Reporting results APA style Psych 231 Research Methods

Reporting results: APA style Psych 231: Research Methods in Psychology

Why present your research? n Purpose of presenting your research – – To get the work out there to spur further research allow replication allow testing/falsifaction of your theory

Why a structured format? n To ease communication of what was done – forces a minimal amount of information – people know what to expect – where to find the information in the article

n The ultimate resource for APA style is the APA Publication manual, but also lots of websites to help too. n Appendix A of your textbook is good too.

Major goal: Clarity Remember that the goal of your research is to communicate what you did, so you want to be as clear as you can. n Avoid jargon when possible, don’t be too creative, avoid slang and colloquialisms. n Avoid sexist and biased language n Also try to be fairly concise – don’t use a whole paragraph when two sentences will do n

Writing style n Psychological writing tends to differ from other academic writings • Try to avoid using direct quotes, restate things in your own words. • Footnotes are rare, they’re used to elaborate/clarify a point. Try to do so in the text.

Parts of a research report n n n n n Title Page Abstract Body References Authors Notes Footnotes Tables Figure Captions Figures

Title Page n Title, Authors, Affiliation, Short title, running head – Title should be maximally informative while short (10 to 12 words recommended) – Order of Authorship sometimes carries meaning – Affiliation – where the bulk of the research was done – Running head – will go on each page of published article, no more than 50 characters – Short title – goes in header (with page number) on each page of the manuscript

Abstract n short summary of entire paper – – – 100 to 120 words the problem/issue the method the results the major conclusions

Body Hourglass shape n Introduction n – – Background Literature Review Statement of purpose Specific hypotheses (at least at operational level)

Body n Methods (in enough detail that the reader can replicate the study) – Participants • How many, where they were selected from, any special selection requirements, details about those who didn’t complete the experiment – Design (optional) – suggested if you have a complex experimental design, often combined with Materials section – Apparatus/Materials – Procedure – what did each participant do? Other details, including the operational levels of your IV(s) and DV(s), counterbalancing, etc.

Body n Results (state the results but don’t interpret them here) – Verbal statement of results – Tables and figures – these get referred to in the text, but actually get put into their own sections at the end of the manuscript – Statistical Outcomes

Body n Discussion (interpret the results) – – Relationship between purpose and results Theoretical (or methodological) contribution Implications Future directions (optional)

The rest n n n References Authors Notes Footnotes Tables Figure Captions Figures

Figures and tables These are used to supplement the text. n To make a point clearer for the reader. n Typically used for: n – The design – Examples of stimuli – Patterns of results

Checklist - things to watch for Clarity n Acknowledge the work of others (avoid plagiarism) n Active vs. passive voice n – Active: Coane and Kearney (2003) hypothesized that speakers use to much passive voice – Passive: It was hypothesized by Coane and Kearney (2003) that speakers use to much passive voice

Checklist - things to watch for n Avoid biased language – APA guidelines: • Accurate descriptions of individuals (e. g. , Asian vs. Korean) • Be sensitive to labels (e. g. , “Oriental”) Appropriate use of headings n Correct citing and references n Good grammar n

Next time Read chapters 4&5. n Bring your APA Publication Manual to lab (if you’ve got one) n Don’t forget your first journal summary is due this week in lab n