Reporting psychological investigations

• What is the format for reporting psychological investigations?


  Abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion & references
• What is the abstract?


  Summary of study covering aims, hypothesis, method (procedures), results & conclusions (+ implications of the current study).
• What is in the references?


  Full details of any journal articles or books mentioned. In the text, only name & date given.
• What is in the introduction?


  Review of previous research (theories & studies). Leads logically to study to be conducted so reader convinced of reasons for particular research. States aims, research prediction &/or hypothesis.
• What is in the method?


  Detailed description of what researcher did- enough info for replication of study. Design + justification, participants (sampling, number of people & their details), apparatus/materials, procedures (standardised instructions, the testing environment, order of events) & ethics (+ how they were dealt with).
• What is in the results?

  What researcher found + descriptive & inferential statistics. In qualitative research, categories & themes described + examples within these categories.
• What is in the discussion?


  Researcher aims to interpret results & consider implications for future research & real-world applications. Summary of results, relationship to previous research, consideration of methodology, implications for psychological theory & real-world applications & suggestions for future research.