3-1. Write Your Report:
A report is a structured summary of the article. Article summaries must be written in your own words AND go beyond the article abstract. Research articles are generally organized into Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion sections, which you should address in your report summary.
NOTE: The Method & Results sections may have some technical language (e.g., variables, measures, statistics, etc). It is perfectly fine if you don’t understand parts of these sections. The Discussion section should help you to understand the study and its findings.
You can also use the following questions as a guideline (but your report does not have to answer all of these questions to receive credit).
What previous research had been done in the area that the researchers were studying?
What did the researchers expect to find in their own study?
What procedures were used in the study (or studies) conducted by the researchers?
Who were the research participants, and where did they come from?
What variables were being manipulated and/or measured by the researchers?
What were the major results or findings of the study?
What were the main conclusions made by the researchers, based on their findings?
What did you find interesting or problematic about the research or its findings?
3-2. Meet the Additional Requirements:
Make sure your report meets the following essential requirements:
It must contain at least 350 words. The minimum word count does not include the name of the article, journal, or your identifying information.
It must be a clear and coherent summarization of an article from the approved list in Step 2.
It must be in your own words. If 25% or more of your summary is identified as coming from other sources, you will not get credit for it.