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You will write an APA-style paper that follows the chapter of your choice that we have covered in class. The paper should be 5 pages in length and include a title page and a references page that does not count toward page length. Your paper should be a summary of 2-3 psychological studies on a topic that tangentially relates to a chapter topic that has been covered prior to the due date. The paper should demonstrate a clear understanding of the chosen research outlining the purpose of the study, the basic methodologies, the findings, and a brief discussion of what the findings mean for the field or how the findings can be applied.
The study in a nutshell
The abstract: should provide a concise preview of the paper. This is what the research is interested in and why, what was done,
how, and what were the findings?
Introduction: Providing background The introduction should communicate the nature and scope of the research question, the hypothesis, and pertinent information from
the current literature. What research has been done already? What were their findings? Where are the gaps in the current
literature?
Methods
How the research was conducted
The methods section is like the “recipe” for the experiment.
Methods: sections should provide enough detail that the experiment could be replicated. Just like cookies, you need to
follow the recipe precisely to get the expected results!
Results: Data presentation The results section objectively presents the data from the experiment and describes the statistical methods used to analyze
the data.
Discussion: Data interpretation The discussion should interpret the results. This interpretation should be used to answer the research question. What relationships, mechanisms, or generalizations are shown by the results? What is the significance of the finding? What are the implications and practical applications of this finding? Are these
findings consistent with the findings from previous literature?
References: Cited sources The reference section provides details about cited sources so that you may refer to the source directly. This is a good place to find related papers to read if you want to learn more about the
topic.
A sexology paper is/should NOT:
– A stream of consciousness paper
– Include a lot of “I think,” “I feel,” or “I believe” statements
– Use the pronoun “you”
– Be autobiographical papers about why you think the research topic is important
– Use direct quotes
A sexology paper is/does/must…
– A summary of 2-3 research studies conducted in the field of human sexuality psychology
– Be organized
o Including an introduction to the topic, the reason for studying it, methodologies used, results, and a discussion of how the results can be applied to information discussed in lecture
– Have in-text citations
– Be able to be clearly linked to one of the topics covered in lecture that week
– Evaluate the issues of a topic
For full points the paper must also:
– Be double spaced 5 pages in length (only the body of the text counts towards the length requirement
o Use the first page of this paper for a template of running head and title formatting
– Be in 12pt. font, times new roman, with (points will be deducted for adding additional information in the heading before beginning a paragraph)
– 1 inch margins
– Include citations ( from text or lecture and from the studies you are reviewing)
o Proper in-text apa citations required
o An apa style references page is required for reaction papers (use the one at the end of this rubric for template)
– Include a cover page in apa style
Choosing the Article
You may choose your research article from Google Scholar or from a database on the OkstateLibrary webpage http://library.okstate.edu/.
If you choose to find your article on the library webpage you will follow the following steps starting at the library homepage.
Click “databases” and find the database “psychINFO”.
Under “Publication Type” make sure that only “peer reviewed journal” is checked
In the Search field enter the topic you wish to review
Note: I suggest typing human sexuality in the first box and then your specific topic in the second search field next to “and”
You will need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with this search platform and finding articles. DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!
Reading the Article
Allow enough time. Before you can write about the research, you have to understand it. This can often take a lot longer than most people realize. Only when you can clearly explain the study in your own words to someone who hasn’t read the article are you ready to write about it.
Scan the article first. If you try to read a new article from start to finish, you’ll get bogged down in detail. Instead, use your knowledge of APA format to find the main points. Briefly look at each section to identify:
• the research question and reason for the study (stated in the Introduction)
• the hypothesis or hypotheses tested (Introduction)
• how the hypothesis was tested (Method)
• the findings (Results, including tables and figures)
• how the findings were interpreted (Discussion)
Underline key sentences or write the key point (e.g., hypothesis, design) of each paragraph in the margin. Although the abstract can help you to identify the main points, you cannot rely on it exclusively, because it contains very condensed information. Remember to focus on the parts of the article that are most relevant.
Read for depth, read interactively. After you have highlighted the main points, read each section several times. As you read, ask yourself these questions:
• How does the design of the study address the research questions?
• How convincing are the results? Are any of the results surprising?
• What does this study contribute toward answering the original question?
• What aspects of the original question remain unanswered?
Plagiarism. Plagiarism is always a risk when summarizing someone else’s work. To avoid it:
• Take notes in your own words. Using short notes or summarizing key points in your own words forces you to rewrite the ideas into your own words later.
• If you find yourself sticking closely to the original language and making only minor changes to the wording, then you probably don’t understand the study
Writing the Summary
Like an abstract in a published research article, the purpose of an article summary is to give the reader a brief overview of the study. To write a good summary, identify what information is important and condense that information for your reader. The better you understand a subject, the easier it is to explain it thoroughly and briefly.
Write a first draft. Use the same order as in the article itself. Adjust the length accordingly depending on the content of your particular article and how you will be using the summary.
• State the research question and explain why it is interesting.
• State the hypotheses tested.
• Briefly describe the methods (design, participants, materials, procedure, what was manipulated [independent variables], what was measured [dependent variables], how data were analyzed.
• Describe the results. Were they significant?
• Explain the key implications of the results. Avoid overstating the importance of the findings.
• The results, and the interpretation of the results, should relate directly to the hypothesis.
● Also, relate the results back to what you have learned in lecture (e.g. cite textbook or lecture slides).
For the first draft, focus on content, not length (it will probably be too long). Condense later as needed. Try writing about the hypotheses, methods and results first, then about the introduction and discussion last. If you have trouble on one section, leave it for a while and try another.
If you are summarizing an article to include in a paper you are writing it may be sufficient to describe only the results if you give the reader context to understand those results.
For example: “Smith (2004) found that participants in the motivation group scored higher than those in the control group, confirming that motivational factors play a role in impression formation”. This summary not only tells the results but also gives some information on what variables were examined and the outcome of interest. In this case it is very important to introduce the study in a way that the brief summary makes sense in the larger context
Edit for completeness and accuracy. Add information for completeness where necessary. More commonly, if you understand the article, you will need to cut redundant or less important information.
Stay focused on the research question, be concise, and avoid generalities.
Edit for style. Write to an intelligent, interested, naive, and slightly lazy audience (e.g., yourself, your classmates). Expect your readers to be interested, but don’t make them struggle to understand you. Include all the important details; don’t assume that they are already understood.
• Eliminate wordiness, including most adverbs (“very”, “clearly”). “The results clearly showed that there was no difference between the groups” can be shortened to “There was no significant difference between the groups”.
• Use specific, concrete language. Use precise language and cite specific examples to support assertions. Avoid vague references (e.g. “this illustrates” should be “this result illustrates”).
• Use scientifically accurate language. For example, you cannot “prove” hypotheses (especially with just one study). You “support” or “fail to find support for” them.
• Rely primarily on paraphrasing, not direct quotes. Direct quotes are seldom used in scientific writing. Instead, paraphrase what you have read. To give due credit for information that you paraphrase, cite the author’s last name and the year of the study (Smith, 1982).
• Re-read what you have written. Ask others to read it to catch things that you’ve missed.
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