
This section explains what the data analysis in the results section actually means, such as should the alternate/research hypothesis be accepted?
What does these finding support?
The discussion is also an opportunity for the researchers to criticise their own research, identifying potential extraneous variables.
What is the referencing section of a scientific report?
This is a alphabetical list (using surnames) of the research studies that were used to inform the current research.
This provides credit for other researchers ideas (avoiding claims of plagiarism)
Helps future researchers to identify the author’s sources and find related studies.
What are the steps for referencing?
1) Start with the surname and initial of first name.
2) Publication date in brackets.
3)Name of book or article.
4)Location of publication
5) Name of publisher.
(articles must include journal name, volume, issue number and page numbers)
