Writing it All Up

The goal of the intro? Have we seen this before? Tell the reader simply and clearly what the subject is. Speak in plain, yet professional terms How will it “save the world?” Tell the reader why the subject is important How will you do what you do? methodology. What are you questions What are NOT your questions Upon what/who are your methods based? Have we seen this before? How is it an original contribution? Lit review to assert that it’s both valuable and not duplicative

Tips and Tricks Warm them up, don’t frontload. “Will explore,” not “Will tell you what to do” i.e., don’t start with your conclusion Use a balanced approach when considering points contrary to yours Examine strengths and weaknesses of each Avoid: Straw men Sweeping generalizations Ad hominem attacks

The Upside-Down Pyramid Approach Start general, get specific Open with the general problem Explore general aspects Apply to your particular population or problem Reach your particular question Use subheadings Use summary paragraphs Best if it leads to the next section

Methods: Participants How many? How recruited? Subject variables Age Sex Other potentially important stuff Level of education Level of (dis)ability Marital status

Methods: Design “A 2x2 between subjects design with two factors (treatment group x testing time) was utilized to determine any potential impact of treatment upon the CES-D scores of the participants. Treatment group was held at 2 levels (experimental vs control), as was testing time (pretest vs posttest).”

Methods: Procedure and Data Analysis Sometimes combined with design Put it all in gruesome detail. Good idea to consider it as kind of a timeline Include anything that went wrong with the process as well Data Analysis “A factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine any main effects or interactions regarding the independent variables. Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) was utilized to explore any further group differences.”

Method: Results! Sometimes combined with Data Analysis A table or graph usually helps “A factorial analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated a significant main effect (F(1,28) = 3.6, p ≤ 0.05, ɳ2 = 0.35). LSD analyses indicated that posttest scores did not differ between groups (M = 55 vs M = 48, p = 0.78). Participants in the experimental group, however, scored lower on the CES-D scale (M = 30) relative to those in the control group (M = 50; p ≤ 0.05).”

Discussion The easiest/hardest part of the paper The stage performance approach The opening number: Take the stage! Thorogood’s “Be a billboard, but slow it down” Limitations – next album, or a B-side? Repair rapport Go home and do The show’s not over after the band goes home

Questions? Thoughts?