Week 2: Finding and reading a paper

◦ See StudyDirect for the names of your tutors

◦ Please remember our first names for submission of your course work

◦ Only email us for personal issues (e.g. to inform us of absence etc.)

1 hour practical Autumn term weeks 2-9

Please attend allocated sessions or negotiate a change directly with the Psychology office

◦ Week 2: Finding and reading papers◦ Week 3: Designing a questionnaire◦ Week 4: How to write a research proposal◦ Week 5: SPSS – data entry and analysis◦ Week 6: Excel – how to make graphs◦ Week 7: How to write a lab report◦ Week 8: How to make a PowerPoint presentation◦ Week 9: Lab report Q & A

Autumn term coursework submissions

◦ Week 6: Research Proposal (based on your questionnaire study)

◦ Week 9/10: Presentation of questionnaire findings to your personal tutor (by arrangement with them)

◦ Week 10: Lab report (write-up of questionnaire findings)

Course material - Graham Hole’s resources page:

◦ Google > Graham Hole

Questions about the course/coursework:

◦ Forum: Study Direct > Research Skills > Forum

◦ Office Hour: (to be announced)

◦ Emails: Do not email tutors directly about coursework, use the forum.

The Research Process

Research Proposals and Lab Reports

Scientific Writing Style

Research Proposal – Step-by-Step

Original Article vs. Textbook

How to Find a Paper

How to Read a Paper

Subject area Read around the subject Research question Design the study Research proposal Obtain ethical approval Conduct the study Data analysis Lab report

Write concisely

Write in a formal tone

Avoid Jargon

Focus on relevant literature

Top tip: Read and look at published journal articles to get an idea of what you should be aiming for

1. Select a subject area ◦ Keep it simple◦ Check availability of literature on topic

2. Read around the subject◦ What has been examined by others?◦ What were their findings?

3. Justifying your study◦ Find a gap in literature OR◦ Find contrasting results from different studies◦ Not so important for this term

4. Research question◦ What will you examine in your study?◦ For this term: Focus on differences between 2

groups (e.g. men vs. women/ meat consumers vs. vegetarians/ undergraduates vs. graduates/ etc.)

For example: Do men have different exercise habits than women?

5. Developing your hypotheses◦ What do you expect to find?◦ How do you expect that the groups will differ

from each other?◦ Predictions should be based on previous

findings from other authors (Step 2)

6. Design the study

◦ For this term: Questionnaire study◦ Again, keep it simple ◦ You should be able to test your hypotheses with

the questions you choose to use◦ We’ll get back to this step next week

From a textbook citation... “Stanley Milgram’s (1963) study of destructive

obedience highlighted the dilemma facing a person ordered by an authority figure to perform an immoral act”

But why would I want to look at the original? And if I did, how would I find it?

One simple reason:

When a textbook/paper author (or anyone else) summarises a study, they can get it wrong...

The more people between you and the study, the more chance something is wrong

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I think Cuddy is

very intelligent!

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Wilson thinks you’re

intelligent ...but ugly.

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At the end of textbook chapters (or sometimes the whole book) and journal articles you will find the reference section

Reference sections are ordered by first author’s surname:

Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378.

If you know the reference for a paper:-

◦ Go to the library website:

www.sussex.ac.uk/library

◦ Electronic Library > Online Journals > Type in journal name > Find the correct volume, issue and page numbers

If you want to do a search on a topic:- ◦ Go to the library website:

www.sussex.ac.uk/library

◦ Electronic Library > Online Resources > Choose ‘PsycARTICLES’ or ‘PsycINFO’ > Simple or Advanced

◦ Electronic Library > QuickSearch◦ Google Scholar

Top tip: be specific!

Papers are laid out in this order:

◦ Abstract

◦ Introduction

◦ Methods

◦ Results

◦ Discussion

◦ References

Easier to read them in this order:

◦ Abstract

◦ Discussion

◦ Introduction

◦ Methods

◦ Results

◦ (References)

Abstract

◦ Summary of everything that’s in the paper

◦ Order: Past research, methods, results, conclusions

◦ Approx. 150 words

Discussion

◦ Summary of purpose and results

◦ Comparison to previous research

◦ Possible faults

◦ Wider implications

◦ Future directions

◦ Conclusions

Introduction

◦ Quick explanation of research area

◦ Summary of relevant past research (and perhaps its flaws)

◦ Purpose of study

◦ Brief description of methods

◦ Hypotheses

Methods

◦ Usually split into four sections: Participants Materials Design Procedure

◦ Technical language

Results

◦ Point-by-point breakdown of findings

◦ Descriptive statistics

◦ Inferential statistics

◦ The magic word ‘significant’

References

◦ Don’t need to worry about these too much when reading

◦ If you find past research in the paper that sounds interesting, look for a full citation here

◦ And use your new skills to find that paper

Get into groups of 4

Pick a topic, e.g.:◦ Healthy lifestyle (for example):

Exercise Smoking Eating habits Alcohol consumption

◦ University lifestyles◦ Environmentally friendly behaviours

Check with one of us that it’s okay

Start finding and reading papers about the topic

Read up to 5 papers on your chosen topic◦ Try to read the same papers as others in your

group◦ Or read one or two papers and summarise to your

group before next week

Come to class next week with some ideas for questions you can ask people

Keep it simple!

Next week: Construct the questionnaire in class