How to Write

An Experimental Report

PSY 101L
LECTURE 3
Prof. A.K.M. Rezaul Karim, Ph.D.
Department of History & Philosophy
North South University
Purpose of Psychology Reports
Reports enable you to communicate to others:
 What was carried out

 How it was carried out

 Why it was carried out

 What was found

 What the results actually mean

Reports enable further exploration of ideas.

Dissemination of experimental/ research findings is the
end goal of all experiments/researches.
The key aim of a report is replication
Report Rules
Any psychologist who publishes
his/her experiment/research uses
the same APA/BPS report format.
Standardised format (quick finding
of details) format guidelines of
the American Psychological
Association (APA).
APA 7 (October, 2019).
 Report Structure
Title page
Contents
Abstract
Introduction: State your research question, review the
literature, formulate your hypotheses
Method: Describe how you explored the question in
sufficient detail to permit replication.
Results: Describe your findings and test your hypotheses
using statistics.
Discussion: Analyze your results and put them back into
the context of your question.
Conclusion
References
Appendices
 Introduction
Rationale (including previous research in the area
and the current hypotheses).

The introduction should contain:

 Review of (relevant) background material

including existing theories and key findings.

 Outline the exact problem to be researched and

the research hypotheses.

 Outline the expected results – what do you

expect to find once you have conducted the

research?
Introduction ‘Tips’
Start broad and become
narrower as you reach your
research hypotheses.

Include 3-6 key pieces of

previous research or
theories.

References from peer-

reviewed journals and books
are more credible and
provide more ‘weight’ to
your arguments than
Internet-based sources.
 Method
The method should be ‘written-up’ immediately
after the study has finished.

The method should contain sufficient information for

the reader to understand and replicate the study
exactly as you did it.

The method is split into the following principal sections:

 Design

 Participants

 Apparatus/Materials

 Procedure

 Data Analysis
 Method
Design
The design should state the following:
 The type of design that was used (independent

measures, repeated measures, mixed or matched

subjects).
 The independent variables (IV) and any associated
levels.
 The dependent variable (DV) including the level of
measurement, e.g., milliseconds for time or metres
for distance.
 Method
Participants
Information on participants Example
includes:
 Number of participants Method
 Sampling method (random,
Participants
opportunistic etc.)
 Demographic information (age,
20 male and 20 female
gender, occupation, participants from North
educational level) South University
 Any other study-specific participated in the
criteria (e.g. intelligence level, current study. No other
visual acuity etc.) demographic
information was
collected.
 Method
Materials
Describe the materials used and their function in
enough detail so others can replicate
For example: in describing word lists, include the
number of words, approximate length of words, were
they in capital or lowercase letters, etc.
A copy of the materials can be included in an appendix
at the end of the paper; you would refer your reader to
that appendix.
If used any psychological test/scale describe its
development, subtests, number of items, validity,
reliability, scoring and norms (if any).
 Method
Procedure
The procedure is like the instructions for baking a cake
or making something from Lego.

Describe the (standard) instructions given to

participants

The procedure should be logical, and contain sufficient

information for the reader to follow.
 Method
Procedure
Tell the reader how the data were collected
Show clearly the order in which things were
done
Note who collected the data
State clearly all processes or activities
participants engaged in
Tell what happened in the study
Note where all the activities took place
May include other important details
 Method
Data analysis
 Method Example
Method
Participants
Sixty university students (30 males and 30 females) participated
in this study for extra course credit in a Psychology 100 course at
North South University....
Materials
Three word lists were created, each of which consisted of 20
words. See Appendix for a complete list of the words used in this
experiment. All words were written in lowercase letters. The length of
each word ranged from 5 to 8 letters...
Procedure
Participants were tested individually in the presence of the
experimenter...
 Results
Report the key findings, but does not tell why
The results section should start with descriptive (Clear
and concise summary) statistics (e.g. mean, median,
range etc.) before reporting any statistical tests.
A summary table of descriptive statistics can be
provided – only display information once and in one
format (e.g. written or table or chart).
Use graphs where meaningful, and ensure that graphs
and axes are titled. Graph means something to the
overall report.
Report the statistical tests used in the study.
 Result Example

Results
The mean number of words was 25.6 and the mean.
See Figure 1 for a summary of descriptive statistics.
These data were analyzed using a t-test and the results
were statistically significant, t(30) = 4.99, p = .002,
suggesting that younger participants were able to recall
more words than older participants.
 Discussion
First, state what you discovered during your
experiment.
 Do not repeat results but interpret them and

state whether your hypotheses were

confirmed.
Tell whether your findings are consistent with
prior studies and theories highlighted in the
introduction.
Discuss the merits and limitations of the study
and provide ideas for future research.
End with a conclusion.
Discussion: Structure
 References

APA 7, October, 2019

At the end of the report

Before the appendices

APA-formatted References
All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference
list should be indented 0.5 inch from the left margin. This is
called hanging indentation.

Journal articles
Roy, A. (1982). Suicide in chronic schizophrenia. British Journal of
Child and Family Studies, 141, 171-177.
Book
Struck, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1979). The elements of style
(3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Web page, no author, no date
GVU’s 8th WWW user suvey. (n.d.) Retrieved September 19,
2001, from http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/user_surveys/survey-1997-10/
Report Writing: Tips
Start writing early – important details
about the experiment/study may be forgotten
if the write-up is left to the last minute.

Remember – a naive reader should be able

to follow your report and replicate your
findings.

Read – reading journal articles and past

dissertations will help you with structuring
your report and understanding the required
style.

Reflect – reflect upon the comments you

receive on your practical reports and essays –
these are provided to help you!
Report Writing: General Style

Reports should be double-spaced.

Each major section (Abstract, Introduction,
Method, Results and Discussion) should start on a
new page with the title of the section in bold.
Each minor section (e.g. Participants) should be
in italics.
All pages should be numbered.
The last section is the Appendices and includes
raw data, Ethics Approval Form and other relevant
information.
Report Title
Each report should be given a title that is both
concise and provides the reader with an insight to
the investigation being reported.

The title often includes the independent variable

(IV) and dependent variable (DV).

The key aim of the title is to entice the reader into

looking further into the report – the title is the
first part of a report a reader will see, therefore it
has to be interesting, concise and descriptive.
Example Report Titles
1. Configurational asymmetry in vernier offset detection

2. The effect of music on learning and recall

3. The effect of music on word encoding

4. The right way to kiss: directionality bias in head-turning

during kissing
Abstract
The abstract is arguably the most important section of the report.

This may be the only part of your paper that most people read, so
make it count!

The abstract is a self-contained and brief summary of the key points

from the study.

The abstract (like the rest of the report) should be written in the
‘third’ person.
 The third person avoids the use of ‘I’ and ‘we’ – instead use ‘It was

decided’ or ‘The investigator(s) choose to’

Although the first section after the title, the abstract should be written
last.

Abstract should be no more than 150 words.

Abstract Contents
What should an abstract contain?

An abstract should contain the following:

 Brief statement of the problem being investigated

 The design used (for experiments only)

 Relevant participant details (e.g. 20 males & 20

females)
 Stimulus materials used (experiments) and other

important apparatus
 Major findings

 Main conclusions and nature of discussion

 Reference to a key theory or piece of research if the

study is based partly on a replication

Example Abstract
(Karim, Proulx, de Sousa, Karmaker,
Rahman, F. Karim, & Nigar, 2017)
Humans have a bias for turning to the right in a number of
settings. Here we document a bias in head-turning to the right
in adult humans, as tested in the act of kissing. We investigated
head-turning bias in both kiss initiators and kiss recipients for lip
kissing, and took into consideration differences due to sex and
handedness, in 48 Bangladeshi heterosexual married couples.
We report a significant male bias in the initiation of kissing and
a significant bias in head-turning to the right in both kiss
initiators and kiss recipients, with a tendency among kiss
recipients to match their partners’ head-turning direction. These
interesting outcomes are explained by the influences of societal
learning or cultural norms and the potential neurophysiological
underpinnings which together offer novel insights about the
mechanisms underlying behavioral laterality in humans.
Tables
Always use APA 7, October, 2019.

Tables contain numbers or words.

Tables have titles that go at the top.

APA-formatted Table

Table 19.2

Hewlett-Packard Sales: 1996-2000

Year Net Revenue (Billions of Dollars)

1996 31.6
1997 35.5
1998 39.4
1999 42.4
2000 48.8

Source: The 2000 Annual Report, Hewlett-Packard Company

Figures
Figures are pictures and typically present
graphs of data, sample stimuli, equipment
setup, diagrams of experiment flow, flowcharts
of cognitive processes or diagrams of
theoretical models.
Figures have captions that go at the top.
Notes on a Figure go to the bottom.
APA-formatted Figure
Figure 1
Letter recognition scores and letter recognition time
taken in visual and tactile modalities

Note. (a) Effects of sensory modality and language on letter

recognition, (b) Effects of sensory modality and language on letter
recognition time. The straight horizontal line represents chance
level. Error bars represent SE (standard error).
Language
Past Tense – The report should be written in past
tense as it describes what happened.

3rd Person
 No contractions don’t, can’t, it’s – do not, cannot, it

is
Clear and Simple Language

Fact based – never bring in your opinion unless

specifically told to!!
 Avoid Non-emotive adjectives like: tragic, amazing

etc.
Language
 Do not copy what you read. You will read
articles that are difficult to understand – these
are not ‘good’ articles
 Your marker needs to understand your writing
 Your knowledge needs to come across. This is
easier to achieve with clear and simple
language – not big fancy words
Information & LINKS
Publication manual of the APA 7
 https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_a
nd_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html
Essentials
 http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.cfm?doc_id=796
Summary of Publication Manual
 http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/apa-crib.html
General information
 http://www.apastyle.org
Q&A
 http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm
Examples for references
 http://www.crk.umn.edu/library/links/apa5th.htm
 http://www.lib.usm.edu/~instruct/guides/apa.html