Research methods - Reporting Psychological studies

Question 1

what is the abstract and introduction sections in a scientific report

Answer 1

abstract: 100-300 words at the start of the report that act as a summary of the report
Introduction: a guide to the academic background of the current study acting as a justification for why the current research is being conducted.

Question 2

what is in the method & results section of a scientific report

Answer 2

method: a complete guide outlining in detail how the research was conducted. Includes design, ppts, materials, procedure.
Results: Summarises the data collected in the research study. Tables of descriptive statistics (measure of central tendency/distribution) and inferential statistics

Question 3

what is in the discussion section of a scientific report

Answer 3

explains what the data analysis in the results actually means, such as should the alternate/research hypothesis be accepted. The discussion is also an opportunity for the researcher to criticise their own research, identifying potential extraneous variables.

Question 4

what is the referencing section and why are references important

Answer 4

an 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

Question 5

how should a reference be formatted (APA/Harvard

Answer 5

1. Start with surname and initials
2. publication date in brackets
3. name of book/article
4. location of publication
5. name of publisher