UNIT 3 - KA3 Flashcards
(35 cards)
What are the three things scientific reports should contain
1 - explanatory title
2 - an abstract
3 - an introduction
Explanatory title
A title should provide a succinct explanation of the study
An abstract
Should outline the aims and findings of the study
An introduction
explaining the purpose and context of the study including the use of several sources, supporting statements, citations, and references
What should background information be
Background information should be clear, relevant and unambiguous.
What must the aim link
An aim must link the independent and dependent variables.
What should the introduction provide any information required to support
The introduction should provide any information required to support: choices of
method, results, and discussion
What should an introduction explain
An introduction should explain why the study has been carried out and place the study in the context of existing understanding
What should happen to key points in an introduction
Key points should be summarised and supporting contradictory information identified
Why should several sources be selected
Several sources should be selected to support statements
Which form should citations and references be in
Citations and references should be in a standard form
What should happen to decisions regarding basic selection of study methods
Decisions regarding basic selection of study methods and organisms should be covered, as should the aims and hypotheses
What should a method selection contain
A method section should contain sufficient information to allow another investigator to
repeat the work
What should experimental design address
Experimental design should address the intended aim and test the hypothesis
What should happen to the validity and reliability of experimental design
The validity and reliability of the experimental design should be evaluated
When is an experimental design invalid
An experimental design that does not address the intended aim or test the hypothesis is invalid
What should treatment effects be compared to
Treatment effects should be compared to controls
What should happen to any confounding variables
Any confounding variables should be taken into account or standardised across
treatments
When may the validity of an experiment be compromised
The validity of an experiment may be compromised when factors other than the
independent variable influence the value of the dependent variable
What is selection bias
Selection bias is the selection of a sample in a non-random way, so that the sample is not
representative of the whole population.
What can selection bias prevent
Selection bias may have prevented a representative sample being selected
What May sample size not be sufficient enough to decide
Sample size may not be sufficient to decide without bias whether the change to the
independent variable has caused an effect in the dependent variable.
How should data be presented in results
In results, data should be presented in a clear, logical manner suitable for analysis.
What are statistical tests
Statistical tests are used to determine whether the differences between the means
are likely or unlikely to have occurred by chance