Alternative 2
Read and review scientific articles reporting psychological research. You are to read 4 different articles in psychology journals (not magazines; e.g., Psychology Today is a magazine, not a journal, so it’s not eligible). Your articles are not to all come from the same journal nor from the same volume of a given journal. For each article that you read you are to write a two page report. Choosing articles: Your articles are to be from scientific journals (not websites) reporting psychological research. There are many psychological journals reporting research. Find articles that report on topics that interest you.. You may wish to use the library’s PsycINFO and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection electronic databases to help you find articles. Writing the report: Your report is to be in your own words (reports that are not in your own words are considered plagiarized and will not be counted for this requirement), two to three pages long, typed in 11 or 12 pt. font, double- spaced, with 1” margins all around. For each report, you must also turn in a copy of the complete article. Read the article first, thinking about what it says and what it means, then imagine that you are telling someone else about that article. That telling (i.e., your report) is to have the following sections and must include each of the following section headings in the body of the report:
Research Question: In this section, provide (in your own words) a description of the purpose/research question under investigation;
Background: Provide a brief discussion of some of the background studies presented in the article’s introduction;
Method: a clear description of the methodology used, including the number and type of participants, the materials, and the procedures;
Results: a presentation of the results that were found;
Conclusions: the conclusions that the author(s) drew about the findings;
Concepts and Evaluation: your report is to end with a paragraph or two identifying the course concepts to which the article relates and your own reactions and evaluation of the research reported in the article.
Recording your completion: For each article you read and review, fill out the appropriate information on the “Alternative 2: Article Review” tally sheet (at the end of this handout). When you have completed the required 4 articles, then turn in to your professor the completed tally sheet along with the reports and articles themselves. An article will not be counted toward the requirement if it is not from a scientific journal and if you fail to turn in the appropriate report (in correct format) and a complete copy of the article.
Alternative 2: Article Review Tally Sheet
For each article that you read and review, complete an APA-style reference for that article. The reference consists of the following information: author(s) listed last name and first initials, year of publication, title of article, name of journal, volume of journal, pages (first-last) of article. When you have completed the required number of articles, turn in to your professor this form along with the reports and a complete copy of each article listed on this form. Examples of references in correct format (you may not use these articles to complete your requirement):
Chabris, C. F. & Glickman, M. E. (2006). Sex differences in intellectual performance: Analysis of a large cohort of competitive chess players. Psychological Science, 17, 1040-1047.
DePaulo, B. M. & Morris, W. L. (2006). The unrecognized stereotyping and discrimination against singles. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 15, 251-255.
