Overview of the Research Process

What is an abstract?

a concise summary that highlights the main points. methods, results, and conclusions of a research study.

Abstract should be reprresentative of

the study as a stand alone document

The introduction includes all of the following EXCEPT:

Advanced assumptions acknowledged

Method section includes

subjects clearly identified & described / explanation of data gathering procedures

Significance level

is the threshold used to determine whether to reject the null hypothesis in statistical testing, often denoted as $\text{p-value}$.

Effect size

is a quantitative measure of the magnitude of a phenomenon, indicating the strength of a relationship or the size of an effect in a statistical context.

Feasibility

w/in limits of resource and time constraints

Clinical Value

problem of sufficient importance to clinicians

Personal interest in topic relates to

special expertise and/or interests

“cause”

independent varianle

“effect”

dependent variale

Categorical Variable is a(n)

IV that cannot be manipulate (age, race, sex)

Extraneous (confounding) Variable is a factor that could

affect the relationshp b/t IV,/DV but not controlled

Null Hypothesis is a(n)

unbiased assumption that there will be no statistical differences between groups

If rejected, a true relationship is assumed to

exist between the IV(s) & the DV

operational Definition is a(n)

observable phenomenon that can be quantified and used to test the research hypothesis

Operational Definition can be represented in

units of measurements

Assumptions =

Fundamental premises, without which the study could be not be done

Limitations are

extraneous factors that either cannot be controlled or result from choices made by the researcher

Delimitations are

restrictions that the researcher accepts to make a study feasible

Limitations should be acknowledged, but… you should not be

overzealous

or you will undermine the perception of the worth of the study findings

When justifying study significance you should focus on

Gaps in knowledge in particular area

Contradictory findings of previous research

The worth of a study is related to its purpose:

– Basic research to build theory

– Applied research to improve practice

Materials/Methods Section include all of the following EXCEPT

! Subjects ! Instruments/Equipment ! Procedures ! Statistical Analysis

The purpose of the Materials/Method Section is to expleain

how the study was (will be) conducted

Future tense:

research proposal

Past tense

research report

The Materials/Method Section should be throough enough for

a competent researcher to replicate the study

Assuming that the study was properly designed and the results support the research hypothesis – the only thing left to

explain is how the study was done

MAXIMIZE ___variance (MINIMIZE_____variance)

true; error

CONTROL

extraneous variance (Eliminate alternative explanations)

When planning an experiment sometimes

less is more / simple is better