The psychology thesis : research and coursework / T.R Smyth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smyth, T. Raymond.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychology--Study and teaching (Graduate).

Psychology.

Psychology--Research.

Dissertations, Academic--Authorship.

Dissertations, Academic.

Academic writing.

Physical Description:

xii, 181 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Summary:

Embarking on a research project or thesis can be a daunting task for any student. There are questions concerning how one should begin designing their study, what ethical factors there are to consider and how to write a proposal, among others. The answers to these and more are given in this useful guide to conducting the psychology research project that will serve as a reassuring tool to return to again and again.

This book is designed to accompany the student throughout their work, from planning to presentation, catering for differing syllabuses and providing guidance applicable to particular course requirements. Smyth offers students valuable, digestible advice on how to plan, design, research and write their thesis making this the perfect accompaniment to have from start to finish of the project.

Contents:

Variations 2

Expectations 3

The research 4

Documenting the research 5

Two-part research components 6

Motivation 7

2 Time 8

Time frame 9

Deadlines 10

Time management 10

Planning time 10

Target dates 12

Estimating time 14

Thinking 17

Monitoring your work 18

Some advice 18

Some general advice 20

Individual vs group research projects 22

Originality 24

Quantitative vs qualitative research 25

Theoretical basis 26

Goals of scientific research 26

Outcome 27

Documenting the research 27

Supervision 28

Problems and advice 30

The research 32

A closing note 38

4 Preparation 39

Initial preparation 39

Research outline 45

Some advice 47

5 Detailed Design and Planning 48

Research design and data analysis 49

Research involving multiple experiments or studies 61

Group research projects 61

6 Ethics 67

Approval 67

Modifications 68

Requirements 69

Children 72

Schools 72

Infants 72

Individuals who are unable to give informed consent 73

Special groups 73

Photographic or audio recording 73

Confidentiality 74

Deception 75

Debriefing 75

Survey research 76

Qualitative research 78

Potential problems 78

A comment 79

7 A Research Proposal 80

Requirement 80

Time plan 80

Length 81

Structure 81

Planning and writing a research proposal 83

Drafts of research proposals 89

Pilot or validation research 89

Multiple experiments or studies 91

A word of advice 93

8 A Research Proposal Seminar 95

Anxiety 95

Preparation 97

Confidence 100

Presentation 100

9 The Structure and Format of a Thesis 103

The basic structure 103

Format 108

Chapters of a thesis in book format 109

Structure of the parts 110

10 Writing a Thesis 111

Requirements of a thesis 111

Examination 112

Information and ideas 113

Ideas in a thesis 114

Parts of the thesis 115

Length of the parts 115

Planning 116

The research 122

The discussion 125

Back-up 131

Some advice on writing 132

11 Drafts and Editing 133

First working draft 133

Headings and pagination 134

Editing 134

Editing for content 135

A second opinion 139

Editing for consistency 139

Making changes 140

Editing for detail 140

Supervisors' drafts 142

Revising the first draft 147

The second supervisor's drafts 147

Some words of advice 148

12 Finalizing the Thesis 149

Editorial style 149

The body of the thesis 150

Report format 151

Pagination 155

Reference list 156

The composite file 157

Inserting pages 158

Proofreading 158

Preliminary pages 159

Spacing from top and bottom margins 162

Pagination 162

Final proofreading 162

Binding 162

Copies 163

A Recommended style requirements for theses 164

B An example of a title page 166

C An example of a certificate page 167

D An example of an acknowledgements page 168

E An example of a table of contents page 169

F An example of a list of figures page 170

G An example of a list of tables page 171

H An example of an abstract page 172.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-174) and index.

ISBN:

0230008429

9780230008427

OCLC:

183179490

Online:

Publisher description