Psychology Research Paper (need be able to access SPSS)

Research Manuscript: Full Paper Final Version

Spring 2019

Details

1. Use Word (.doc; .docx) format

2. The introduction, methods/results, and discussion should come out to 12-15 pages (not including references or title page)

3. APA-format

4. 100 points; 15% of your final grade

5. Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced, with standard margins

6. Turnitin plagiarism detection has been enabled

a. Any suspected instances of academic dishonesty will be handled under Miami University’s Academic Integrity policy found in Part 1, Chapter 5 of the Student Handbook at https://blogs.miamioh.edu/miamipolicies/?p=1994

b. Please review this policy, and note that lack of knowledge or understanding of the appropriate academic conduct is not an excuse for committing academic dishonesty.

c. More information can be found here, at the Student FAQ regarding academic integrity and academic dishonesty: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1inl3BIeHvMYl-fQjDSy2duuYa1GnNjNEdkGlmc12Mrg/pub

Guidelines for the discussion section

1. The discussion of a paper wraps up what the paper/research project achieved. What conclusions can you make from your obtained results? What novel or valuable information does this research contribute?

2. My advice is to look at the discussion sections of a few papers. Look at the structure, as well as what information is included.

3. Always use APA-format, and cite your sources. Include a references section at the end of your document (your references section will not count towards the page count).

4. Put this new section of your paper together with your introduction and methods section. Make any necessary revisions to your intro/methods section.

5. Since this is a complete draft, make sure to have an APA-style title page (does not count towards total paper page count). Look for other APA components that may have been missing from previous drafts (e.g. running heads).

6. Avoid use of direct quotations unless totally necessary (e.g. for a sample item).

7. Make sure when referencing external sources that you are properly paraphrasing (putting things into your own, original wording). My recommended strategy to make sure you are not inadvertently plagiarizing is to not have your external sources open as you are writing—read your sources, take notes, then begin writing.

8. Discussion section should account for 3-6 pages.

Sections of the discussion section

1. General discussion:

a. Wraps up/summarizes the research findings. What conclusions can you make based on the results?

b. What is novel about this research? What does it contribute to the literature it references?

c. Can be broken down into different subheadings based on whether you have different theoretical points/conclusions to make.

2. Limitations (optional but encouraged)

a. Discuss any methodological or research shortcomings (e.g. homogenous sample) that may limit your ability to make conclusions. Do these limitations impact your ability to make conclusions about this research? Why or why not?

b. Limitations do not necessary negate the value to the research—it lets the reader make their own conclusions as to whether the limitation is problematic, and also provides directions for future study.

3. Future directions (optional but encouraged)

a. Often combined with a section on limitations, since the limitations of one study are often the inspiration for future study.

b. Contemplate implications of the research findings—does it have relevance to any other fields of study?

c. What future research projects could be spawned from the current one? If you could do any follow-up study to the present one, what would it be?

4. Conclusion (optional):

a. A short paragraph-long summary of the entire paper. Within a few sentences summarizes results, and what the results mean. Look for examples of conclusion sections to get a feel for how much space this section typically takes up.

Full Paper Sections

1. Title page

a. Properly formatted title page; APA-format

b. Properly formatted running heads throughout manuscript

2. Abstract and Introduction

a. Appropriate length/detail, well-written

b. Reviews the relevant literature; well-researched; thoughtfully structured

c. Sets up the purpose of the present study

d. State the research hypotheses clearly

3. Methods and Results

a. All the necessary information (e.g. participants, procedure, analyses, results) are present

b. Choice of statistical analysis is appropriate

c. Appropriate length, thoughtfully structured, sections are well-written

d. Describes methods, analyses and results clearly, such that the study could be replicated in future research

e. I’d recommend including an appropriate graphic (e.g. correlation table, scatterplot, pie chart, etc.). Feel free to consult me or your GA to assess best choice for your data.

4. Discussion

a. Appropriate length/detail; well-written

b. Makes appropriate conclusions based on results

c. Communicates the value/importance of the present proposed research

5. References

a. Adheres to APA format

b. All references made in-text represented in end-of-text references section (and vice versa)

Other key considerations

1. Appropriate writing style—tone is scientific, not overly informal or conversational

2. Clear, concise, thoughtful writing—attention to wording and sentence structure; well-written

Final Paper Rubric

Total: 100 points

Category	Cursory/Absent	Satisfactory	Comprehensive
Introduction (20)	No/cursory literature review or framing of problem (0-7)	Some background, possible inaccuracies (8-15)	Solid background, literature review, concept/problem framed appropriately (16-20)
Methods/analyses/ results (20)	Methods/results absent/inaccurate, or completely unclear (0-7)	Methods/results at times misstated, at times correct, lacks clarity (8-15)	Methods/results presented clearly and correctly (16-20)
Conclusions (20)	No conclusions or takeaway, or takeaways not grounded in research (0-7)	Conclusions/takeaways cursory, minimal, or overstating/misrepresenting the research (8-15)	Solid, thoughtful, evidence-based conclusions/takeaways (16-20)
Writing, style, and tone (15)	Tone overly informal; statements unscientific or speculative; writing sloppy or unclear (0-4)	Tone at times scientific, writing has some errors and lacks final proofing (5-9)	Tone appropriately scientific and polished, unclear writing/syntactical errors absent or minimal (10-15)
APA style (15)	No/minimal attention to proper APA formatting (0-4)	APA at times correct, at times incorrect (5-9)	APA largely/completely correct and polished (10-15)
References (10)	No/minimal references (e.g. 0-4 citations; 0-3)	Some references, possibly insufficient for subject at hand (e.g. 5-9 references citations; 4-6)	Proper amount of references present, indicating solid background knowledge of subject at hand (10+ references; 7-10)

TIPS—FOLLOW THIS ADVICE IF YOU’D LIKE TO DO WELL ON THIS PAPER

1. Read and consult enough background literature to competently and fully introduce the topic of the paper.

2. Make sure your methods section is clear and properly formatted.

3. Double check your results and write them up properly.

4. Have a conclusion and discussion section that is appropriate in scope based on the results you obtained.

5. Proofread, check, and edit your paper. Have someone else read it if you can. Submitting unpolished work will cost you points.

6. Actually make changes to your paper based on feedback from the last two drafts. The final paper should demonstrate that you utilized your feedback to make the paper stronger.

7. Read all the instructions from previous drafts if you’re still struggling on any particular sections.

8. Go back to the Library Presentation materials from earlier in the semester. These are all resources designed to help you figure out how to find sources. PSYCHINFO is your best bet. Having an insufficient amount of external sources indicates a shaky foundation for the structure of paper.

9. READ SOME PUBLICATIONS! This will give you a sense for the structure, content, tone, and writing style of manuscripts in psychological science.