Learn Before
Based on APA style guidelines and ethical data-sharing standards, diagnose the two main errors the researcher made regarding the presentation and preservation of her data, and explain how she should have handled them instead.
Case context: A psychology researcher conducts a study on how study breaks affect student test scores. She compiles a dataset containing the test scores of all 50 participants. In drafting her APA-style research report, she includes a table listing every individual participant's test score directly in the Results section to demonstrate transparency. She then deletes the original raw data spreadsheet from her computer to save hard drive space, believing that publishing the individual scores in the report is sufficient.
Question: Based on APA style guidelines and ethical data-sharing standards, diagnose the two main errors the researcher made regarding the presentation and preservation of her data, and explain how she should have handled them instead.
Sample answer: First, the researcher erred by including the raw, individual participants' test scores in the Results section, as APA style requires summarizing the data rather than presenting raw scores. Second, she violated the ethical expectation to preserve her raw data by deleting the spreadsheet. Instead, she should have summarized the findings and statistical outcomes in the Results section, saved the raw data spreadsheet, and made it available to other researchers upon request, such as by sharing it in an open online repository.
Key points:
- The Results section should summarize data and statistical analyses rather than including raw individual scores.
- Deleting the raw data spreadsheet violates the ethical obligation to preserve research data.
- Researchers should store raw data and make it available to others upon request, such as through open online repositories.
Rubric: To receive full credit, the student must explain that: 1) raw individual scores should not be in the APA Results section; 2) deleting raw data violates the ethical obligation to preserve it; and 3) she should summarize the findings in the report while preserving the raw data to make it available to others upon request or in an open repository.
0
1
Tags
KPU
Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
Related
Organization of the APA Results Section
Discussing Individual Results in APA Style
APA Style Tables
Referencing Tables and Figures in Text
When writing the results section of an APA-style research report, how should a researcher handle the study's raw data (such as individual participants' specific scores)?
In an APA-style research report, it is acceptable to omit the formal outcomes of statistical analyses from the results section, provided that the raw data is shared in an open online repository.
A psychology researcher has completed a study on the relationship between sleep quality and memory performance. Match each component of their data management plan to the correct APA-style guideline or ethical research practice.
A psychology researcher has completed their data analysis and is preparing to document their work. Arrange the following actions in the correct logical sequence, starting with the content that belongs in an APA-style Results section and ending with the final steps of ethical data management.
Imagine you are developing a standardized submission template for a new psychology journal. To ensure that an 'APA Results Section' adheres to both formal reporting standards and ethical data-sharing requirements, which information-management plan should you propose?
A researcher is criticized for making their Results section too brief by omitting the specific responses and scores of every individual participant. In evaluating this critique, you should defend the researcher's decision as being consistent with APA style, provided that the _____ is archived in an open repository for other scholars to access upon request.
The results section of an APA-style research report formally presents the main findings and statistical outcomes of a study, but it does not include _____ (such as individual participants' specific responses or scores).
A researcher measures participants' reading comprehension scores in a study on study habits. When writing the APA-style Results section, she includes every participant's individual score alongside the group mean and the results of her statistical test, reasoning that displaying all data maximizes transparency. According to APA guidelines, this is the correct approach for a Results section.
A research team has just finished analyzing data from a study on stress and academic performance. Analyze each item below and match it to the category that best describes how it should be handled according to APA Results section standards.
A peer reviewer is evaluating whether a submitted psychology manuscript's Results section meets APA standards and ethical data-sharing expectations. Order the following evaluative criteria from the most foundational requirement to the most advanced ethical expectation, judging which standard must be confirmed before the next can be meaningfully assessed.
According to APA style guidelines, what are the primary contents that must be formally presented in a research report's Results section, and what specific type of data must be excluded from this section?
Based on APA style guidelines and ethical data-sharing standards, diagnose the two main errors the researcher made regarding the presentation and preservation of her data, and explain how she should have handled them instead.
A research group is preparing to submit a manuscript on the effects of caffeine on cognitive performance. Apply APA style and ethical data-sharing guidelines to explain how they should handle their raw participant reaction times in the written report versus their post-publication storage plan.