PROJECT ARTICLE OUTLINE & SUMMARY

Assigned reading:

Choose one empirical article that is important to the research question you have developed for your group project. Coordinate with your fellow group members so that each of you reads a different article.

Note: This is an individual assignment. Each member of your group needs to independently complete and turn in his or her own work.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE OUTLINE

Create an outline with the following sections.  Note: although it is fine to use the same words as the authors do to name a variable, you must otherwise use your own words in this assignment. No quotes and no inappropriate paraphrasing.

I.  General Background Information (Introduction)

Decide what two or more constructs (variables) are central to the authors' research and write a sentence or two for each construct noting the definitions and/or major findings from past research.

II.  Research Question / Purpose of the article (Introduction)

What new information do the authors want to know?  The literature review in the Introduction should be organized such that it makes an argument for the importance of the authors' research question. Sometimes the research question is formally stated, and other times the reader must glean the information. You can find this information in the article's Introduction (often towards the end) and, sometimes, the abstract.       

III.  Hypothesis (Introduction)

What specific prediction(s) are the authors making? Often the hypothesis is formally stated in the final paragraph of the Introduction, phrased as "We predict such and such will happen.”

IV.  Variables (Introduction & Method)   

What are the independent and dependent variables (or, in the case of correlational studies, the “predictor” and the “outcome” variables)? These are usually found in the introduction and method sections (and sometimes the abstract).  You can also figure out what these variables are from the hypothesis.

V.  Method (Method)

Who participated in the study and what did they have to do?  Under a “participants” heading, briefly state who did the study.  Children?  Adults? Ages?  Gender?  Races?  etc.  Under a “materials” section describe any questionnaires or tasks the participants were asked to do.

VI.  Major Findings (Discussion)

Did the results of the experiment support their hypothesis?  What were the major findings of the article?  The research article is a story of sorts.  It starts by making a prediction and ends with telling us if they were right.  The main results are often summarized at the very beginning of the Discussion section.  If not at the beginning, then the main results will be described somewhere in the Discussion.

Note:  The results are more specifically described in the Results section. You should always at least skim this section, even if you don’t understand a word of it.  You’ll be surprised by how much of a Results section starts to make sense as you progress in this class and in the major. That said, even your professors don’t understand all the Results sections they read.  For this assignment, just focus on the Discussion section.

VII.  So What? (Discussion)

Good discussion sections will read as if they are a 2nd paper (with the intro, method and results being the first paper).  In the discussion section, authors should indicate or reiterate why their findings are important, and how their findings speak to or fit in with other existing research.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE SUMMARY

Refer back to the instructions for the Flett et al. summary assignment.  Your task here is similar. Consider the way in which this article could be relevant to your research. Does it provide background information on one or more relevant constructs? Does it support some aspect of your hypothesis? Does it logically connect two or more constructs? Consider carefully what relevance this article might have for the paper you eventually write.  It is okay if you aren't certain at this point.  For the purposes of this assignment, take your best guess.

First, write out what general goal or point you think this article will relate to in your final project paper.

Second, produce a summary of the article. Remember that rudimentary summaries regurgitate, in shorter form, everything the original source contains. You should aim for a more sophisticated summary in which you highlight information especially relevant to the point you want the article to make for your paper. Don't feel tied to the original source's organization or emphasis. Your job is to create a summary specifically useful to your research project. Be sure to avoid inappropriate paraphrasing (it is typically just fine to repeat names of theories, models or frequently used "jargon").

Note - despite the specific goals for the summary, I do not want you to refer to your project's hypothesis or your research question in this paragraph. The paragraph should focus exclusively on the article you chose for the assignment. The challenge here is to decide what information to include and what to leave out. You make your choice based on what information will best set the stage for the point you described in the first step.

Your work should be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font with 1 inch margins on all sides. Be sure to proof-read and spell-check (do both). Practice the skills described in the APA Manual sections related to Clarity of Expression and Reducing Biased Language. Turn in your completed work to Moodle.