1. Lecture 11: Honours Thesis Structure

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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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?

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. What kind of appendices do you have before you?

10. 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

11. 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?