Reporting results: APA style

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Reporting results APA style

• Psych 231 Research Methods in Psychology

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Announcements

• Journal Summary assignment 1 due in labs this
  week
• Nairne, J. S., Pandeirada, J. N. S., Thompson,
  S. R. (2008).
• Bring your textbook (or APA style manual if
  youve got one) to lab this week (using chapter
  16 on APA style)

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Reporting results APA style
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Why present your research?

• To get the work out there
• To offer readers an interpretation your data (and
  perhaps persuade them to believe your theory)
• To allow testing (falsification) of your theory
• To spur further research
• To allow replication

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Misconceptions about Scientific writing

• Writing the paper is the routine part of the
  research process
• Forces you to commit to your evidence and
  conclusions
• Just the facts
• The facts are just part of the argument that the
  author is making
• What you say is all that is important, how you
  say it isnt important
• Good writing leads to higher chance of
  accomplishing your goals

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Why a structured format?

• To ease communication of what was done
• Forces a minimal amount of information
• Provides a logical framework (for argument)
• Provides consistent format within a discipline
• People know what to expect
• Where to find the information in the article
• Allows readers to cross-reference your sources
  easily

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Writing resources

• The ultimate resource for APA style is the APA
  Publication manual

• Chapter 16 of your textbook is good too.
• Also websites to help too.
• APA style - Google hits 1,970,000
• - added 5th edition 139,000 hits

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Writing resources

• A great book for Psychological writing

Sternberg, R. J. (2003). The psychologists
companion A guide to scientific writing for
students and researchers. Cambridge University
Press, NY.
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Writing style

• Psychological writing tends to differ from other
  academic writings
• Not a creative writing exercise
• Presenting an argument based on data and logical
  reasoning
• Try to avoid using direct quotes, restate things
  in your own words.
• Avoid digression
• Footnotes are rare, theyre used to
  elaborate/clarify a point. Try to do so in the
  text.
• If long digressions, use the appendix

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Major goal Clarity

• Communicate with clarity

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Major goal Clarity

• Communicate with clarity

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Major goal Clarity

• Communicate with clarity

• Write for the reader
• Think about your audience, what do they already
  know, what dont they know
• Avoid overstatements
• Be conservative in your claims
• Emphasize the positive
• Focus on how the data supports a theory not just
  on how it refutes another theory

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Major goal Clarity

• Communicate with clarity

• Avoid
• Jargon when possible
• Slang and colloquialisms
• Sexist and biased language
• Try to be concise
• Dont use a whole paragraph when two sentences
  will do
• Longer papers dont mean better papers
• Eliminate unnecessary redundancy
• Use simple words (sentences) rather than
  complicated words (sentences)

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Major goal Clarity

• Communicate with clarity

• Use concrete words and examples
• Check your work!
• Read it over, make sure that you say what you
  mean to say
• Use a consistent format (APA style)
• It helps your reader understand your arguments
  and the sources theyre built on.
• It also helps you keep track of your sources as
  you build arguments

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APA style Parts of a research report

Adolescent Depression
1 Running Head ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION
Adolescent Depression and Attachment Ima
G. Student and Soyam Eye Purdue
University

• Title Page

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Title Page


Adolescent Depression 1
Running Head ADOLESCENT
DEPRESSION Adolescent
Depression and Attachment Ima G. Student and
Soyam Eye Purdue University
Title should be maximally informative while
short (10 to 12 words recommended)
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Title Page


Adolescent Depression 1
Running Head ADOLESCENT
DEPRESSION Adolescent
Depression and Attachment Ima G. Student and
Soyam Eye Purdue University
Order of Authorship sometimes carries meaning
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Title Page


Adolescent Depression 1
Running Head ADOLESCENT
DEPRESSION Adolescent
Depression and Attachment Ima G. Student and
Soyam Eye Purdue University
Affiliation where the bulk of the research was
done
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Title Page


Adolescent Depression 1
Running Head ADOLESCENT
DEPRESSION Adolescent
Depression and Attachment Ima G. Student and
Soyam Eye Purdue University
Running head will go on each page of published
article, no more than 50 characters
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Title Page
Short title goes in header (with page number)
on each page of the manuscript


Adolescent Depression 1
Running Head ADOLESCENT
DEPRESSION Adolescent
Depression and Attachment Ima G. Student and
Soyam Eye Purdue University
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Abstract

• Short summary of entire paper
• 100 to 120 words
• The problem/issue
• The method
• The results
• The major conclusions
• Recommendation write this after youve finished
  the rest of the paper

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Body

• Hourglass shape

Background Literature Review
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Body

• Hourglass shape

Statement of purpose Specific hypotheses (at
least at conceptual level)
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Body

• Hourglass shape

- Methods - Results
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Body

• Hourglass shape

Discussion Conclusions Implications
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Body

• Introduction
• Issue and Background
• What is it? Why is it interesting/important?
• Literature Review
• What has been done? What theories are out there?
• Statement of purpose
• What are you going to do and why?
• Specific hypotheses (at least at conceptual
  level)
• What do you predict will happen in your research?

• Be cohesive
• Be relevant (why are the reviewed studies
  relevant?)
• Work on the transitions (make the flow logical)

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Body

• 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 didnt complete the experiment

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Body

• Methods (in enough detail that the reader can
  replicate the study)

• Participants

• Design (optional)
• Suggested if you have a complex experimental
  design, often combined with Materials section

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Body

• Methods (in enough detail that the reader can
  replicate the study)

• Participants
• Design

• Apparatus/Materials
• Procedure
• What did each participant do? Other details,
  including the operational levels of your IV(s)
  and DV(s), counterbalancing, etc.

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Body

• Results (state the results but dont 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
• Means, standard deviations, t-tests, ANOVAs,
  correlations, etc.

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Body

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

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The rest

• References
• Authors name
• Year
• Title of work
• Publication information
• Journal
• Issue
• Pages

Adolescent Depression 29
References Barnett, P. A.,
Gotlib, I. H. (1988). Psychosocial
functioning and depression Distinguishing among
antecedents, concomitants, and
consequences. Psychological Bulletin,
104. Beck, A. T. (1978). Beck Depression
Inventory. San Antonio, TX
Psychological Corporation. Benoit, D.,
Vidovic, D., Roman, J. (1991, April).
Transmission of attachment across three
generations. Paper presented at the
Biennial Meeting of the Society for
Research in Child Development. Benoit, D.,
Zeanah, C. H., Barton, M. L. (1989).
Maternal attachment disturbances in failure to
thrive. Infant Mental Health Journal,
3, 185-202. Benoit, D., Zeanah, C. H.,
Boucher, C., Minde, K. (1989). Sleep
disorders in early childhood Association
with insecure maternal attachment. Journal of
the American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 86-93.
When something odd comes up, dont guess. Look
it up!
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The rest

• References

• Authors Notes
• Footnotes
• Tables
• Figure Captions
• Figures

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Figures and tables

• These are used to supplement the text.
• To make a point clearer for the reader.
• Typically used for
• The design
• Examples of stimuli
• Patterns of results

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Checklist - things to watch for

• Clarity
• Acknowledge the work of others (avoid plagiarism)
• Active vs. passive voice
• Active Bock and Coey (2007) hypothesized that
  speakers use to much passive voice
• Passive It was hypothesized by Bock and Coey
  (2007) that speakers use to much passive voice

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Checklist - things to watch for

• 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
• Correct citing and references
• Good grammar
• APA style checklist

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Next time

• Variables
• Read chapters 35.
• Bring your APA Publication Manual to lab (if
  youve got one)
• Dont forget your first journal summary is due
  this week in lab