Write critical summaries of research articles in Psychology

PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH SUMMARY PAPERS:

GUIDELINES AND GRADING CRITERIA FOR SUMMARY PAPERS

Summary papers should include four parts that roughly parallel the format of the original articles (see below). You must describe the research in your own words, and cannot quote directly from the text.

Background and Rationale: Briefly introduce the article in this section, providing answers to the following questions: What problem(s) or question(s) in psychology does this research address? Why was this an important question to address?

Methods: Outline the basic methods the researcher(s) used in conducting the research, answering the following questions: Who took part in the study as subjects? What was/were the independent variable(s)? What was (were) the dependent variables? Why did they use these particular variables?

Basic Findings: Briefly outline the findings. In doing this section, you need to avoid getting merely repeating the numerical information reported in the article. You should do your best to summarize the results into simple statements of relationships between the independent variables(s) and the dependent variable(s), and emphasize those findings that are central to the research questions.

Implications: Outline the main conclusions as they relate to the original problem(s) the researchers defined, and as you discussed in the “Background & Rationale” section.

Format . Papers should be typed, single-spaced, with 1-inch margins and 12-point font, and 1-2 pages long. Emphasis should be placed on quality and not quantity. Be sure to include Write critical summaries of research articles in Psychology

your name, section number, ID number, and whether you are writing the paper for required or extra credit.

Grading Criteria. All papers will be graded pass/fail by your instructor, based on how well you address all the questions and issues outlined above. Do not assume that any paper handed in will receive credit automatically. Those students who do not do a satisfactory job of addressing these questions will fail, and will receive no research credit for their effort.

Lecture Exercise 1:  Components of the APA Research Report

Save this document as Your Name Lecture Exercise 1.docx

Please fill out these questions based on the in-depth article on how to read research.  Although the reading discusses research in social psychology, the details about reading APA research reports apply to our class, as well as the majority of social science articles.  The questions follow the order of the article. While the model tends to center on quantitative approaches, qualitative work often incorporates a similar logic as there is an expectation that the approach one uses is explicated in some manner so that readers can understand the underlying logics of the research and findings.

While you are reading the article and answering these questions, please keep in mind that you will be writing the initial sections of a research report, which are the major portions of a research proposal.  Write critical summaries of research articles in Psychology

The first set of questions refer to specific sections/portions of a research article:

1. Why is it important to know how to read journal articles?
2. Why is having documentation of past research on a topic important?
3. What is the difference between a research report and a review article?
4. What can you learn from the title? (Note: The first mention of variables is in the paragraphs describing the title. Make notes on variables as you read through the article- you will need to understand variables for your research paper.
5. How long is the abstract?
6. You will write an introduction to a research report. How does the introduction begin?
7. What does the author try to accomplish in the first two or three paragraphs of the introduction?
8. What three components are described in the methods section?
9. Why is the information presented in the results section often intimidating?
10. What is a hypothesis? Write critical summaries of research articles in Psychology
11. Why do readers often read the first few paragraphs of the discussion section before reading the entire report?

The next few questions refer to the article as a whole:

12. Although this article does not state it specifically, the hypotheses are placed at the end of the introduction, just before the methods section. Why do you think this is a natural place for them?
13. Where will you find the number of participants as well as characteristics such as the age and gender?
14. Where will you find the statistics for the results of the research?
15. If you are looking for ideas for your own research, where might you find help in a research article? (Hint: The answer is at the toward the end of the article).

When you have completed this exercise: Write critical summaries of research articles in Psychology

Save this document as Your Name Lecture Exercise 1.docx and upload to Canvas.

Important note: you should be writing these out in your own words as much as possible. Do not simply copy/paste. If you’re quoting, you need to quote properly (but, again, keep this to an extreme minimum and work to not quote if at all possible).

Lecture Exercise Download Lecture Exercise 1

“How to Read a Journal Article in Social Psychology” (Links to an external site.)

Write critical summaries of research articles in Psychology