Reporting Psychological Investigations: Sections of a Scientific Report (AQA A Level Psychology)

Abstract & introduction

• A scientific report presents the findings of a piece of research which has been designed, conducted and analysed by one or more researchers

• Scientific reports follow a specific structure and use a standardised format

• A scientific report consists of the following sections which are always presented in this order:

Abstract 

• The abstract is a summary of the entire research process which should be 150 - 200 words long (according to the APA guidelines)

• Abstracts include a brief overview of the study's aim, hypotheses, method, results and conclusion

• Reading an abstract can help to inform the reader as to whether or not the report is going to be useful for their purposes

Introduction

• The introduction to the report details what the study is to cover e.g.

  • the theory or theories which are relevant to the study

  • associated research that is relevant to the study (e.g. if the study investigates short-term memory the introduction will include references to other studies on the same topic)

• The introduction concludes by stating what the aim of the study is, followed by the experimental hypothesis and the null hypothesis

Method & findings

Method

• The sample is described and justified e.g.

  • the total number of participants in the sample (and how many of those were female; how many were male)

  • the age of the participants

  • the nationality(s) of the participants

  • other relevant demographic details e.g. profession, ethnicity, skills etc.

• The sampling method is described e.g.

  • an opportunity sample of university students

  • a random sample of cardiac patients who attend out-patients clinics in one large city

• The design is described and justified e.g.

  • repeated measures if the study is a lab experiment

  • covert naturalistic participant observation if the study is an observation

• The materials are described and their use explained e.g.

  • video of a staged car crash lasting 7 seconds to accompany a set of questions relevant to eyewitness testimony

• The procedure is described which should include:

  • the standardised instructions used to explain the task to participants

  • how the participants completed the task

  • how the participant's performance on the task was recorded/measured

  • briefing instructions

  • debriefing details

  • information as to how ethical guidelines were followed and implemented e.g.

    • the participants gave informed consent via a consent form

    • the consent form included the participants' right to withdraw

Findings

• The findings summarise the results of the study

• These are measured as:

  • the performance of the participants on the task set up by the researcher (experiments)

  • their behaviour in a given context (observations)

  • their responses to questions (self-report methods)

• If the research has collected quantitative data this is analysed statistically via (usually) both descriptive and inferential statistics

  • Descriptive statistics include the use of either mean, median or mode (measures of central tendency) and either range or standard deviation (measures of dispersion)

  • Inferential statistics are used to test the level of significance, known as probability testing (the use of a parametric or non-parametric test) which results in the null hypothesis being accepted or rejected, depending on the outcome of the test

• If the research has collected qualitative data this is analysed using appropriate methods such as thematic analysis or content analysis

  • The written transcript of the research is categorised into coding units (content analysis) or themes (thematic analysis)

Discussion & referencing

Discussion

• The discussion starts with a consideration of the findings which are analysed in light of the aim of the research and the theory being investigated

• The discussion presents an evaluation of the research itself, identifying strengths and limitations of each aspect of it e.g.

  • a strength of the study might be that it used a double-blind procedure, ensuring validity

  • a limitation of the sample might be that it was gender-biased, being predominantly female

• The discussion concludes by considering the research in the light of wider contexts, the implications of the research and what its potential applications are e.g.

  • in health settings

  • in education

  • as a useful contribution to the understanding of the theory

Referencing

• To avoid accusations of plagiarism the researcher must acknowledge all sources used throughout the research process

• Referencing must adhere to a particular convention and be consistent throughout the report, with a different format used depending on whether a journal article or book is referenced

• To reference a journal article the following format is usual:

  • Peterson, L., & Peterson, M. J. (1959). Short-term retention of individual verbal items. Journal of experimental psychology, 58(3), 193.

• To reference a book the following format is usual:

  • Goldacre, B. (2013). Bad Pharma: How medicine is broken and how we can fix it. London: Fourth Estate