RESEARCH REPORT
WRITING: PSHR 6808
1
,LECTURE 1:
INTRODUCTION TO PSHR 6808 (RESEARCH REPORT
WRITING)
IMPORTANT LECTURE INFORMATION:
Lecturer information: Dr. Pravani Naidoo
Lecture time: 9:00-12:00 (Tuesday)
GENERAL MODULE OUTCOMES:
To understand the underlying principles of research
To use practical skills and methodological tool to plan, conduct and report on the
research process
To write a research proposal
To be able to work with a supervisor to construct a research question that is viable
for a contemporary psychosocial issue
To be able to evaluate validity, reliability and trustworthiness of existing research
and make suggestions to improve it (Argue for an apparent research gap)
To be able to write a comprehensive literature review and be able to access previous
literature
To be able to select a sample and systematically collect data to address the research
question
To be able apply research practice ethically (raise and problematize ethical and
moral considerations)
To be able to apply qualitative methodology
To be able to prepare and manage data for analysis (critically discuss, integrate and
discuss research and data)
To be able to Identify problems using critical and creative thinking
To be able to organising and managing oneself
To be able to communicate effectively using visual and language skills
To be able to show responsibility towards the environment as well as others
To be able work with and understand the RIMS DEV system
The goal of this module is to
2
,LECTURE 2:
INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH TERMINOLOGY
AND STRUCTURE:
LECTURE OUTCOMES:
You will be able to by the end of this lecture:
State the reason why every profession or discipline has its specialised language
Demonstrate that you understand the meaning of research terms and concepts
Understand what a review of literature and how to conduct one in the field of
psychology
STATE THE REASON WHY EVERY PROFESSION OR DISCIPLINE HAS ITS SPECIALISED
LANGUAGE:
Every discipline has its own discourse and language as they each have their own research
approaches and goals. The following terminology is related to the field of applied
psychology.
RESEARCH TERMS AND CONCEPTS
Population: The entire group that you are conducting research on (for example: Tuks
psychology undergraduates)
Sample: A smaller representative group of your population (For example: 50 Tuks
psychology students)
Treatment or intervention: A means to address a societal problem
Ethical problems: Ethics is a branch of philosophy that interrogates how to go about being
moral when conducting research
Basic or descriptive statistics: Summary of data in three ways (locality and centrality,
dispersion and through measures of shape)
CONCEPT MAP AND TIPS FOR RESEARCH REPORT
TIPS FOR RESEARCH REPORT:
Totally normal to be finding your feet. You are doing research for the first time.
Research is a lot of hard work but it’s rewarding
Aim needs to be something that interests you
Keep your research simple but do it well
Build a good relationship with supervisors
Not something to do the night before
Don’t leave everything to the last minute
3
, Have a Watsapp group with your supervisor
Don’t take any advice personally
Make tables of the main ideas of articles and referencing details
Format of and processes in Honours desktop research:
A REVIEW OF HOW TO DO LITERATURE REVIEW:
In a literature review, you are not collecting new data
You are going to make a systematic, detailed, and nuanced summary and overview
of existing research that is done in the field of your own research question.
IDENTIFY YOUR EXISTING SOURCES:
Use keywords, phrases, inclusion, and exclusion criteria to source existing research in
your field of research
KOVSIECAT and other online databases will be used to source existing sources
sourced between 1998-2021
ASSESING THE QUALITIY OF EXISTING LITERATURE IS A TECHNICAL TASK THAT TAKES
SOME EXPERIENCE AND REPORTING CONVENTIONS
You need to look at the methodological approach of the existing studies, how the
data has been collected, the quality of the existing research and the limitations
Reading through an academic study is not like reading something informal. Use the
S.A.L.S.A method when analysing existing studies.
Search (using data), Appraisal (checking for quality) Synthesis (looking for patterns
through extraction) and Analysis (making sense of the patterns: quantitative
thematic analysis/ explain your themes)
4
WRITING: PSHR 6808
1
,LECTURE 1:
INTRODUCTION TO PSHR 6808 (RESEARCH REPORT
WRITING)
IMPORTANT LECTURE INFORMATION:
Lecturer information: Dr. Pravani Naidoo
Lecture time: 9:00-12:00 (Tuesday)
GENERAL MODULE OUTCOMES:
To understand the underlying principles of research
To use practical skills and methodological tool to plan, conduct and report on the
research process
To write a research proposal
To be able to work with a supervisor to construct a research question that is viable
for a contemporary psychosocial issue
To be able to evaluate validity, reliability and trustworthiness of existing research
and make suggestions to improve it (Argue for an apparent research gap)
To be able to write a comprehensive literature review and be able to access previous
literature
To be able to select a sample and systematically collect data to address the research
question
To be able apply research practice ethically (raise and problematize ethical and
moral considerations)
To be able to apply qualitative methodology
To be able to prepare and manage data for analysis (critically discuss, integrate and
discuss research and data)
To be able to Identify problems using critical and creative thinking
To be able to organising and managing oneself
To be able to communicate effectively using visual and language skills
To be able to show responsibility towards the environment as well as others
To be able work with and understand the RIMS DEV system
The goal of this module is to
2
,LECTURE 2:
INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH TERMINOLOGY
AND STRUCTURE:
LECTURE OUTCOMES:
You will be able to by the end of this lecture:
State the reason why every profession or discipline has its specialised language
Demonstrate that you understand the meaning of research terms and concepts
Understand what a review of literature and how to conduct one in the field of
psychology
STATE THE REASON WHY EVERY PROFESSION OR DISCIPLINE HAS ITS SPECIALISED
LANGUAGE:
Every discipline has its own discourse and language as they each have their own research
approaches and goals. The following terminology is related to the field of applied
psychology.
RESEARCH TERMS AND CONCEPTS
Population: The entire group that you are conducting research on (for example: Tuks
psychology undergraduates)
Sample: A smaller representative group of your population (For example: 50 Tuks
psychology students)
Treatment or intervention: A means to address a societal problem
Ethical problems: Ethics is a branch of philosophy that interrogates how to go about being
moral when conducting research
Basic or descriptive statistics: Summary of data in three ways (locality and centrality,
dispersion and through measures of shape)
CONCEPT MAP AND TIPS FOR RESEARCH REPORT
TIPS FOR RESEARCH REPORT:
Totally normal to be finding your feet. You are doing research for the first time.
Research is a lot of hard work but it’s rewarding
Aim needs to be something that interests you
Keep your research simple but do it well
Build a good relationship with supervisors
Not something to do the night before
Don’t leave everything to the last minute
3
, Have a Watsapp group with your supervisor
Don’t take any advice personally
Make tables of the main ideas of articles and referencing details
Format of and processes in Honours desktop research:
A REVIEW OF HOW TO DO LITERATURE REVIEW:
In a literature review, you are not collecting new data
You are going to make a systematic, detailed, and nuanced summary and overview
of existing research that is done in the field of your own research question.
IDENTIFY YOUR EXISTING SOURCES:
Use keywords, phrases, inclusion, and exclusion criteria to source existing research in
your field of research
KOVSIECAT and other online databases will be used to source existing sources
sourced between 1998-2021
ASSESING THE QUALITIY OF EXISTING LITERATURE IS A TECHNICAL TASK THAT TAKES
SOME EXPERIENCE AND REPORTING CONVENTIONS
You need to look at the methodological approach of the existing studies, how the
data has been collected, the quality of the existing research and the limitations
Reading through an academic study is not like reading something informal. Use the
S.A.L.S.A method when analysing existing studies.
Search (using data), Appraisal (checking for quality) Synthesis (looking for patterns
through extraction) and Analysis (making sense of the patterns: quantitative
thematic analysis/ explain your themes)
4
