Project Three Report Writing Guidelines
Note: This report will be graded out of 40 points using the rubric below. There will be a stronger
emphasis on using proper APA format in this report.
More information about the sections below is available in Chapter 11 of the textbook.
More information about the Discussion section is available in the Apr 22nd lecture materials.
More information about APA format is available in Chapter 11 of the textbook and on APAStyle.org.
Title Page (1 point): The title should provide the main topic of the paper in 12 words or less. The goal
is be informative and interesting, so try to catch the reader’s attention.
Method
(10 points total, with 2 points per section)
Participants
Who was involved in the study and how were participants recruited for this project?
Materials
Identify the three scales used and describe the on-line nature of the data collection (Google forms).
Indicate that there were multiple demographic variables included in the study (and refer to Table 1).
Design
Identify the overarching design of this study and describe how the sample was derived (providing a
label for the approach taken). Describe, briefly, what was available for analysis in this project.
Procedure
The series of steps taken to run the study, written in paragraph form and in the past tense while
avoiding any use of pronouns (For example, “Participants were asked to complete the on-line survey
during or after a regular class period four weeks after the start of the semester”).
Remember, don’t talk about being the researcher –just stick to what the participants did.
Data Processing
What steps did we take to process the data prior to running any analyses? Consider steps after first
opening the data file to the beginning of the actual analyses within this section. These should be listed
in chronological order and presented in the past tense, with enough detail that someone could replicate
what you’ve done in this project.
Results
(7 points total, with 2 points each for sections covering the categorical and continuous variables, and
then 1 point each for the correlations between Grit, Skills, and Stress presented correctly).
You should write about the one Categorical variable result and the one Continuous variable result that
you found most interesting from the sets of analyses that you ran. These results can be in relation to
any of the three main scales that you worked with for this project.
Start by stating the purpose of the first analyses by reminding the reader about that research question.
Provide the answer, in words, and then the statistical info to support that conclusion. This should
include the variable tested, the test used, and the results of each test (including the direction of any
significant differences or correlations found). Be sure to include the appropriate statistical statement
for each of the variables you are reporting on.
You should write about your categorical variable first and then your continuous variable, ending with
the correlations between Grit, Skills, and Stress scores. Be sure to refer to any figures in the text of the
results (see Figure 1, for example).
Discussion
(15 points, with 3 points for each of the sections mentioned below)
1) Provide a brief summary of the research questions you were interested in and the hypotheses you
developed (in sequence). What results were found and did they fit with the two hypotheses, or not?
2) Discuss the theoretical implications of the results by connecting to two research papers that explored
similar variables in relation to these scales. Be sure to cite these two papers properly in the text and
reference them correctly in the References.
3) Discuss the practical implications of the results, for an individual student and the larger population.
4) Comment on any limitations of the study, and how these may have impacted the results. Provide at
least one suggestion for future research to that could improve on this project (try to be specific).
5) Provide a summary statement on the importance of the findings and what you think the take-home
messages are from this research.
References
(2 points)
Include APA style references for two articles you found related to your results, and discussed above.
Include APA style references for the articles providing the main scales used in the project (on Moodle).
Tables & Figures
(5 points total, with 1 point for each Figure)
Table 1. List of demographic variables available in this study (descriptive values not needed)
Figure 1. Bar graph for the categorical variable tested with one of the scales
Figure 2. Scatterplot for the continuous variable tested with one of the scales
Figure 3. Scatterplot for the correlation between Average Grit and Average Skills
Figure 4. Scatterplot for the correlation between Average Grit and Average Stress
Figure 5. Scatterplot for the correlation between Average Skills and Average Stress
Notes:
-Italicize M, SD, t, r, p
-State the exact p value (p=X) unless output is very low. Then you should say p < .001.
-Round test statistics, means, and standard deviations to 2 decimal points
-Round p values to 3 decimal points
General Tips:
-Double-space the report
-Everything should be written in past tense
-You can use ‘we’ in scientific papers, but do not use ‘I’ or ‘my’
-Relax and let your writing flow, then circle back to polish things up
-Have a draft ready to share for peer review in lab, if possible
