Additional Notes for Report:
All proper instructions/briefs are in the document attached. This document also contains a list of references on the last page, please use these references within the report and add 2-4 references of your choice. I have also attached a document with half of the report that is already complete. All that is asked of you to write is the introduction and conclusion (the methods and result section has been completed by me).
Introduction:
Start with a clear introductory paragraph.
Introduce the topic, provide some definitions, and end with an indication of what the focus of the study will be (e.g., “the current study explores…..”).
Make sure each paragraph has a key idea/argument, and paragraphs are well structured (topic sentence, idea/argument, summary, and link to the next paragraph)
Good links between paragraphs
Make sure hypotheses well expressed. Past tense. Properly operationalized. Directional.
importantly: ALL hypotheses were justified (either by literature or reasoned argument)
Prior to hypotheses, there is a general aim (“the aim of the current study was to….”)
there should be 3 separate hypotheses – 1 for each question.
the first hypothesis to the first research question: It is hypothesized that the Australian Coal Association article (Non-vested interest condition) will elicit a higher level of trust from the participants than the GreenFutures article (Vested interest condition).
advise on the third research question (3rd hypothesis) – there is a lack of research between trust and concern. In the introduction you can write along the lines of ‘considering the lack of relevant research…’ and then make a bit of a patchwork argument using other articles, such as ones concerning self-interest and trust, Malka et al.’s (2009) survey study, and research about epistemic preference
please come up with hypotheses for the next two research questions
Discussion:
In your discussion, you are marked on:
Relating findings to hypotheses
Implications of findings
These can be theoretical or applied
Limitations and future directions
– If you are going to propose that there was a problem with the study, you need to articulate:
What was the problem? Why was it a problem (i.e., what impact did it have on the results), and how might it be fixed
Avoid other superficial limitations (e.g., all university students), unless you can justify what impact it had on the results
it’s fine to refer to articles or theories in the discussion that was not in the introduction. This is often important if hypotheses were not supported.