STEP 3 – Writing Your Summary Objective: Write a 500-800 word college-level pape

STEP 3 – Writing Your Summary
Objective: Write a 500-800 word college-level paper in APA format, in which you analyze one scientific, peer-reviewed research article in the discipline of psychology.
Things to include:
o HYPOTHESIS or PURPOSE:
 What were the researchers trying to discover (i.e. what was the hypothesis or purpose)?
 This is usually found at the beginning of the article. Usually the hypothesis or statement of a problem appears at the end of the review of the literature, most often in the last or next to last paragraph. The words that indicate that it is a hypothesis are, “We will examine. . .” or “Our hypothesis is . . .” In a statement of a problem, the researcher may say, “We plan to see if a relationship…,” “We proposed to observe…,” or” The problem we proposed to study…” (You must use your own words—do NOT use quotes).
o METHODOLOGY:
 How was the research conducted (research design or type of study)?
 Is the research descriptive (case study, naturalistic observation, laboratory observations, surveys, tests), correlation, experimental, or developmental? For more information on research methods, refer to chapter 1 of your text.
 When and where the research was conducted?
 How long did the study take?
 Who were the participants? (number [N], age, sex, criteria to be a part of study)?
o RESULTS/DISCUSSION:
 What did the researchers actually find in relation to their hypothesis or purpose?
 ARTICLE MAY STATE: The researchers found that . . .
 What limitations did the researchers reveal?
o SUMMARY/CONCLUSION (PURPOSE: to show critical thinking in regard to the research)
 How does the information in the article integrate with information from class discussion, the text, and/or other information in the discipline?
**remember to include an APA style reference page with your summary (don’t worry, this won’t count against your word limit)