the-study-of-fun

[the-study-of-fun]

Going into interviews you haven’t done any prep for and just making things up is my passion

#I’m so bad at interviews and this is the reason #like they’ll ask me some scenario questions and I want it to be over #interviews

[the-study-of-fun]

Beware!

[the-study-of-fun]

HOW TO WRITE A HIGH-GRADE RESEARCH PAPER

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The first time I had to write a research paper for university was one of the most stressful experiences I’d ever had - it was so different to anything I’d ever done before and caused me so much anxiety! It turned out that I’m pretty damn good at writing research reports and I’m now looking to pursue a career in psychological research. 

I have never received less than a First (or 4.0 GPA for you American studiers) in my research papers so I thought I’d share my top tips on how to write a kick-ass, high-grade research paper.

*disclaimer: I am a psychology student, my tips are based on my personal experience of writing up psychological research (quantitative and qualitative); therefore, they may require some adaptation in order to be applied to your field of study/research*

These tips will be split up into the different sections a research paper should consist of: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion.

ABSTRACT

The aim of an abstract is to summarise your whole paper - it should be concise, include key-words, highlight the key points of your paper and be written last.

When I say concise, I mean concise! The abstract is what other students and researchers will read in order to decide whether your research is relevant their own work and essentially determines whether or not they’ll read on - they want to know the key details and don’t want to be overwhelmed with information.

I always aim to keep my abstracts under 250 words. I set myself this limit to stop myself waffling and dwelling on unimportant points, it helps me to be really selective of what I include and ensures I’m gripping the reader from the start.

Your abstract should discuss the research rationale, the methods and designs used, your results and the general conclusion(s) drawn. One or two sentences on each of these topics is enough.

Make sure you’re using key-words throughout your abstract as this will also help the reader decide whether your work is relevant to theirs. You can make key-words super obvious by highlighting them in a key at the bottom of your abstract (see below) or just used jargon consistently. Using key-words is also important if you’re looking to get your work published, these words will help people find your work using search engines.

Finally, write your abstract last! An abstract is a summary of your whole research paper which makes it practically impossible to write well first. After writing the rest of your paper, you will know your research inside and out and already have an idea of what key things you need to highlight in your abstract.

INTRODUCTION

For me, the introduction section is always the most intimidating to write because it’s like painting on a blank canvas - massively daunting and leaving you terrified to make a mistake!

The aim of an introduction is to provide the rationale for your research and justify why your work is essential in the field. In general, your introduction should start very broad and narrow down until you arrive at the niche that is your research question or hypothesis.

To start, you need to provide the reader with some background information and context. You should discuss the general principle of your paper and include some key pieces of research (or theoretical frameworks if relevant) that helps your reader get up to speed with the research field and where understanding currently lies. This section can be pretty lengthy, especially in psychological research, so make sure all of the information you’re including is vital as it can be pretty easy to get carried away.

This background should lead you onto the rationale. If you’ve never written a research paper before, the rationale is essentially the reason behind your own research. This could be building on previous findings so our understanding remains up to date, it could be picking up on weaknesses of other research and rectifying these issues or it could be delving into an unexplored aspect of the field! You should clearly state your rationale and this helps lead into the next section.

You should end your introduction by briefly discussing your current research. You need to state your research question or hypothesis, how you plan on investigating the question/hypothesis, the sample you plan on using and the analysis you plan to carry out. You should also mention any limitations you anticipate to crop up so you can address these in your discussion.

In psychology, references are huge in research introductions so it is important to use an accurate (and modern as possible) reference for each statement you are making. You can then use these same references in your discussion to show where your research fits into the current understanding of the topic!

METHODS

Your methods section should make use of subheadings and tables where necessary and should be written in past tense. This can make the (potentially) lengthy section easier to navigate for the reader. I usually use the following headings: participants, materials, design, procedure.

The participants section should describe the sample that took part in your research. Age, gender, nationality and other relevant demographic information should be provided as well as the sampling technique. Personally, I use a table (see below) alongside my continuous prose as an alternative way of viewing my sample population. Please note, if you’re using a table make sure it adheres to your university guidelines.

The materials section of your methods should include any equipment, resources (i.e. images, books, diagrams) or any other materials used in your data collection. You should also reference the program that helped you conduct your analysis. For example, if you are writing a qualitative research paper, you may want to include Microsoft Word in your materials if you use the program to transcribe interviews.

You should then describe the design used in your research. All variables should be identified in this paragraph, if relevant. You should also discuss whether your research is within-groups or between-groups, again only if relevant.

Last is your procedure section - the most important one! You must write this section with enough detail so that anybody could pick it up, read it and conduct the same experiment with ease. You should describe what participants were required to do, how data was collected and it should be written in chronological order! While it’s important to provide enough information, try not to overwhelm the reader with lengthy sentences and unnecessary information.

RESULTS

Your results section’s sole purpose is to provide the reader with the data from your study. It should be the second shortest section (abstract being first) in your research paper and should stick to the relevant guidelines in regards to reporting figures, tables and diagrams. Your goal is to relay results in the most objective and concise way possible.

Your results section serves to act as evidence for the claims you’ll go on to make during your discussion but you must not be biased in the results you report. You should report enough data to sufficiently justify your conclusions but must also include data that doesn’t support your original hypothesis or research question. 

Reporting data is most easily done through tables and figures as they’re easy to look at and select relevant information. If you’re using tables and figures you should always make sure you’re stating effect sizes and p values and to a consistent decimal place. Illustrative tables and figures should always be followed by supporting summary text consisting of a couple of sentences relaying the key statistical findings in continuous prose.

DISCUSSION

The discussion section should take the opposite approach to your introduction! You should start discussing your own research and broaden the discussion until you’re talking about the general research field.

You should start by stating the major findings of your study and relating them back to your hypothesis or research questions. You must must must explicitly state whether you reject or accept your experimental hypothesis, if you have one. After stating your key findings you should explain the meaning, why they’re important and where they fit into the existing literature. It’s here that you should bring back the research you discussed in your introduction, you should relate your findings to the current understanding and state the new insight your research provides.

You should then state the clinical relevance of your research. Think about how your findings could be applied to real-life situations and discuss one or two practical applications.

After this, discuss the limitations of your research. Limitations could include sample size and general sample population and how this effects generalisability of findings, it could include methodological problems or research bias! These limitations will allow you to discuss how further research should be conducted. Suggest ways in which these limitations could be rectified in future research and also discuss the implications this could have on findings and conclusions drawn.

Finally, you need to give the reader a take-home message. A sentence or two to justify (again) the need for your research and how it contributes to current understanding in the field. This is the last thing your audience will read so make it punchy!

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That’s it folks! My tips for writing a kick-ass, high-grade research paper based on my personal experience. If you have any questions regarding things I’ve missed or didn’t provide enough detail of, then please just send me an ask!

Also, if any of you would like to read any of my past research papers I would be more than happy to provide you with them :-))

#writing tips

[the-study-of-fun]

every once in a while, I see a random photo of Brad Pitt and my embarrassing crush on this nearly-senior-citizen reawakens

#wow that man is beautiful #he’s like 30 years older than me #crap not this again how is he still the sexiest man alive #I’m speaking this while crushing on him I’ll feel better in a couple of days #brad pitt #he’s so cool oh my Jesus

[the-study-of-fun]

Going to get my first midterm back today. Really nervous. Not optimistic.

[the-study-of-fun]

are you telling me the latest episode of ducktales is the length of two episodes? #blessed

#cannot wait to watch but tonight I have a project meeting #have to wait boohoo #ducktales #class ends around 6:20 going to watch until meeting at 8

[the-study-of-fun]

The reason I’ve been so cold lately at night is that my air con was accidentally set to 17 degrees

#I have been waking up to the cold #never once did I think to check the remote #this has persisted for a week #don’t ask me why I’ve only noticed it now

[the-study-of-fun]

me: my professor watches ted lasso

my therapist: and how does that make you feel

me: *holding back tears* validated

#just a joke #ted lasso #my professor for legal systems is now rising on the list of fav teachers of all time #watch this show I beg of you

[the-study-of-fun]

Rebecca after Ted forgives her:

#I love 2 ppl and 1 tv show #also finally seeing more of Trent #ted lasso #Rebecca welton #I cry

[the-study-of-fun]

my hair looks perfect, very straight and neat. I wish I wasn’t giving a presentation at home on a rare good hair day.

#do you know how thick my hair looks every day

[the-study-of-fun]

My brain: alright gurl time to buckle down for midterms, you also have two presentations due and one assignment that’s worth 20% of your grade next week

Me: *discovers Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix this week*

My brain: don’t know why i even bother

#can i just say this show is really good so far #first season but still #need to be disciplined #studyblr #grey’s anatomy

[the-study-of-fun]

I really really want this week to be over

#actually no i want to skip ahead to the part where i graduate with a 3.4 gpa

[the-study-of-fun]

getting your first marked assignments for the semester is just 😭🙏🙃🤯😔- gives me a maelstrom of emotions

#uni #group project but still #i need an a for this class #it’s coming out this week omg

[the-study-of-fun]

You don’t know judgemental until you’re staring down a 95-page judgement from the Court of Appeal.

#man i just love it when justices go oFF #studyblr #lawblr #studying #the goddamn law #uni

[the-study-of-fun]

The books Ted gives to his players (I could only catch 4)

Sam: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.

It is about a child genius selected by military forces to save the world from destruction. He is a brave and determined person. Ender is given a special teacher to help him reach a top division. Through a series of tough obstacles, Ender becomes a better tactician. He was so young when he started training and was sent into battle to kill the ‘buggers’.

Parallels: Sam is from Nigeria and is picked to move to England to join Richmond’s first team because of his playing skills and potential. One of the main conflicts is between Ender and his brother, Peter, who was not selected for the elite training program. Maybe this is a reference to Jamie? I think the message Ted wants to give to Sam through giving him this book is even though Ender was successful in battle, he did not make any friends during training. Sam should take the initiative to make more friends. Also, in the book, everything was treated as a competition, and people were not above manipulating each other. This could be a warning to Sam to be cautious and avoid manipulation as his success grows.

Jamie: The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitszgerald

The Beautiful and Damned tells the story of Anthony Patch in 1910s New York, a socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune; his complicated marriage to Gloria Gilbert; the couple's troubling experience with wealth and status; his brief service in the Army during World War I; and Anthony and Gloria's journey through alcoholism and partying. Gloria and Anthony's story deals with the hardships of a relationship, especially when they are each pitted against the other's selfish attitudes. Once the couple's infatuation with each other fades, they begin to see their differences that do more harm than good, as well as leaving each other with some unfulfilled hopes. (From Wikipedia)

Parallels: I honestly think this can be about Jamie’s relationship with Keely. Jamie is obviously Anthony, as the superstar of AFC Richmond. Throughout the book, Anthony is greedy and consumed with dreams of wealth and glory, until he reaches his lowest point (financial ruin, cheating on Gloria, alcoholism). That is when he regrets the decisions he made in his youth. The purpose of giving this book to Jamie is to remind him that maturity is important and he needs to start growing up. Jamie needs to work harder to achieve his goals of becoming a great player, instead of waiting for success to come to him and ending up wasting his youth.

Ok I’m going to add another point. I feel like Jamie throwing away this book could be some foreshadowing that he won’t fit into Richmond. He is ultimately not given the choice to improve because he is traded back to Manchester City. Or perhaps he just hated the idea of reading something given to him by Ted. I’m reading too much into this “lighthearted” comedy. Oh my god.

Robbie (thank you for telling me who this is!): Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman grew up listening to his grandfather tell him stories of living on an island in a children's home where each child had a supernatural ability of some sort. He goes to the island, fails to find the home a couple of times, and is taken by six children to a stone cairn. He travels back in time to 1940. The school is run by a headmistress named Miss Peregrine, who has her own peculiarities. As Jake learns more about her and the children at the orphanage, he starts to uncover some very dark and scary secrets.

Parallels: From what I know of Robbie, he might like the fantasy adventure element. It’s a book about a group of society’s misfits (with special powers, even the main character eventually discovers he’s special) coming together to get out of a time loop. Or maybe defeat some monsters. I don’t remember the plot, but this could be a message to Robbie to become an important part of the team under the guidance of wise teacher.

Roy: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline d’Engle

A young girl’s struggle with leadership. Meg is a girl who struggles at school and cannot fit in with the crowd, although she is a smart person. Together with her friend, Charles Wallace, they save Meg’s father from IT. It is about a battle between good and evil, and the eventual triumph of love. This book can be spotted in 3 episodes, including one where Roy is reading it on the treadmill.

Parallels: Let me start off by saying Ted and Beard got it spot on with this book. The need to recognise one’s limitations in order to grow? Roy’s task of being captain of a ‘mediocre’ team. How to distinguish between good and evil? Roy trusting his instincts to make judgements, help the others around him, and choose love instead of hate. (Perhaps have a more cordial relationship with Jamie.) The message that even though conformity brings a sense of peace, it is still so much more worthwhile to embrace the unexpected? This is Roy Kent, a once powerful midfielder going to a middling club to end his career quietly, but then being inspired by Ted and Keely to be a better version of himself.

#in this essay i will thank you for coming to my ted talk #books recs #ted lasso #roy kent feels #jamie tartt #sam obisanya #apple tv #jason sudeikis #a wrinkle in time #ender’s game #the beautiful and damned #roy kent

[the-study-of-fun]

when you’re talking about tenant disputes in law and as time goes on whenever the professor says ‘tenant’ you think of David Tennant

#damn it #lawblr #david tennant #not studyblr at all just my mind making weird connections

[the-study-of-fun]

wrote a short little social media fic (incomplete) about everyone’s reaction to ted lasso’s appointment (I just love this show and it deserves some fanfiction ok)

#ted lasso #apple tv