Layout:
Introduction – 2000 words
Method – 1000
Results (quantitative) – 1000
Findings (qualitative) – 1000
Discussion – 2000
Study to investigate parents understanding of their child’s emotion comprehension abilities.
Suitable for 4-11 year olds.
Study involves parents completing a online survey through qualtrics software and a video call with the child. Tec scoresheet used to ask child questions and monitor their responses. Tec scoresheet also used for parents to guess their children’s responses. AQ score sheet for child and parent. All stored on box. Researchers who had dbs checks were allowed to do the video call. Spss software was used after to analyse the data.
Social media / schools / nurseries / family friends were used to find participants. Why we are doing research? Little is known / understood about how accurate parents are at predicting their children’s emotional abilities and whether this is related to their own traits.
Design of study; correlational research design
Analysis: correlational analysis
IV: parents AQ score
DV: Matching scores
Multiple regression was also ran.
Layout:
Typeface. The preferred typefaces are Arial, Verdana or Calibri (all with a 12-point font size) because these fonts improves readability and reduce eye fatigue. Figures may also use any of these fonts to enhance presentation.
- Line spacing. Double-space between all text lines of the manuscript. Never use single-spacing or one-and-a-half spacing except in tables or figures. This is so markers have sufficient space to annotate your text.
- Margins. Use uniform margins of at least 1 in. (2.54 cm) at the top, bottom, left and right of every page.
- Alignment. Do not justify lines; that is, do not use the word-processing feature that adjusts spacing between words to make all lines the same length. Use the flush-left style and leave the right margin uneven. Do not use the hyphenation function to break words at the end of a line.
- Paragraphs and indentation. Indent the first line of every paragraph and the first line of every footnote. Indents should be set at ½ in. (1.27 cm). Do not indent the abstract, block quotations, titles and headings, table titles and notes or figure captions.
Your dissertation should include:
A title page with five elements: the title, running head, the author byline, the institutional affiliation, and author note (see below)
The running head should show your ID number and the page number at the top right. The title should summarise the main idea of the research report simply, and identify what variables or theoretical issues were investigated and their relationship. It should be self-explanatory For example: “The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression” is a good title. Avoid unnecessary words such as “A study of” or “An experimental investigation of”. The title should be typed in uppercase and lowercase letters, centered and positioned in the upper half of the page. Write your name and your affiliation below the title. Finally include an author note section with the following text: “This dissertation is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of [complete with your degree title]. The research work reported herein was conducted under the supervision of [insert the full name of your supervisor]. Word count, excluding references and appendices: [insert your word count here]. Finally, you may also add acknowledgments and thanks for personal assistance at the end of this paragraph.
An abstract on a separate page, numbered 2. The abstract should brief and include a description of the problem investigated, the participants (age, sex and any other relevant demographic characteristics), the essential aspect of the method, the basic findings and a sentence to summarise the conclusions, applications or implications. The abstract should be no longer than 250 words.
The main text should start on a separate page, numbered 3, and begin with an Introduction. The first part of the manuscript is assumed to be the introduction. This should give the reader a firm sense of what you researched and the reasons for doing so.
It should start with a segment that draws the reader in by clearly stating the problem or issue that your research addressed and explain why this was important to do (e.g., was it to resolve inconsistency in previous work?). This first segment may be one paragraph long and should place the study in a broader context. Look at opening paragraphs of articles you have found compelling to read and ask yourself about what drew you in.
The second part of the introduction should review what is already known on your topic. Include all studies you will want to refer to in the discussion. Link findings together around some central argument and avoid “laundry lists” of summaries of articles. You may use subheadings if this helps clarifying your structure. Also avoid using direct quotes. It is always better to read critically, synthesize, and integrate past research in your own words (but with appropriate references to the original sources).
The last segment of your introduction should provide an explicit transition to your study and should be one or two paragraphs long. The reader should be surprised at this stage: the preceding literature review should have provided enabled him or her to anticipate the research question you investigated by pointing out flaws, issues or explanations you are offering to tackle or revise with your own study. Explain your approach to solving the problem you have identified in the preceding section by stating your hypotheses as well as a clear rationale for each of them; that is, describe how they were derived from theory or are logically connected to previous data or argumentation. Distinguish those hypotheses that are central to your research question and those that are secondary or exploratory.
A Method section, signalled with a centred, boldface heading, should follow the introduction. The Method section should provide information on how your study was conducted in enough details as to allow someone else to replicate your study. The method should be subdivided into the following subsections: Participants, design, materials and procedure. Each subsection should be signalled with a flush left, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading. Additional subsections should be signalled with indented, boldface, lowercase headings ending with a period at the start of a new paragraph.
- The Participants subsection should include demographic (UK) characteristics such as sex female and male, age, level of education and any other characteristic that may have bearing on the interpretation of the results (e.g., ethnic / racial group, socioeconomic status, disability status…). This section should also mention eligibility and exclusion criteria as well as any restrictions based on demographic information. Even if a characteristic is not used in the analysis of data, it is worth reporting it to give readers a more complete understanding of the sample and of the generalizability of the results. This subsection should also include information about the sampling procedure used to select participants (i.e., what sampling method was used? How many participants were approached? How many participated?). Finally, describe the settings in which the data were collected as well as any agreements and payments made to participants (e.g., were participants given course credits for their participation?) as well as the ethical standards met.
- The Materials subsection should include information about the questionnaires, interview schedules or stimuli used to collect data, with enough details to allow someone else to recreate those materials from scratch. Describe all the primary and covariate measures (e.g., what questions did you ask your participants to answer?). Mention measures collected but not included in your final analysis. Finally, include information about reliability and validity of your measures (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha for scales, Kappa inter-rater reliability for qualitative coding).
- The Design and Procedure subsection should specify whether participants were placed into conditions or were observed in a natural setting, explain how they were allocated to different conditions (e.g., through random assignment or some other selection procedure), and whether the study was conducted using a between-subjects or a within-subject design. Then, describe how the materials were presented to participants and how answers were recorded (in what order? using what instruction? Using what equipment?).
Next a Results section, signalled with a centred, boldface heading, should follow the Method section. Begin by summarising your data that are most relevant or interesting for testing the hypotheses you mentioned at the end of your introduction. Begin by stating what participants did or said using plain words (e.g., “Under time pressure, a greater number of participants chose the palatable snack.”). Then, provide descriptive information to bolster your initial statement (e.g., means and standard deviations, a figure or a table in a quantitative report or an illustrative quote in a qualitative report). Finally, report the inferential statistics (in a quantitative report) or a reason or justification (in a qualitative report) to back up your initial statement. If you have several hypotheses, use subsections signalled with a flush left, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading to structure your result section. Select the representation that is most suited for a clear communication of your results. Two or three means can be presented in a single sentence. Beyond three, you may consider presenting data in a table or in a figure (but not both). Tables offer more precision whereas figures facilitate comparisons. Choose accordingly which format is best suited to convey your results clearly.
- Figures should include a legend and appropriate labels for the vertical and horizontal axis. They should be followed by a brief but descriptive caption and any information needed to clarify the figure (units of measurement, symbols or abbreviations that are not included in the legend). Include error bars whenever possible and specify whether they represent standard deviations, standard errors, confidence intervals or ranges. You may also include sample sizes, mark the statistically significant values in the figure and explain the probability in the caption note as *p < .05, **p < .01, and ***p < .001.
- Table layouts should be logical and easy to understand. The meaning of the data should be obvious at a glance so think about how to best way to present your data to inform your reader. Table should be labelled on one line and provide a clear and concise title in italics and with each word capitalised on the next line.
After presenting the results, your report should feature a Discussion section, also signalled by a centred, boldface heading. This section should begin with a discussion of how well your data supported the hypotheses you stated in your introduction, distinguishing primary and secondary hypotheses. Then, use similarities and differences between your results and the work of others to contextualise your conclusions. Offer a critical analysis of your results, acknowledging (and eventually rebutting) potential limitations or weaknesses. End the discussion with a commentary of the importance and implications of your findings. In particular, mention the problems that remain unsolved or arise anew and address the theoretical, clinical or practical significance of your findings for the problem you identified at the outset of your introduction, including a clear rationale for your interpretations.
Next, start a Reference list on a new page, with the heading References appearing centred and in uppercase and lowercase letters. Double-space all reference entries using a hanging indent where the first line of each reference is flushed left, and subsequent lines are indented. Follow the APA guidelines for formatting your references. For example, periodicals published in academic journals should follow the generic form (pay attention to commas, full stops, italics):
Surname A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (2000). Title of article with first letter in uppercase. Title of Periodical in italics with all Words Starting with an Uppercase Letter, 40, 123-456. doi: xx.xxxxxxxxxx
Only include the issue number in parentheses—e.g., 40(1)—when each new issue of the journal begins on page 1.
For a chapter in a book, use the following format:
Surname A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (2000). Title of chapter with first letter in uppercase. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book in italics with the first letter (pp. xxx-xxx). Location: Publisher.
For other types of references, consult the APA Manual (7th Ed).
Finally include your appendices on a new page. Label each one with a capital letter (e.g., Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.) centred at the top of the page. Provide a title on the line below. Appendices should include stimulus materials (e.g., word lists, pictures) and eventually a detailed description of complex equipment used.
You should also include confirmation of ethical approval for your research in the appendices. This may take the form of an email which your supervisor received – please ask your supervisor. Besides your dissertation document, you will also be required to email your raw data file (e.g., SPSS file) to your supervisor by the final deadline.
