Chapter 15 Test Questions & Answers Writing Up Your Results

Test bank questions

1. Describe three goals of the introduction section of a research report
2. Describe three common issues that might occur for inexperienced researchers when writing a research report.
3. Describe three qualities of a good research report
4. Describe the purpose of each subsection of the methods section by explaining the information they should contain.
5. List seven sections/components of a quantitative research paper in the correct order that they should appear.

1. Which of the following is not a trait of good scientific writing, according to your textbook?

1. It should be done in a relatively short and brief manner without too much embellishing.
2. It should be done in a way that impresses or intrigues the reader and not be boring.
3. It should be open and allow the reader to interpret the true meaning of the science without being overly direct.
4. It should be interesting to read.

2. A well-written scientific manuscript is usually described having the shape of:

1. A pyramid: it starts specific with a research question, and becomes wider in scope as the authors discuss the research implications of the overall findings.
2. An ice-cream cone: the research starts broadly with a body of literature, but ends with specific findings that are based on the study.
3. An hour-glass: it starts broad, gets specific, and then ends broad.
4. A cylinder: every section should pivot logically on the section before.

3. Which if the following is the least valid reason why APA provides guidelines for how manuscripts ought to be prepared and written?

1. It allows researchers to know where they might find information they are looking for in a paper.
2. It ensures that the research is valid and protects against fraud.
3. It provides a standardized format.
4. It results in a more efficient review process of peer-reviewed papers.

4. What is necessarily true if you know that a researcher is an author on a certain research article?

1. that he or she was involved in the data analysis
2. that he or she was involved in the inception or development of that study
3. that he or she was did something hands on with the project
4. that he or she was critical on at least one intellectual component of the study

5. What is usually omitted from the abstract?

1. the history of the research that led to the current program of work
2. the procedure the participant experienced
3. the implications of the work
4. a description of the sample

6. What is necessarily true of a well-written methods section?

1. The research hypotheses are clear
2. The exact results of the study can be replicated
3. Another research team can set up the same apparatus and conduct the same research
4. Another research team is able to conduct a slight variation of the study and find the same results.

7. Researchers who examined the effects of administering hot chocolate during an exam at various times of day reported the following statement in their paper:

1. Having hot chocolate during an exam made students perform better
2. The main effect had a large effect
3. Participants in this study were each in 1 of 4 possible conditions
4. The time of day during which the participant takes their exam is not a significant component of the results and has no impact on the participants’ performance.

8. Error bars in a graph represent:

1. The amount of variability in the sample
2. The amount of wrong data in each group
3. The amount of human error in the study
4. The size of the effect

9. Here is an excerpt of a research report:

1. The introduction
2. The results
3. The discussion
4. The methods

10. Which of the following is not a goal of the introduction of a quantitative research report?

1. Explain the purpose of the research
2. Explain why the research is important
3. Explain how the research relates to existing knowledge in the field
4. Explain the procedure of the study

11. Stella claims that the introduction section of a research report should contain a deep history of the ideas behind the study to convince reviewers that the authors are experts in their field. Is Stella right or wrong?

1. Right, reviewers need to be convinced of the competence of the authors so that the report will be more likely to be accepted for publication.
2. Wrong, the introduction only needs to convey the most relevant points that justify why the research is being done.
3. It depends, if the authors are new to the field, they should write a long introduction section to show their expertise.
4. It depends, if a research question is well motivated, there is usually a long history behind it and should be mentioned.

12. Which of the following ways of reporting the omnibus ANOVA analysis follows the APA format?

1. F(1, 14) = 26.40, p < .001
2. F(1,14) = 26.40, p < .001
3. F(1, 14) = 26.40, p < .001
4. F(1, 14) = 26.40, p < .001

13. Which of the following is a reference in APA format?

14. Consider the following quote from a research report:

1. Introduction
2. Discussion
3. Results
4. Procedure

15. Which of the following is usually not included in the abstract of a research report?

1. Purpose of the study
2. Participants
3. Interpretation of results
4. Acknowledgements to certain individuals who assisted with the project

16. Which of the following is true about data presentation in research reports?

1. Figures should include all the data you present.
2. Having too much information in one figure can be overwhelming to readers.
3. Figures should never repeat information that is already in text form.
4. Tables and figures should be avoided at all costs.

17. What is the strongest reason for reporting the demographic information of participants in research reports?

1. Readers will be able to assess the reliability of the conclusions.
2. Readers will be able to assess the generalizability of any effects.
3. Readers will be able to assess if you had conducted the study fairly.
4. Readers will be able to assess the claims in your abstract better.

18. Which of the following is not included in the section on participants in a research report?

1. Demographic information of the participants
2. How many participants dropped out of the study
3. How many participants were excluded from the study
4. The participants’ responses to the experimental manipulation

19. Researchers often discuss the limitations of their study in a research report. Acknowledging the limitations of your study is important, because this practice is intellectually honest and demonstrates a critical eye on one’s conclusions. If you were to discuss the limitations of your study, in which section of the research report should it be addressed?

1. Discussion
2. Introduction
3. Abstract
4. Results

20. Which of the following is not considered a significant enough contribution to be an author on a paper as defined by the APA (Graf et al., 2007)?

1. Suggesting an implication of the results
2. Coming up with the research question that motivated the study
3. Writing up the methods and results sections
4. Collecting all the data reported in the paper

21. To find out what previous researchers have done in relation to the current study, the best place to find that information would be in a research report’s…

22. Why is it important for research reports to be concise?

22. Which section of the research report is likely to have the most information to help you set-up the same study and test the findings again (i.e., conduct a replication)?

23. What is the main difference between a quantitative and qualitative research report?

24. What are appropriate ways to make the results section more readable?

1. When reporting your statistics, you should…
2. report as many decimals as the statistics program produces.
3. report as many decimals places based on the accuracy of your measurement instrument.
4. provide the bare minimum amount of detail, which is usually just the p-value.
5. find ways to make it as complicated as possible because that makes it look more impressive and valid.
6. It is generally encouraged to anthropomorphize research in your scientific reports.
7. In research reports for psychology, you should avoid using the word “prove”.
8. It is generally a good idea to use the most complex statistical analysis or test the most complicated statistical model when conducting your own research.
9. The abstract is a general overview or summary of the research study.
10. All quantitative research reports should have a reference section that lists all the references cited in the research report.
11. The methods section of a quantitative research paper includes details about the participants’ responses and actual behaviors.
12. The main purpose of the participants section is only to report the number of participants that were involved in the study.
13. In general, qualitative reports are less common than quantitative reports.
14. It is generally a good thing for reports to be lengthy and wordy, as it provides a better opportunity for readers to understand what the author intends to convey.
15. The APA does not have clear guidelines for how references should be formatted.
16. The introduction section of a quantitative report should be a comprehensive summary of your entire research study including the motivation, procedure, results, and implications.
17. Author names and respective affiliation are typically on a title page of the manuscript or research report.
18. It is generally inappropriate to use past research as justification for why you chose to use a certain procedure.
19. The hourglass structure of a research report suggests that the results should be narrow and focused.
20. The abstract is important because it is sometimes used to help the reader decide if they want to continue reading.