1. Anatomy of an Article P152 Week 4

2. Three types of articles Reports of empirical studies Literature reviews/meta-analyses –Statistical reviewing procedure that uses data from many similar studies to summarize and quantify research findings about individual topics Theoretical articles

3. Evaluating an Article How well do the study’s authors achieve their goal? Important because we rely on previous articles in preparing our own experiments

4. Evaluating an Article Must ask questions relating to: –Purpose –State hypotheses –Design –Measurement strategy –Statistical analysis –Conclusions

5. Evaluating an Article Helgeson, V. S. (1994). Long-distance romantic relationships: Sex differences in adjustment and breakup. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 254-265.

6. Informal Discovery: Page 1 Title: identifies main focus of study –Fun/playful? Or Formal/technical? –Does it pique our curiosity? Journal: where article is published –Mission which may influence how research is presented? –Sponsored by psychological association? –Peer-reviewed journal?

7. Informal Discovery: Page 1 Author: who wrote the article –University, agency or business affiliation Author’s notes –Funding –Acknowledging other contributors –Correspondence address –Results presented elsewhere

8. Group Questions: Informal Discovery What do you think of the title? Is there anything special about the journal? What do you know about the authors?

9. Abstracts Give overview of all main points of article –Study purpose –General research strategy –Findings –Conclusions Helpful in a literature search; a good abstract should give enough information to help us decide whether we want to read the article or not.

10. Group Question: Abstract From the abstract – what are the –Purpose –Research strategy/design –Findings –Conclusions Of the study??

11. Introduction: What and Why Overview of problem addressed –Clearly Stated! Rationale for study developed –Review of relevant theoretical and empirical literature Ends with a summary of research questions/hypotheses

12. Group Questions: Intro What and Why What is the general purpose of the study? What problem is being studied?

13. Introduction: Literature Review Build argument for why study is necessary –Origins of research question –Do cites provide good support for study? –Will this make a contribution to the field?

14. Group Questions: Introduction Lit Review Review the background literature and answer: –What kind of articles are described? –Can you tell from the literature why the authors are doing the study? –Is the study important?

15. Introduction: Hypotheses Some studies test hypotheses Some studies do not have hypotheses –Explicit research question/goal –Researchers did not know what to expect Presented at the end of the intro Accompanied by a rationale

16. Group Questions: Introduction Hypotheses State the research question/hypothesis Does the research question/hypothesis follow logically from the literature review? Is there a clear rationale for the hypothesis?

17. Method How the study was conducted –Major detail (replication by another) Sample studied –How recruited –Appropriate for answering question

18. Group Questions: Method Sample Evaluate the sample: –Who was studied? –How were they recruited?

19. Procedures How study was implemented Mention of conditions –Symbolic –Non-symbolic General research strategy Controls to eliminate threat to validity

20. Group Questions: Method Procedures Were the procedures used appropriate? Would you have used this methodology? If not, what would you have done? Was there a control group within this study?

21. Procedures: Operational Defs Evaluate how the dependent variable is measured Find out how the independent variable is operationalized

22. Group Questions: Method Procedures What was the dependent variable and how was it operationally defined? What was the independent variable and how was it operationally defined?

23. Results Describe statistical analysis –Evaluate – correct? Present tables and figures –Evaluate – correct? Findings clearly presented?

24. Group Questions: Results What were the overall findings? Were the study finding clearly presented? Can the results be used to answer the research question?

25. Discussion Discussion of whether hypothesis was supported by the data Point out limitations of study Place study in the “larger body of knowledge” – theoretically speaking

26. Group Questions: Discussion What do the study findings mean for theory? How do the study findings build upon previous research? Are there any limitations addressed by the authors? Any limitations you might see? Does this article lead to new research questions? How could these be answered?

27. Discussion General implications Benefits to society Use of results outside psychology As a reviewer – you must pull together your review of specific components into an overall evaluation.

28. Group Questions: Discussion What is your overall evaluation of this study? Would you recommend this article to someone interested in gender differences regarding romantic relationships?

29. Reference List of all publications cited in article –What articles are cited? Are these articles of a high quality? –Are the majority of citations of the author’s own work? APA style OR style specific journal requires