APA Format Method

1. APA FormatMethod Psychology 291 October 28 - 30, 2013

2. APA Rules to Keep in Mind • Write in Past Tense • First-level headings are centered and bolded • Method, Results • Level two headings that must be included and are flush left and bolded • Participants, Subjects, or Sample • Apparatus and/or Materials • Procedure and Design • Remember to follow other APA rules (page layout, font, etc.), as well as consult the manual on-line

3. Method • How was your study conducted? • The method describes what you did in the experiment and how you did it • Provide enough detail so that another researcher could replicate your work • Three subsections: • Participants, Subjects, or Sample • Apparatus and / or Materials • Procedure and Design

4. The Method section is like a Recipe • Ingredients: • Participants • Who do I need to collect to participate? • Apparatus/Materials • What do I need to collect before I can begin my experiment? • Instructions: • Procedure & Design • How do I put it all together?

5. Participants, Subjects or Sample? • Participants refer to: • People • Subjects refer to: • Non-Human Subjects • Sample • Artifacts

6. Participants • Total number of participants • Standard demographic information: • Age (with a mean, SD, and range if available) • Sex • Inclusion/Exclusion criteria (ethnicity, race, physical/psychological conditions, experience/training etc.) • If any subjects did not complete the experiment state how many and explain why they did not continue • Describe groups (if applicable) • how were groups formed and number assigned to each group • Describe any compensation given

7. Subjects and Sample • For non-human subjects: • report the genus, species, or other specific identification, such as the location of the supplier • Give the animals’ sex, age, weight, and physiological condition • Specify all essential details of their handling • Light/dark cycle • Habituation protocol • Food and water ad lib or restricted? • For other types of sampling (artefacts, concepts, etc.) • Describe the sampling procedure in detail • Describe the sample in detail

8. Apparatus and / or Materials • Apparatus usually refers to equipment • Materials usually refers to supplies or tests • List apparatus and / or materials and state what each item is used for. • Equipment should be identified with reference to the specific model numbers. Names and model numbers should be in italics. (E.g., Canon Optura 500 video recorder) • Tests/Questionnaires should include citation and description of questions (with examples, response scales and number of items) • Do not include trivial materials (pens, pencils, etc.)

9. Procedure and Design • How was this study done? • Discuss in past tense • Detailed enough to give the reader an accurate description of how the data was collected • The procedure begins only when data collection / manipulation begins • Include: • Order of completion of the tasks involved (counter-balancing?) • Location / Setting • Duration of tasks • Variable(s) measured (operationalized) • Scoring procedure(s)

10. APA SAMPLE PAPER 5 Method Participants (or Subjects) [Indent] Here is the information about the participants in my study. I would include information about their sex, age, number and any other pertinent details. I would also include information about compensation and describe how groups were formed if applicable. Apparatus (and/or Materials) [Indent] Here is the information about all apparatuses and materials that I used in my study. I would include Equipment Names and Model Numbers in italics if applicable. I would also include citations if I used a published test (Author, year). Procedure and Design [Indent] Here is a detailed description of how the data was collected in enough detail so that someone else could replicate my findings. This description begins only when my data collection/manipulation began. I would include a detailed list of the steps I took and a description of my design, including an operationalization of each of my variables and how I intend to score those variables.