Reporting investigations and the role of peer review

• What are the different sections of a report?

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Method
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • References
  • Appendices
• What should be included in the title of a report?

  Brief statement explaining main research topic of paper
• What should be included in the abstract of a report?

  150-200 words summarising the content that will be covered in paper

  • Researcher's aims + hypotheses
  • Methodology
  • Nature of sample
  • Results + conclusions
• What should be included in the introduction of a report?

  Overview of theory behind research paper

  • Starts broadly -> outline of background literature (relevant research taking place before this study) = context to why this topic is being researched
  • Gradually narrows focus into aims + alternative hypothesis
• What should be included in the method of a report?

  A description of how research was conducted in enough detail to be easily replicable

  • Should state technical term for type of research method used
  • Should be written in past tense
  • Sample -> states sampling technique used to select ppts from target population, number of ppts, who they were, sociodemographic characteristics (average age, gender distribution, etc), how they were recruited
  • Design (if study is experimental) -> list of operationalised IVs + Dvs
  • Materials
  • Procedure -> summary of each step in research + ethics
• What should be included in the discussion of a report?

  Opening statement about whether the alternative hypothesis should be accepted or if the null hypothesis should be retained

  • Explanation of what data appears to mean
  • States potential implications of research + how it aligns with previous research
  • Criticises study's weaknesses -> identifies extraneous variables + considers what this means for conclusions drawn then suggests ways to improve
  • Suggests future research opportunities based on insight gained from this research
• What should be included in the references of a report?

  Details of any material/information used to construct the report -> ALL sources must be clearly cited

  • Harvard referencing format suggested
• What should be included in the appendices of a report?

  Any additional essential info for replication or peer review not included in previous sections, e.g. materials, raw data
• How is the title of a report useful to other researchers?

  Gives quick insight into what the paper is about -> easy to decide whether it's relevant to them
• How is the abstract of a report useful to other researchers?

  • They don't have to read through the whole paper to see if the content/findings are relevant to their studies
  • Researchers don't have to read full papers when doing lit. reviews
• How is the introduction of a report useful to other researchers?

  They can see what research the study links to + why it is important to carry out
• How is the method of a report useful to other researchers?

  • Enough detail must be given so that a study can be replicated = other researchers can check whether it's possible to produce similar results using different ppts
  • Can help them to identify issues in the methodology that may invalidate the study's results -> useful in peer review
• How are the results of a report useful to other researchers?

  • Descriptive stat graphs help with interpreting data visually + more quickly
  • Provides quick summary of what research shows = other researchers can see if it's useful to their investigation of a topic
  • Easy to compare results from replication studies
• How is the discussion of a report useful to other researchers?

  • Enables researchers to have a fuller picture of what findings might mean + how much weight they carry
  • Future studies can improve on previous research by controlling identified potentially confounding variables
• How are the references of a report useful to other researchers?

  • Ensures the intellectual/academic honesty amongst academic community -> ensuring researchers get credit they deserve
  • Allows them to find exact versions of referenced articles/books so they can further research the material + independently assess its meaning/validity
  • They can easily track research + find related studies that may be useful to them in their own work
• How are the appendices of a report useful to other researchers?

  Enables exact replication + thorough peer review