Psy 330 Reporting Research
McBride
Chapter 8

I.  Structure of an APA-style paper
Title page
Abstract
Introduction
Method

Materials/Apparatus

Design

Procedure

Results

Discussion

Tables

Figures

Appendices

II.  Title Page
The first page of your article will be the title page. It will include the title of the article, the authors’ names, and the authors’ affiliations centered on the page.
Your title should be concise and informative.
The title page will also contain a running head that is a shortened version of the title.
Finally, the page number appears in the header, right margin justified, of every page in the article.
III.  Abstract
Short summary of study
About 120-150 words
Contains a sentence or two for each of the four major sections of your article:
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
IV.  Introduction

Introduce the general topic/research question.

Review background studies in terms of relevance to research question and
hypothesis
development.

Briefly describe current study.

State hypotheses and justification for hypotheses.

Overall, argue that current study is important and will add new knowledge to the field.

V.  Method
Participants, Design, Materials, Procedure
Can combine sections

Participants--Number, Important demographics, Where obtained, Compensation

Design--Type of research design, Variables (dependent, independent), ¡How variables were measured/manipulated

Materials/Apparatus--Description of stimuli or scales used in the study, Where stimuli/scales obtained or how developed, Description of any apparatus used in the study

Procedure--Chronological description of what the participants/subjects experienced in the study, Description of instructions given to participants (paraphrased, not word-for-word), Order of tasks

VI.  Results
Dependent measure analyzed
Statistical tests used
Alpha level used for tests
Descriptive statistics/Figures/Tables
Statistical values from tests
p values from tests
Statements about significant effects or relationships
VII.  Discussion
Review hypotheses and indicate if they were supported by the results
Compare current results with those from past studies
Provide explanations of unexpected results
Suggest future directions for research
Summarize what was learned in the current study
VIII.  References
The reference section provides a complete listing of all the sources cited in the article.
The references are listed in alphabetical order by the last name of the first author. All subsequent authors are listed in the reference in the order in which they appear in the publication. You should also provide the publication year, title of the source, where the source was published, and additional information about the publication source.
References

Smith, L. J., & James, T. R. (2009). The effect of smiling on mood. Journal of Social Psychology, 25(1), 345-358. doi:15.8567/839563925748