I. Reference
Here, you are to write out exactly how the article would be look in the reference section of another article, in complete APA style. See the example below:
Festinger, L., &Carlsmith, J. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance.The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 58(2), 203-210.
II. Design
a. Type of Design
Here, you give a very short answer as to what type of design the researchers used. Examples include: correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental, longitudinal, cross-sectional, etc. More than one may apply.
b. Explanation of Design
Describe why it is that type of design. For example, if it is an experimental design, describe the control conditions and how they randomly assigned participants to groups.
III. Variables
a.IV / DV or Predictor / Criterion
Did the study feature Independent and Dependent Variables or did it feature Predictor and Criterion Variables?
Example:
The study featured independent and dependent variables.
b.Variables
Here you will list each of the variables and tell me what they mean as if you were explaining the variable to an intelligent 8th grader.
c.Operational Definitions for the IV
List the variable(s) and tell me the definition of the IV/Predictor
Example:
IV: Self Esteem: A self-evaluation of one's worth or value.
d. Operational Definitions for the DV
List the variable(s) and tell me the definition of the DV/Criterion
Example:
DV: Academic Performance: The degree of success a person achieves in an academic setting
IV. Hypotheses
Identify the hypotheses for the study. If there is more than one, list ALL hypotheses for the study, not a select few.
Label each of your hypotheses. If there are 9 hypotheses, you should have labels from H1-H9.
V. Participants
a. Selection Criteria
How were the participants selected? Were there exclusion criteria? Were participants actively recruited?
b. Demographic Information
For example, how many people were there? Were they all from the same university? How many of them were men? How many of them were women? What was the distribution of ages, ethnicities, and any other information?
VI. Procedure
Describe the procedures used in the study. Remember that a procedure should be so detailed that anyone else could look at your procedure and conduct the exact same study with very few questions. You should be VERY SPECIFIC and include the title of study, the information described to participants, and information concerning anonymity.
VII. Measures
a. Independent/predictor variable
Provide a name and description for each of the measures/questionnaires used in the study. Briefly describe each of the measures used in the study. [For example, what was the questionnaire/outcome designed to measure? How many items were on the questionnaire? How did people answer the items (e.g., participants rated items using a scale ranging from 1-5, where 1 = not at all and 5 = very much, or something like that)? If there is no information listed as to how the information was rated, you should say this.
b. Dependent/criterion variable
Provide a name and description for each of the measures/questionnaires used in the study. Briefly describe each of the measures used in the study. [For example, what was the questionnaire/outcome designed to measure? How many items were on the questionnaire? How did people answer the items (e.g., participants rated items using a scale ranging from 1-5, where 1 = not at all and 5 = very much, or something like that)? If there is no information listed as to how the information was rated, you should say this.
Example:
Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale-10 item measure of global self-esteem; 4 point Likert scale; anchors at 1=strongly disagree and 4=strongly agree; reliability of .85
GPA-total number of grade points obtained divided by total number of grade points attempted
Hint: How the results are calculated is not the measure. Statistical procedures are not the measure.
VIII. Results
a. Basic Description
What were the results/main findings? For each hypothesis, you should list a result. You also need to indicate whether the results support or disconfirm a hypothesis. You should list your answer in the following format: If a result supports a hypothesis, you may say "As expected, self-control was positively related to counterproductive work behaviors." If a result does not support a hypothesis, you might say "Contrary to expectations, self-control was not significantly related to counterproductive work behaviors"
IX Future Directions
a. Future directions: Author(s)
Discuss what the authors suggest should be examined in the future.
b. Future directions: Reader
Discuss what you think should be examined in the future.
Example:
Future authors should consider evaluating high school GPA in addition to college GPA.
X. Limitations
a. Limitations: Author(s)
What are some of the limitations of the study identified by the researcher(s)? What did the researchers say they could have done better?
b. Limitations: Reader
What limitations did you find with the study? How could future researchers improve the study? Identify and describe at least TWO limitations not mentioned by the authors.
Research Report
Knowing Is Half the Battle
Teaching Stereotype Threat as a Means of Improving Women's Math Performance by Michael Johns, Toni Schmader, and Andy Martens