Reporting psychological investigations

Question 1

order of a research report

Answer 1

1. abstract
2. intro/literature review
3. method
4. results
5. discussions
6. references
7. appendices

Question 2

abstract

Answer 2

• concise summary of the report
• includes aim, hypothesis, method results and conclusion
• useful to decide if it’s relevant

Question 3

intro

Answer 3

• overview of current research field
• ends with aims and hypothesis of the current research
• starts with broad themes then narrows into current piece of research

Question 4

method

Answer 4

• detailed enough to allow replication of research
• should include: design and method, sample and ppts, apparatus and equipment, procedure, ethics

Question 5

results

Answer 5

• key findings in relation hypothesis
• descriptive statistics and inferential stats

Question 6

discussion

Answer 6

• relate results to aims and hypothesis
• compare results to previous research
• discuss limitations - how they’ll be addressed in the future
• implications for the real world

Question 7

references

Answer 7

• includes all the sources the researcher used to gather their information
• author, A.A. (year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for Sub-title. Location: Publisher

Question 8

appendices

Answer 8

• materials used for the research
• consent and debrief form
• questionnaires and diagrams
• raw data and stats calculations