5. Scientific Reporting

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we think about the sections of a scientific report, focusing in particular on: (i) the abstract, which is a summary intended to advertise the study; (ii) the introduction, which summarises the scientific background of the field, including debates in the area, and also includes what your predictions are; (iii) the methods section, which describes how you undertook the study, providing sufficient detail such that someone can replicate your study without additional materials or support; (iv) the results section that statistically analyses the results and formally presents them; (v) the discussion, which talks about the results in plain, non-statistical language, broadening out to see how the results relate to the wider field and makes suggestions for future studies; (vi) the reference section, which reports all of the papers you have cited in your scientific report, adhering to a specific style; (vii) the appendices, which can include documents like consent forms and example stimuli.

Course

In this course, Dr Ashok Jansari (Goldsmiths, University of London) explores how researchers report good (or sometimes not good) science. In the first lecture, we think about the three main forms of validity: face, concurrent, and ecological. In the second lecture, we think about the three main forms of reliability: test-retest, inter-rater, and internal. In the third lecture, we think about features of science and how the empirical method can promote good scientific practice. Next, we think about theory construction and the process that a good researcher will follow to work from their initial idea towards their finished theory. In the fifth and final lecture, we think about scientific reporting and the five key sections of a report which adheres to the American Psychological Association (APA) standard.

Lecturer

Dr Ashok Jansari is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. Dr Jansari’s research interests include memory disorders, prosopagnosia, executive functions, and synaesthesia. Dr Jansari is most famous for his research into prosopagnosia, having made numerous TV appearances, including on BBC1’s The One Show, as well as hosting his own ‘Neuro Talk’ YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/DrAshokJansariNeuroTalk/featured

Some of Dr Jansari's recent publications include 'Acquired synaesthesia following 2C-B use' (2019), 'Using virtual reality to investigate multitasking ability in individuals with frontal lobe lesions' (2019), and 'Identification from CCTV: Assessing police super-recogniser ability to spot faces in a crown and susceptibility to change blindness' (2018).