PSYC5605 Research Methods and Data Analysis for Applied Psychologists

Assignment 1

The assessment involves the production of a research report comprising the following
sections:

 Title
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Method
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 Appendix A (Summary of search strategy and annotated bibliography)
 Appendix B (SPSS output tables)

This handout describes the background to a hypothetical study for which data will be
provided, as well as the preparatory work you will need to carry out to complete the
Introduction to the report and Appendix A. You will be introduced to advanced literature
search strategies by the Psychology Subject Librarian (Anna Richards) in Week 1, Workshop
1. Workshop time in Week 4 will be allocated to provide you with the opportunity to discuss
your progress on this part of the assignment with me.

An additional handout will be provided by Dr Helene Mitchell in Week 5 (i.e. at the start of
Unit 2 teaching), covering the Method, Results and Discussion sections of the report.

For further guidance on writing quantitative research reports, please consult the Division of
Psychology’s ‘Reporting Style Guidelines’ – available on the module Blackboard site.

Overall Word length: 2000max.(Excluding references and appendices). Please note that
penalties may be applied if this word limit is exceeded.

Deadline: Monday 7 December 2018, 12.00 mid-day

Study Background
Current estimates suggest that around 850,000 people in the UK havea form of dementia
and as people are living longer, this figure is likely to double in coming decades (Alzheimer’s
Society, 2012). Because most people with dementia live at home, carers (usually informal)
are the backbone of dementia care in the UK, most of whom juggle employment, caring and
other responsibilities (Carers UK 2014). The NICE Quality Standard (2010) relating to
dementia highlights the importance of carers being offered an assessment of psychosocial
needs, and when accepted, for them to receive appropriate interventions to address
identified needs. A variety of interventions is available for carers; however, it is important to
compare the efficacy of these. Therefore, the research question for the current study
was‘Are interventions for carers of people with dementia effective in improving carers’ health
and well-being?’

Assessment Guidelines
You are required to source, read and synthesize relevant literature and theory in order to
inform the Introduction to your report, the rationale for the study and its predicted
outcomes.Your literature search should be documented in table form, using the handout
provided, and attached to your report as Appendix A.

PSYC5605 Assignment 1 (2018-19) Page 1

Appendix A: Documentation of Sources Searched and Results; Annotated Bibliography
A separate handout is provided, which includes tables for completion and submission as
Appendix A of your report. Please do not include information other than that required to
complete the tables, as this will not be marked. A copy of the above handout and additional
notes about preparing your annotated bibliography are appended to this document.

For this part of the assignment, you are required to complete the table labelled
‘Documentation of Sources Searched and Results’ and then select from your reading, four
empirical papers that you feel have made the most important contribution to the rationale
for the study and its predicted outcomes. For each source, you need to complete thetable
labelled ‘Annotated Bibliography’ including the information below:

 Report the citation using the DMU Psychology Guide to Referencing in APA (6) Style.
This can be accessed via the Blackboard site for PSYC5605 – See Module
Information/Module Documents.
 Underneath the citation, write a concise annotation comprising no more than 120
words that summarises and critically evaluates the central theme and scope of the
article. Include one or two sentences that (a) Summarise the source – For
example – What is the article about? What is the main argument presented? Note
that this is not the same as an abstract – Please refer to the appendix to this
document for further information. (b) Evaluate the source – Is it useful? Does its
argument or findings contrast with those of other sources? Is the information
reliable? (For example, who are the authors and have they published on the same
topic before? Is the source biased or objective?) (c) Explain how this source
contributes to the rationale/argument for your study and its predicted
outcomes.

Purpose:
Creating an annotated bibliography involves a variety of skills, including concise exposition,
synthesis and analysis; also, informed library research. You will find all of these skills highly
relevant to all assessed work, but particularly when you come to consider the topic you wish
to pursue further for your MSc dissertation.

Assessment Criteria
The work outlined here will be assessed within the general context of the final report
reflecting the following criteria:

 Clarity of the process followed in your literature search

 Accuracy of citation: The extent to which citations are provided in full and in
accordance with APA (6)format.
 Quality of annotations: The extent to which the annotation of the article accurately
represents its main scope. Please do not copy/paste the abstract (or bits from
it) from the articles as this will be identified as plagiarism

Submitting Assignment 1
You are required to submit your assignmentelectronically to Turnitin, via the Blackboard
site for PSYC5605 – Assignment 1. Please ensure that you save the receipt for your work
when you receive this via email as this is the only ‘proof’ you will have that your work has
been submitted. Further guidance for submissions via Turnitin is provided in the Course
Handbook.

Please note that in line with other assignments on this module, your work will not be
marked anonymously. Failure to submit this assignment by the deadline will be taken as

PSYC5605 Assignment 1 (2018-19) Page 2

failure to submit on time. Standard penalties for late submission of coursework will then be
applied.

PSYC5605 Assignment 1 (2018-19) Page 3

 APPENDIX

Copies of the Documents for Completion and Inclusion as Appendix A of your

Report

Table 1: Documentation of Sources Searched and Results

Date Resource URL Search Search Number of

Expression Strategy Results

KEY (to be deleted prior to submission):

Date: Date that the search was conducted.

Resource: Name of the database, journal, catalogue, search engine, etc.

URL: http://something

Search Expression: (e.g.) -(spaniel* OR dog* OR pet*) AND (walk* OR exercise)

Search Strategy: (e.g.) Keyword search, author search, limits applied, etc.

Number of Results: Number of results generated from each search

PSYC5605 Assignment 1 (2018-19) Page 4

 Table 2: Annotated Bibliography

To complete the table: (1) Delete ‘Source 1’ etc. from the table and type in the full,
bibliographic reference for each source, formatted to APA (6) style. (2) Delete ‘Annotation’
from the table and type your annotation in the space provided. Once formatted, the table
should not exceed the space on this page; nor should the pre-set font size be adjusted.

Source 1

Annotation:

Source 2

Annotation:

Source 3

Annotation:

Source 4

Annotation:

PSYC5605 Assignment 1 (2018-19) Page 5

 Preparing an Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations that may include journal articles, books and
other documents. Each citation is followed by a brief descriptive and evaluative paragraph –
this is the ‘annotation.’ The aim of the annotation is to inform your reader of the relevance,
accuracy and quality of the sources you have cited.

How do annotations differ from abstracts?

Abstracts are purely descriptive summaries that are often found at the beginning of
academic journal articles. In contrast, annotations are descriptive, critical and
evaluativesummaries of that article.Several examples can be found via the web-source
below.

What is the process?

Creating an annotated bibliography involves a variety of skills, including concise exposition
and analysis as well as informed library research.

 First, you will need to source and locate citations to articles that relate to the
research question. Briefly examine and review the actual items, and then choose
those articles that provide a variety of perspectives on the research question.

 Next, and using the table provided, cite the article, using APA (6) referencing style.

 Underneath the citation, write a concise annotation that summarises and critically
evaluates the central theme and scope of the article. Include one or two sentences
that (a) Summarise the source – For example – What is the article about? What is
the main argument presented? (b) Evaluate the source – Is it useful? Does its
argument or findings contrast with those of other sources? Is the information
reliable? (For example, who are the authors and have they published on the same
topic before? Is the source biased or objective?) (c) Explain how this source
contributes to refining the research question.(For example, how has the
source contributed to your rationale/argument?)

Further information
For further information, please consult the excellent online resource (upon which the
content of this handout is based) at:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/

Here, you will find more detailed information about this style of writing, alongside links to
examples and other, relevant sources of information.

PSYC5605 Assignment 1 (2018-19) Page 6