discussion
Research Methods
Sharing the Results
Topics
Scientific Journals
Writing the Article
Abstract
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
References
Scientific Journals
Nothing means anything if you don’t share your results. You can find the cure for cancer and it won’t matter unless you can publish the results.
Primary Method of Sharing Findings with Others
Writing the Article
Precision and Detail
Relationship to Past Studies
Plagiarism Issues
Types of Plagiarism
"The Ghost Writer" The writer turns in another's work, word-for-word, as his or her own.
"The Photocopy" The writer copies significant portions of text straight from a single source, without alteration.
"The Potluck Paper" The writer tries to disguise plagiarism by copying from several different sources, tweaking the sentences to make them fit together while retaining most of the original phrasing.
"The Poor Disguise" Although the writer has retained the essential content of the source, he or she has altered the paper's appearance slightly by changing key words and phrases.
"The Labor of Laziness" The writer takes the time to paraphrase most of the paper from other sources and make it all fit together, instead of spending the same effort on original work.
"The Self-Stealer" The writer "borrows" generously from his or her previous work, violating policies concerning the expectation of originality adopted by most academic institutions.
Writing the Article
The story of an experiment…
What is already known
Purpose of this research
Expected results
Description of what was done
Report of the Findings
Interpretation of Findings
How the Findings Fit what was already known
Writing the Article
Basic Outline of All APA papers
Abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
References
The hourglass format is a useful way of structuring a report.
movement from the beginning to the end of a text
the shift in level of generality through the text, from the general to the specific and back to the general
MLA Style vs. APA Style
Called references in APA
Not “works cited”
In APA, citations in Text
Not footnotes
In APA, section headings
Not one continuous text
MLA Style is typically reserved for writers and students preparing manuscripts in various humanities disciplines such as:
English Studies - Language and Literature
Foreign Language and Literatures
Literary Criticism
Comparative Literature
Cultural Studies
MLA style is NOT used in the Sciences
Writing the Article
Three Guidelines Pertaining to People
1. Be specific
70-85 year olds (not “the elderly”)
2. No labeling of individuals
Lesbian women (not “lesbians”)
3. Acknowledge Participation Role
Participants better than “subjects”
Students, children, patients (be specific)
The Abstract
Summary of the Entire Article
Written Last even though it comes first
Summarizes in one paragraph
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
The Introduction
Summary of Past Research
Broad general statements to begin
Review the past experiments/studies
Provide specifics of some studies
Last paragraph lays out the purpose of the current study
This is the only mention of the current study
The Introduction
Five Tasks
1. Tell what the research is about
2. Tell what past research was all about
3. Why more research is needed
4. State the purpose of the study
5. State hypotheses
Method
Three Subsections
Participants
Materials
Procedures
Method
Participants (Side Heading)
Participants
Number and Type (#males, females, age range, etc.)
Method of selection
Method of assignment to conditions
Method
Materials (Side Heading)
Apparatus
Stimuli
Instrumentation
Methods Section
Procedures
Written like a recipe. ANYONE who reads it should be able to replicate it.
Exactly what was done?
Instructions
Operational Definitions of the variables
Nature of Data Collection
Details of Scoring Scheme
Debriefing
Results
Report outcome of the Study
Report the statistical data
Report in terms of purpose/hypotheses
Include Tables and Figures
Discussion
Report Major Finding(s) First
Refer back to introduction
Your interpretation of the data
Potential limits of the study
Future directions
References
Alphabetical List of all studies discussed in introduction (and other sections)
Similar to Works Cited, but use “References” instead as heading
Three reasons to cite a study:
1. acknowledge facts
2. direct reader to more information
3. give credit where credit due
Topics Covered
Scientific Journals
Writing the Article
Abstract
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
References