Lecture 11: Honours Thesis Structure

Honours Theses in Psychology Share the Same Basic Structure Forward pages Introduction Method Results Discussion References Appendices

Forward pages Are number using roman numerals Cover page Contain the abstract Contain indices, list of tables, list of figures Acknowledgements Usually 8 pages or so

Introduction Introduces a topic Reviews background theory Defines terms Relevant empirical evidence, pointing out methodological limitations Leads to proposal to conduct “The Present Study”: Study design Hypotheses laid out (usually 2 or 3)

Method Participants Measures Procedure Study sample, demographics, selection/ recruitment issues Measures Sometimes these are listed out, but they could also be organised thematically Must stipulate what actual measure comes from each Procedure What was actually done with participants? Order? Missing data?

Results (Quantitative thesis) Descriptive statistics of the measures Preliminary analyses E.g., are background variables related to measures? Do they then have to be included as covariates? Planned statistical tests of the hypotheses Based on study design and the nature of the data collected Posteriori tests: Things you did not expect can be examined Qualitative descriptions of the data

Discussion Brief summary of the findings Interpretation of the results Hypothesis supported? If not, why? Limitations of the study Reflecting back to theory being tested Future directions, practical implications of the research

References Must cross reference thesis Must be current Must be in APA format Must be complete

What kind of appendices do you have before you?

Appendices Must be ordered in the same order they are mentioned in the thesis Published, copywrited material is not appended Unique measures are Pilot data Scoring protocols Consent, recruitment forms Debriefing scripts

Six Common Questions for Honours Students 6. What have you learned from conducting this research? 5. Where did this research idea originate? 4. What are the implications for your research? 3. How would you change the measures you used, if you had the opportunity? 2. What were your hypotheses? 1. What was your research design?