Deck 16: Reporting Your Research Results

Question 1

In psychology, most journals follow the writing style established by the:

A) American Psychiatric Association.
B) American Physics Association.
C) American Psychological Association.
D) Psychonomic Society.

Answer 1

American Psychological Association.

Question 2

When creating an APA-style manuscript, you use:

A) double spacing throughout the manuscript.
B) single spacing for the abstract and double spacing everywhere else.
C) double spacing throughout the manuscript except for the headings.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Answer 2

double spacing throughout the manuscript.

Question 3

In an APA-style manuscript, the running head:

A) is a shortened version of your title having no more than 50 characters.
B) is prefixed with "Running Head" on all the pages of the manuscript.
C) serves as the manuscript page header only for the title page.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Answer 3

is a shortened version of your title having no more than 50 characters.

Question 4

Your APA-style manuscript should use:

A) a serif typeface, preferably Times New Roman.
B) a font size of 12 points.
C) a sans serif typeface.
D) a serif typeface, preferably Times New Roman, and a font size of 12 points.

Question 5

In an APA-style manuscript, a level 1 heading is:

A) centered on a page, underlined, and has all capital letters.
B) centered on a page, boldfaced, and has both upper and lowercase letters.
C) flushed left, underlined, and has only the first letter capitalized.
D) indented, underlined, and has all capital letters.

Question 6

In an APA-style manuscript, the author note:

A) appears at the bottom of the title page.
B) identifies the author's affiliation when the study was conducted.
C) lists any changes in author affiliation since the study was conducted.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 7

A concise yet informative title for your paper makes it more likely that:

A) people will read your paper.
B) your paper will be accepted for publication.
C) you will be chosen for a prestigious award.
D) your paper will be chosen for inclusion in psychological journals.

Question 8

Which of the following pieces of information should not be included on the title page of an APA-style manuscript?

A) Your title or degrees
B) Your name
C) Your institutional affiliation
D) The complete title of your paper

Question 9

"The Effect of Stress on Learning" is a title that is:

A) too long.
B) too short.
C) just right.
D) too specific.

Question 10

In an APA-style manuscript, the abstract:

A) should contain a maximum of 25 words.
B) is a concise summary of your paper.
C) introduces new information that is not found in the body of the manuscript.
D) includes a detailed description of the methodology used in an experiment.

Question 11

The abstract for an empirical study should include:

A) an abbreviated literature review.
B) information on the problem under study.
C) a description of the subjects, methods, findings, and conclusions.
D) information on the problem under study and a description of the methods used.

Question 12

One should put effort into writing a clear, concise abstract because:

A) it is written first.
B) it appears first in an APA-style manuscript.
C) a potential reader will use the abstract to decide whether to read the paper as part of his or her literature search.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 13

Although you typically write the abstract after you have written the rest of your paper, the abstract is typed:

A) at the end of the manuscript.
B) immediately after the title page.
C) after the reference section.
D) after the tables and figures.

Question 14

According to the APA manual, a good abstract must be:

A) accurate.
B) non evaluative.
C) coherent and readable.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 15

In which of the following sections of an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript does the opening paragraph present a general discussion of the issue one has chosen to study?

A) The abstract section
B) The introduction section
C) The discussion section
D) The method section

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true about formatting the abstract in an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript?

A) Type the word "Abstract" in boldface at the bottom of the page.
B) Start the abstract immediately after the introduction section and number it as page 3.
C) Include a list of keywords, centered immediately below the abstract.
D) Indent the first line of the abstract.

Question 17

In an APA-style manuscript, the primary function of the introduction is to:

A) describe the problem studied and your basic research strategy.
B) thoroughly review relevant literature.
C) briefly introduce your reader to the methods you have used.
D) briefly describe your major findings to your reader.

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true about the last subsection of the introduction section in an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript?

A) It provides detailed information to enable replication.
B) It specifies the sample size.
C) It states specific hypotheses.
D) It contains an exhaustive list of tables being used.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true about the introduction section in an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript?

A) The section includes author notes if any.
B) The heading "Introduction" is typed when formatting the section.
C) It is the first substantive section of the manuscript.
D) It follows the general-to-specific structure.

Question 20

In an APA-style manuscript, the introduction:

A) firstly states your hypotheses and then justifies them with a literature review.
B) begins with a general discussion of issues and then moves to a specific discussion of your research.
C) begins with a specific discussion of relevant literature and moves to a more general overview of your research problem.
D) allows your hypotheses to be placed anywhere you want.

Question 21

In the _____ section of an APA-style manuscript, you describe exactly how you conducted your study.

A) method
B) means
C) procedures
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 22

In an APA-style manuscript, descriptions about genus, species, strain, and any other important relevant information about animals used as subjects will most likely be found in the _____ subsection.

A) procedure
B) materials
C) design
D) subjects

Question 23

If you used a commercial piece of operant chamber in your experiment, in the apparatus subsection:

A) simply mention that "an operant chamber" was used.
B) describe the chamber in minute detail.
C) provide the name of the manufacturer and the model number of the chamber.
D) do not mention the chamber because it is a standard piece of equipment.

Question 24

If you developed a new, extensive measure (such as a 250-item questionnaire or lengthy instructions), then in the materials subsection you should:

A) reproduce the entire questionnaire, even if it is long.
B) inform the readers where and how they can obtain them.
C) simply mention the instructions.
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 25

In the procedure subsection, you:

A) describe the characteristics of your subjects.
B) state your hypotheses.
C) tell your reader precisely the procedure you followed throughout the course of your study.
D) give a preliminary report of your results.

Question 26

In an APA-style manuscript, the method section:

A) always begins on a new page after the introduction.
B) begins immediately after the end of the introduction.
C) can sometimes be combined with the introduction to form a single section.
D) provides only the most general description of your experiment.

Question 27

In an APA-style manuscript, the goal of the method section is to provide enough information so that:

A) another researcher could get a general idea about what you did.
B) your reader knows exactly what was done throughout your experiment to the minutest detail.
C) another researcher could replicate your study in all its essential details.
D) you bore your reader to tears.

Question 28

When preparing the results section of an APA-style manuscript, you:

A) embed figures and tables in the text where you want them to appear.
B) avoid references to tables and figures.
C) do not embed figures and tables in the body of the manuscript.
D) embed figures and tables in the text where you want them to appear and avoid references to tables and figures.

Question 29

In the results section of an APA-style manuscript, you:

A) report your findings.
B) report your findings but do not report the results of any statistical tests.
C) report and interpret your findings.
D) present the raw data on which your results are based.

Question 30

Which of the following formats correctly shows how to report the results of an inferential statistical test if one has previously stated the chosen alpha level in an APA-style manuscript?

A) F = 4.56, p < .05, ² = .06
B) (F(df = 3,56)) = 4.56, p < .05, 11eeded2_c4e2_a4f6_9a0a_4ba012f00422_TB10760_11² = .06
C) F(df = 3, df = 56) = 4.56, p < .05, 11eeded2_c4e2_a4f6_9a0a_4ba012f00422_TB10760_11² = .06
D) F(3,56) = 4.56, p < .05, 11eeded2_c4e2_a4f6_9a0a_4ba012f00422_TB10760_11² = .06

Question 31

In an APA-style manuscript, interpretation of your results is done in the _____ section.

A) results
B) conclusions
C) discussion
D) interpretation

Question 32

In an APA-style manuscript, which of the following is the general format of a discussion section?

A) Begin with a general discussion of your results, and then restate your hypotheses, indicating whether they were supported.
B) Begin with a brief restatement of your hypotheses, and then briefly indicate whether your data were consistent with your pre-experimental hypotheses.
C) Begin with a discussion of relevant theory, and then move on to your specific results.
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 33

Which of the following statements is true about the discussion section of an APA-style manuscript?

A) You have license to speculate on the meaning of your findings, even if those speculations go beyond the bounds of your results.
B) Interpretations can go beyond current theory and your data if you have a good feeling that your interpretations are correct.
C) You have license to speculate on the importance of your findings and must base your interpretations on your data, data from previous research, and/or established theory.
D) You should never speculate on the importance of your data.

Question 34

In the reference section of an APA-style manuscript, you must list:

A) any articles or books you read, whether or not they were cited in the manuscript.
B) any articles you thought about reading as well as those you actually read.
C) all articles, books, or other sources you cited in the body of your paper.
D) all articles relevant to your research topic, whether or not you cited them in the body of your paper.

Question 35

According to the American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript, which of the following statements is true about the formatting of reference citations?

A) The issue number should be provided.
B) The first letter of the word after the colon should not be capitalized.
C) The prepositions, such as "of," in the title of the journal should be capitalized.
D) The names of the authors should not be in all capital letters.

Question 36

In an APA-style manuscript, a content footnote:

A) properly cites a reference source in the text.
B) clarifies a point made in the text or provides additional details.
C) acknowledges the source of a direct quotation.
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 37

In an APA-style manuscript, tables:

A) visually display simple results not presented in the text of the manuscript.
B) visually present results so you do not have to discuss them in the manuscript.
C) present complex information that cannot be summarized easily in the body of your paper.
D) reduce the expense involved in publishing an APA-style paper.

Question 38

In an APA-style manuscript, a simple rule to follow when preparing graphs is to:

A) make them simple and accurate.
B) use the graph even if a finding can be adequately described verbally.
C) use graphs only for simple, straightforward findings.
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 39

Which of the following would you find on a figure prepared for an APA-style manuscript?

A) The figure itself
B) A caption for the figure
C) Instructions on where it is to be placed in the manuscript
D) The figure and a caption for the figure

Question 40

The proper way to cite a reference in your manuscript when the author's name does not appear in the body of the sentence is:

A) Jones (1985).
B) (1985, by Jones).
C) (Jones, 1985).
D) (Jones).

Question 41

The "et al." device is used for the first citation and all subsequent citations:

A) to cite a source of a direct quotation.
B) to cite a source with more than five authors.
C) to cite an article with two or more authors.
D) to tell your reader that many experiments have found the same thing.

Question 42

As a rule, numbers lower than _____ are spelled out in an APA-style manuscript.

A) 5
B) 7
C) 9
D) 10

Question 43

In which of the following cases are numbers expressed in words in an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript?

A) When representing sample or population sizes
B) When representing statistical or mathematical functions
C) When representing common fractions
D) When representing scores and points on a scale

Question 44

According to the APA publication manual, you can avoid biased language in your writing by:

A) providing descriptions at an appropriate level of specificity.
B) being sensitive to labels we attach to people and avoid labeling groups of people.
C) referring to individuals who participate in your research in a way that acknowledges their participation.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 45

When writing, the three elements of clear expression of your ideas are:

A) ambiguity, grammatical correctness, and economy of expression.
B) grammatical correctness, organization, and economy of expression.
C) grammatical correctness, proper word choice, and economy of expression.
D) grammatical correctness, proper word choice, and organization.

Question 46

"The experimenter randomly assigned subjects to treatment conditions with a table of random numbers" is an example of a(n) _____ sentence.

A) ambiguous
B) precise
C) organized
D) inverted subject order

Question 47

Whereas _____ relates most closely to the structure of sentences, _____ relates to how sentences are organized into paragraphs and how paragraphs are woven into an entire paper.

A) organization; clarity of expression
B) clarity of expression; organization
C) grammatical correctness; economy of expression
D) economy of expression; organization

Question 48

Zeba, a research student, submits a paper as part of her course requirement. In that paper, she extensively reproduces sections of a published article without proper citation. In this scenario, Zeba is most likely guilty of:

A) poor organization.
B) lazy writing.
C) plagiarism.
D) unclear expression.

Question 49

Kiara, a research student, submits a paper as part of her course requirement. In that paper, she merely lifts paragraphs out of several sources and properly cites the sources she uses. In this scenario, Kiara is most likely guilty of:

A) plagiarism.
B) poor organization.
C) literary theft.
D) lazy writing.

Question 50

Which of the following is a rule of thumb to be kept in mind when writing a paper to avoid lazy writing and plagiarism?

A) It is okay to quote extensively as long as you cite the source.
B) Use quoted material sparingly and only to support your ideas.
C) Avoid using quoted material altogether.
D) Quote only obscure sources.

Question 51

Unlike nonrefereed journals, refereed journals _____.

A) allow an author's paper to be published without being reviewed
B) require an author to pay a fee to cover publication costs
C) are preferred because an author's work is likely to receive more serious attention by the scientific community
D) are preferred because an author's paper is likely to be published more rapidly in various scientific journals

Question 52

During the publication process, immediately after the publisher typesets an author's manuscript, _____.

A) a copy editor receives a copy of the paper to look for stylistic errors
B) the author is charged for corrections of printer errors if any
C) the author receives copies of his or her paper as it will appear in the journal
D) an editor sends copies of the paper to other reviewers to rule out any possibility of rejection

Question 53

The cycle of manuscript submission-review-revision and resubmission-acceptance-publication:

A) is a relatively long one.
B) usually takes only one or two weeks.
C) rarely goes beyond two months.
D) can never go beyond two months because the APA discourages long review cycles.

Question 54

In the context of paper presentations, which of the following statements is true about oral presentations?

A) Authors can speak extensively with other people who are doing research in their area.
B) Authors are advised to give a detailed summary of their earlier researches.
C) Authors usually prefer describing methods and complex results, rather than relying on visual aids.
D) Authors are usually given a limited time to present their information.

Question 55

In the context of paper presentations, which of the following is the main advantage of poster sessions?

A) Authors can speak extensively with other people who are doing research in their area.
B) They require less time and effort on an author's part than oral sessions.
C) They allow authors to prepare posters pertaining to their lives and earlier research.
D) Authors are usually given a couple of hours to present their research.

Question 56

In psychology, all journals strictly follow the style established by the American Psychological Association (APA) publication manual.

Question 57

In an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript, author notes are numbered, and authors should refer to them in the body of their papers.

Question 58

The title page of an APA-style manuscript includes your name.

Question 59

The abstract of an APA-style manuscript can, if necessary, introduce concepts not found in the body of the paper.

Question 60

In most cases, the length of the abstract will be between 150 and 250 words.

Question 61

The introduction to an APA-style manuscript describing an experiment should include a comprehensive review of all relevant research.

Question 62

In an APA-style manuscript, it is generally not necessary to include details in the method section.

Question 63

In an APA-style manuscript, a commercial piece of laboratory equipment should be described in minute detail in the apparatus subsection.

Question 64

In an APA-style manuscript, the discussion section follows a general-to-specific format similar to the introduction.

Question 65

In the discussion section of an APA-style manuscript, individuals have license to speculate on the importance of their findings provided that they avoid temptation to overstep the bounds of that license.

Question 66

A copyright permission footnote clarifies a point made in the text of a research paper.

Question 67

Figures and tables are usually used to display information too complex to be adequately described in the text.

Question 68

In an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript, the method section is where authors discuss the tables or figures that present data from their study.

Question 69

In an American Psychological Association (APA)-style manuscript, tables or figures appear in the body of the manuscript.

Question 70

All articles you read, whether or not they are mentioned in the paper, should be listed in the reference section.

Question 71

Biased language in writing is usually limited to sexist language.

Question 72

Biased language can be reduced by paying special attention to labels assigned to people.

Question 73

Failure to cite the source when using another person's words and ideas in a paper constitutes plagiarism.

Question 74

Using extensive quotes from other sources, even if correctly cited, constitutes lazy writing.

Question 75

You are usually given 15 minutes to present a paper during an oral presentation at a professional conference.

Question 76

In an oral presentation, it is a good idea to describe all the details about the subjects and apparatus used in your research.

Question 77

Poster sessions require less time and effort on an author's part than oral presentations.

Question 78

Briefly discuss the information you would find in each of the major sections of an APA-style manuscript.

Question 79

Discuss the sources of biased language in writing, giving examples of each. What steps should you take to reduce biased language?

Question 80

Discuss the three elements that go into clarity of expression and give an example of each.