Abstract
This is an exemplar sentence to illustrate where the first line of the Abstract should be located (see below for more information). Moreover, the abstract is usually the last section to be written.
Is the abstract section on the second page of your manuscript?
Is the abstract section headed with “Abstract” and centred at the top of the page? (see start of this page for an example)
Is the abstract written in one paragraph without indentation?
Does the abstract summarise the study clearly plus concisely and contain:
o An overview of the study aims and hypothesis/hypotheses
o Information on the participants and experiment methodology
o A concise statement of key findings and if hypothesis/hypotheses were supported
o Brief statement of the key implications of the your experiment’s findings
Is the abstract within 150 words?
Assignment Preparation
Is your research topic identified?
Have you conducted a thorough investigation into the existing literature on your research topic?
Have you created a skeleton structure (outline/organisation) of your manuscript to ensure that your arguments are logically structured and are not actually a fallacy?
For more information: see “Final Tips” at the end of this manuscript for Western Sydney University Websites deliberately created to assist assignment preparation.
Psychology: Behavioural Science 2017 Checklist and Tip Sheet
This is an exemplar sentence to illustrate where the first line of the introduction should be located (see below for more information).
Introduction
Is the Title repeated on at the top of the first page of the report proper? (see start of this page for an example)
Does the first sentence of the introduction section start with an indent on the line directly below the Title? (see start of this page for an example)
Does the introduction section start with a broad statement about the research topic?
Is this board statement then followed by another statement explaining why this research topic is an interesting/impactful/important aspect to explore? (i.e., what does your research mean in relation to human behaviour)
Does this first introduction paragraph end with clearly defining what your manuscript is about? (i.e., paraphrasing your aim)
Does the next introduction paragraph explain relevant theories and ideas with definitions of key terms and concepts?
Does the following introduction paragraphs then:
o Examine past research in a concise and critical manner? (i.e., both sides—for and against—of all arguments)
o Utilise appropriate research evidence? (e.g., primary sources, experimental journal articles, mostly current—within five years—journal articles, avoid referencing Wikipedia/Textbooks/Unverified Websites, among others)
o Link previous research to your current research aim? (i.e., does the research that you have critically reviewed logically lead to the aim of your experiment)
Does your introduction section’s final paragraph:
o Begin with an explicit statement of the aim? (e.g., “The aim of this research/experiment/thesis/report is…”)
o Followed by a statement of the independent variable and dependent variable? (e.g., “The independent variable/s is/are… [‘stress’ and ‘induction’] and the dependent variable/s is/are… [‘adaptive coping behaviours’ from the COPE inventory]”)
o Finally, this introduction paragraph should finish with an unambiguous statement of your hypothesis/hypotheses which must include the independent variable and its relationship with the dependent variable. (e.g., “It was hypothesised that… [high stress + mindfulness = more adaptive coping behaviours displayed]”)
Ø NOTE: this hypothesis is intentionally written in a simplistic/formula style to allow students to use it by rewriting the hypothesis in academic and formal English.
Final check up for the introduction section:
o Does your introduction section visibly demonstrate the importance of the research area being investigated?
o Is the introduction section structured like a funnel (i.e., begins broadly followed by logically leading the reader through prior research to converge on the ‘literature gap’ which your experiment hopes to investigate)?
o Does your introduction section contain:
o Clear and sound arguments which concludes with the study aim/s.
o Logical justification for the independent and dependent variables
o The introduction section finishes with a clear statement of hypothesis/hypotheses.
o Is the introduction and hypotheses written in past tense?
Method
This is where you should copy and paste the Method section provided to you—NOTE: you do not need to paraphrase or edit this section—because you will not be marked on this section.
Results
This is where you should copy and paste the Results section provided to you—NOTE: you do not need to paraphrase or edit this section—because you will not be marked on this section.
Discussion
This is an exemplar sentence to illustrate where the first line of the introduction should be located (see below for more information).
The discussion section should commence one double-spaced below the last line of the Results section. (see above for an example)
Is the discussion section headed with “Discussion” and centred at the top of the page in bold? (see above for an example)
Does the first sentence of the discussion section start with an indent? (see above for an example)
Does the discussion section begin with a statement that restates the aim?
Is this followed by a statement of your results in respect to whether or not the hypothesis/hypotheses were supported? (e.g., “The results are contrary to/support the hypothesis that…”)
Finally does this first discussion paragraph conclude with a statement about what your results imply about human behaviour? (i.e., relate your results to the statement in your introduction that explains why this topic is an interesting/impactful/important aspect to research)
Does the following discussion paragraphs then:
o Provide an argument for why your results are important and how your results advances scientific knowledge?
o Link your results with the previous research that you have already reviewed in your introduction (i.e., are your results consistent or inconsistent with previous studies’ results and why might this be)
o Discuss potential reasons underlying your results—this is when you provide constructive criticism towards your experiment/methodology followed by suggestions for how future/follow-up studies might address the issues you encountered to produce meaningful information about human behaviour.
Does your discussion section’s final paragraph:
o Reflect on whether the experiment has successfully achieved the research aim?
o Restate what researchers have learned from this experiment in relation to general human behaviour?
Final check up for the discussion section:
o All suggestions for methodological improvements must be relevant and accompanied by sound reasoning (i.e., what are the specific issues which may generate confounding variables in your experiment)?
o There are numerous specific issues in your experiment considering that significant was not found and to name just a few:
o Therefore, generic limitations like: increasing participant size, attaining equal male and female distributions, among others are simplistic and if utilised then they must be explained in relation to how they are actually a confounding variable.
o Are the suggestions for future research logically justified to concentrate most heavily on generating potential development of theory and/or research, and on implications for the real world?
o Have you discussed the theoretical importance of your results?
o Does your conclusion sum up your results?
o Is the discussion section written in present tense?
References
Is the reference list on a separate page directly after the discussion section?
Is the reference list headed with “References” and centred at the top of the page? (see start of this page for an example)
Did you cross check the in-text citations to ensure that they match the reference list entries?
See here for a detailed guide on APA references.
APA Formatting
Is there a manuscript page number on the top right of every single page?
Are all pages numbered consecutively with “1” starting on the Title Page?
Is there a running head on the top left of every page? (including the Title Page)
Is the running head 50 characters or less?
Is the Title Page the only header that includes the words: “Running head:”? (see first page of this manuscript in comparison to the other pages for an example)
Is the footer/header the same font as the body text and in size 10 font?
Does your manuscript follow APA format? (click for an unofficial but surmised guide)
Is the manuscript in Times New Roman or Arial?
Is the manuscript in size 12 font?
Have you indented, with one tab space, the first line of each paragraph in your report proper? (i.e., not including the abstract section)
Are numbers between 0 and 10 written as words (e.g., zero, one, two, three…) while numbers over ten are in written as numerals (e.g., 11, 54, 69, 1234, 54320, 345476…)
Are all your manuscript’s headings in APA style:
Title Page Formatting and Title Construction
Does your title page include:
Is your Title 12 words or less?
Does your Title contain the Independent Variable?
Does your Title contain the Dependent Variable?
Does your Title contain the relationship between the variables? (e.g., The IV increases/decreases/has no effect on the DV)
Final Tips
An easy way to ensure that your assignment is well written is to ask yourself “Why have I included this sentence here and what does this sentence tell the reader” for every single sentence inside your assignment as this will ensure that every sentence you write has a purpose; thus, tremendously improving flow within paragraphs. Another easy way is to include sentences, at the beginning and at the end of each paragraph, whose sole purpose is to link your paragraphs as this will ensure that there is a logical flow throughout your entire manuscript. (These points are assessed on the marking criteria under “Clarity of Premises and Conclusions”).
Furthermore, to ensure that your manuscript makes grammatical sense, it is usually highly advised that you proofread your assignment followed by then verbally proofreading it out loud (regardless of how silly it makes you feel—honestly, I still feel silly myself when I do this; but, it is super important); alternatively, the text-to-speech feature on your computer can be used to accomplish this instead. Finally, you can go to here plus here for assignment preparation tips and here plus here for general academic writing tips.
P.S., A personal recommendation in regards to when you should use quotes in psychology research reports: “only quote if it is absolutely necessary”. For example, if you want to directly counteract a claim/statement/result made in a journal article then it would probably be appropriate to use a direct quote as that enables the greatest impact for your sequential fault-finding sentences; otherwise, paraphrasing would probably be best as paraphrasing demonstrates to your marker that you truly understand the topic being discussed.
Order Now