The Report Format
Every SL student must produce a written report. The following paragraphs indicate the information students should include under each heading of the report.
TITLE PAGE
The hypothesis will determine how the title is constructed. For example, if the operationalized research hypothesis is “The mean number of words correctly recalled by a group using a list with category headings will be greater than the mean number of words correctly recalled by a group not using category headings”, then an appropriate title could be “An experiment to investigate the effect of category headings on the recall of a list of words”. A title such as “An experiment on memory” is not specific and is, therefore, insufficient.
The title page must include:
The abstract gives the reader a chance to find out the bare essentials of the experiment without going any further. The style should be brief, but should not use note form. The abstract should include the following.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the theoretical framework and the background research and/or theories that should lead to the aim (SL) or hypotheses (HL).
The introduction should follow the order below.
Aim The aim of the study is a clear statement about what is being investigated and what is expected.
Hypotheses (HL)
Research hypothesis—H1 The research hypothesis must be a clear, concise prediction of what is expected to be demonstrated in the experiment. This must be operationalized: it must be evident how the variables will be quantified, and may be either one- or two-tailed (directional or non-directional).
Null hypothesis—H0 The null hypothesis states that no significant difference is expected to be found between the groups on the measure of the dependent variable, and that any difference found is due to chance.
METHOD
This is typically divided into several sub-sections.
Design
A description of design decisions should be included, for example:
Details of the participants involved in the research should be included, for example:
A clear outline of materials or apparatus should be used. The exact details and examples should be placed in the appendices.
Procedure
This sub-section should include a statement of where the research was undertaken, the instructions given to participants, details of debriefing, and any other relevant details that would be necessary for replication of the experiment.
Further evidence should be included regarding design decisions, such as counterbalancing, random allocation of participants to groups, single- or double-blind, control of extraneous variables, standardized procedures and steps taken to avoid any possible bias in sampling or in the experimental procedures. Details of informed consent, briefing and debriefing of participants should also be included.
RESULTS
The results should include the following.
All raw data should be included in an appendix. It should be presented in a readable form with all headings clearly explained.
Personal details, such as the names of participants, should not be included. Such information should be regarded as confidential.
All the actual answer sheets need not be included; one example in the report will suffice. Students should keep the answer sheets.
Descriptive statistics (SL and HL)
Appropriate numerical statistics should be included, for example, measure(s) of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measure(s) of dispersion (range, standard deviation). Appropriate graphical statistics illustrating summary data should be provided, for example, tables, bar charts, histograms and pie charts. Special care should be taken to ensure that all graphs and tables have clear titles, all graphical axes are clearly labelled, and all graphs are drawn on graph paper if hand drawn. Raw data should not be included in the results section, but can be placed in the appendices. Graphs detailing individual scores should not be included.
DISCUSSION
There are four divisions.
1. Explanation of findings
The word “explain” means to give a detailed account including reasons or causes. Explanation may include reference to descriptive statistics. Students should have stated the results of their experiment in statistical terms in the results section of their report.
2. Relationship to background research
This is the student’s opportunity to explain their results in relation to their initial aim and hypotheses, as well as to their background research. No new research should be included here, but duplication of material from the introduction should be avoided.
3. Limitations, modifications and suggestions for further research
Even a well-designed study will have flaws. The design and procedure should be considered and suitable modifications should be suggested. Limitations include, but are not restricted to:
4. Conclusion
Students should finish with a concluding statement of their findings (SL) and a brief, focused summing-up of findings relating back to the aim and hypotheses (HL).
REFERENCES
This section should be a list of all the material the students have referred to. If the student does not have the original source material, all the necessary details can be found in the references section at the back of the book that referred to the source.
All references stated in the introduction and discussion sections of the student’s report should be included in the references section. References should follow a recognized format and be consistent throughout.
The recommended style for a textbook reference is: Flanagan, C (1997) An introduction to Psychology. London, UK. Thomas & Co. (That is, in the order: surname, initial (date) title. Place of publication. Publisher.) References for textbooks written by multiple authors should be presented as follows: Crane, J & Hannibal, J (2009) IB Diploma Programme: Psychology Course Companion. Oxford, UK. OUP. (That is, in the order: surname, initial & surname, initial (date) title. Place of publication. Publisher.) Please note that page references should be included. Websites must be fully referenced with "http://www.” followed by the address so they can be located. Any statistical packages used must also be included in the references section.
APPENDICES
In this section, students must include blank copies of any supplementary information, a list of the materials used, such as standardized instructions, debriefing notes and a blank copy of an informed consent statement. This section provides all the materials necessary to allow the experiment to be replicated. Tables of raw data and calculations must be included. However, it is not necessary to include all participant responses: one blank copy or a sample is sufficient. Materials should be clearly labelled and organized. A checklist for each section can be found in the “Appendices”. It is recommended that these checklists are distributed to students to track their progress.
WORDS
MARKS
TITLE PAGE
The hypothesis will determine how the title is constructed. For example, if the operationalized research hypothesis is “The mean number of words correctly recalled by a group using a list with category headings will be greater than the mean number of words correctly recalled by a group not using category headings”, then an appropriate title could be “An experiment to investigate the effect of category headings on the recall of a list of words”. A title such as “An experiment on memory” is not specific and is, therefore, insufficient.
The title page must include:
- title
- the method used (experiment)
- the topic under investigation (for example, recall)
- the variables (for example, category headings and their impact on word recall)
- the method used (experiment)
- student name and number
- subject and level (SL or HL)
- date, month and year of submission
- number of words.
The abstract gives the reader a chance to find out the bare essentials of the experiment without going any further. The style should be brief, but should not use note form. The abstract should include the following.
- A one-sentence summary, giving the topic(s) to be studied
This may include the aim or hypotheses and the area studied.
- A description of the participants and setting for the experiment
- A description of the experiment conducted by the student, including the design, independent and dependent variables, and a basic outline of the procedure
- A statement of the findings related to the aim (SL) including a mention of the statistics used, the significance levels (HL), and one sentence summing up the outcome (SL and HL)
- A short summary of the conclusion
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the introduction is to introduce the theoretical framework and the background research and/or theories that should lead to the aim (SL) or hypotheses (HL).
The introduction should follow the order below.
- A general introduction to the psychological subject area under investigation
- A summary of the key theories and research studies
The introduction must include proper references, for example, (Zajonc 1965). Students at SL must cite one reference, and at least three are recommended for HL.
- A rationale and justification for the study
- The aim (SL and HL) and hypotheses (HL only)
See below for further information about the aim and hypotheses.
Aim The aim of the study is a clear statement about what is being investigated and what is expected.
Hypotheses (HL)
Research hypothesis—H1 The research hypothesis must be a clear, concise prediction of what is expected to be demonstrated in the experiment. This must be operationalized: it must be evident how the variables will be quantified, and may be either one- or two-tailed (directional or non-directional).
Null hypothesis—H0 The null hypothesis states that no significant difference is expected to be found between the groups on the measure of the dependent variable, and that any difference found is due to chance.
METHOD
This is typically divided into several sub-sections.
Design
A description of design decisions should be included, for example:
- experimental and control conditions
- the type of experimental design chosen by the student and justification for their choice (independent groups, repeated measures, or matched pairs)
- identification of variables (independent and dependent variables), operationally defined
- ethical considerations and reference to documentation (informed consent, debriefing) in the appendices.
Details of the participants involved in the research should be included, for example:
- the researchers involved in conducting the research
- the target population, described in terms such as age, sex, education, or reference to any other relevant variables
- the sampling method and justification of why it was used
- the size of the sample (a participant sample of 20 is recommended), and how the participants were selected and assigned to experimental conditions.
A clear outline of materials or apparatus should be used. The exact details and examples should be placed in the appendices.
Procedure
This sub-section should include a statement of where the research was undertaken, the instructions given to participants, details of debriefing, and any other relevant details that would be necessary for replication of the experiment.
Further evidence should be included regarding design decisions, such as counterbalancing, random allocation of participants to groups, single- or double-blind, control of extraneous variables, standardized procedures and steps taken to avoid any possible bias in sampling or in the experimental procedures. Details of informed consent, briefing and debriefing of participants should also be included.
RESULTS
The results should include the following.
- Statement of the measure(s) of central tendency, as appropriate
- Statement of the measure(s) of dispersion, as appropriate
- Justification of choice of descriptive statistic
- Appropriate use of fully explained graphs and tables (may be computer generated)
All raw data should be included in an appendix. It should be presented in a readable form with all headings clearly explained.
Personal details, such as the names of participants, should not be included. Such information should be regarded as confidential.
All the actual answer sheets need not be included; one example in the report will suffice. Students should keep the answer sheets.
Descriptive statistics (SL and HL)
Appropriate numerical statistics should be included, for example, measure(s) of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measure(s) of dispersion (range, standard deviation). Appropriate graphical statistics illustrating summary data should be provided, for example, tables, bar charts, histograms and pie charts. Special care should be taken to ensure that all graphs and tables have clear titles, all graphical axes are clearly labelled, and all graphs are drawn on graph paper if hand drawn. Raw data should not be included in the results section, but can be placed in the appendices. Graphs detailing individual scores should not be included.
DISCUSSION
There are four divisions.
1. Explanation of findings
The word “explain” means to give a detailed account including reasons or causes. Explanation may include reference to descriptive statistics. Students should have stated the results of their experiment in statistical terms in the results section of their report.
2. Relationship to background research
This is the student’s opportunity to explain their results in relation to their initial aim and hypotheses, as well as to their background research. No new research should be included here, but duplication of material from the introduction should be avoided.
3. Limitations, modifications and suggestions for further research
Even a well-designed study will have flaws. The design and procedure should be considered and suitable modifications should be suggested. Limitations include, but are not restricted to:
- experimental flaws and problems that may have affected the results, such as lack of sampling controls and problems with the procedure
- materials
- design.
4. Conclusion
Students should finish with a concluding statement of their findings (SL) and a brief, focused summing-up of findings relating back to the aim and hypotheses (HL).
REFERENCES
This section should be a list of all the material the students have referred to. If the student does not have the original source material, all the necessary details can be found in the references section at the back of the book that referred to the source.
All references stated in the introduction and discussion sections of the student’s report should be included in the references section. References should follow a recognized format and be consistent throughout.
The recommended style for a textbook reference is: Flanagan, C (1997) An introduction to Psychology. London, UK. Thomas & Co. (That is, in the order: surname, initial (date) title. Place of publication. Publisher.) References for textbooks written by multiple authors should be presented as follows: Crane, J & Hannibal, J (2009) IB Diploma Programme: Psychology Course Companion. Oxford, UK. OUP. (That is, in the order: surname, initial & surname, initial (date) title. Place of publication. Publisher.) Please note that page references should be included. Websites must be fully referenced with "http://www.” followed by the address so they can be located. Any statistical packages used must also be included in the references section.
APPENDICES
In this section, students must include blank copies of any supplementary information, a list of the materials used, such as standardized instructions, debriefing notes and a blank copy of an informed consent statement. This section provides all the materials necessary to allow the experiment to be replicated. Tables of raw data and calculations must be included. However, it is not necessary to include all participant responses: one blank copy or a sample is sufficient. Materials should be clearly labelled and organized. A checklist for each section can be found in the “Appendices”. It is recommended that these checklists are distributed to students to track their progress.
WORDS
- 1,000-1,500 words: The word count does not include supplementary information such as abstract, title page, references, section headings, parenthetical citations, graphs, charts and appendices.
MARKS
- 20