Assessment 1
Lab Report Writing: Literature Review
This assignment aims to guide you through the process of writing lab reports in psychology. This component will specifically focus on the Introduction section of an APA style lab report.
For this assignment you will be required to write up to 2000 word literature review on the following topic:
- Does the literature support the existence of False Consensus Effect?
When writing the literature review:
- Research the topic thoroughly
- Ensure that you draw on all relevant psychological literature
- Support your arguments with evidence
- Draw conclusions that shed new light
- Use academic language and appropriate terminology
- Use third person
- Double space the main text
- Use Times New Roman size 12 or Ariel size 10 font.
- Include a
title page containing the following:
- Title of the paper (you will be expected to develop your own title)
- Your student number
- Module code and title
- Date of Submission
- Word count
- Use APA referencing style
Assignments should be submitted electronically via Turnitin. IT problems will not be accepted as mitigation and hard copies or e-mailed assignments will not be allowed unless prior agreement has been sought.
The marking criteria for this
assessments are available on the next page.
Research Methods 1
Assessment 1 Marking Criteria
| Criteria | Description |
| Title page (5%) | Title is relevant to the paper and is creative to attract attention of the reader. Running head shortened but complete within character limit. All relevant parts of the title page are included. |
| Extent of literature review (25%) | The articles are appropriately scholarly and appropriate to the topic. Sufficient recent sources make the review current, and classic studies are included if applicable and available. |
| Critical evaluation of literature (25%) | Studies are described in enough detail so that their relation to other studies and to the relevant theoretical and methodological issues can be understood by the reader. It is clear whether each general statement is a hypothesis, a result of a specific study, or a general conclusion. Limitations of prior research and contrasting views/positions are presented. There is a specific, clear description of what is missing from this literature or what researchers do not yet know. |
| Knowledge and understanding (25%) | The paper reflects a good understanding of the False Consensus Effect and its relevance in psychology. The cited articles/chapters were clearly read by the student. |
| APA format (10%) | Reference page includes all and only cited articles. Title page, in-text citations, paper format, and Reference page are in APA style with no mistakes. All headers, tables and figures, margins, captions, etc., are in APA style. |
| Writing style (10%) | Paper (i.e., first paragraph or two) begins in a broad manner and clearly explains the problem to be investigated. There is a clear organization to the paper, and transitions are smooth and effective. The review is in the author’s own words, and the focus is on the research, rather than the researchers. Tone is appropriately formal. Topic sentences are appropriate for paragraphs, and key ideas are explained/described as needed. Punctuation and grammar are correct, including proper tenses and voice. Sentences are concise and word choice is precise, with nonbiased language. Information is included in the appropriately titled sections. |
Notes from teacher:
- a literature review is an extensive exploration of what has been published on a topic. As such, the more sources you can review the better. It shows that you did a good overview of the literature and gained a good understanding of the topic. I suggest that 12 sources is a good start.
- you should prioritise primary sources as they are more accurate. You will come across a number of published literature reviews on False Consensus Effect, which you can include, but I would expect more empirical research reports in your submission. Also, do not forget to balance out the classical studies with the more recent research to ensure that you fully understand the topic.
- you may find it difficult to include numerous sources in the small word count. I would recommend that you choose a few studies to critique in detail and then cite additional studies that support your argument about the study. For example, you could detail the research by Ross et al. and critique then. Then say that later studies had similar problems and include the studies in the citation.
- we will be using the APA publication guidelines (6th edition, not 7th) throughout the courses. As such, you need to ensure that you appropriately cite the source to support each argument you make. Also, you will need to include a Reference list (not a Bibliography) that must contain all the sources cited in the text.
- you are free to use subheading if you wish, but consider if they are necessary and if they add to the submission. It is often that people use subheadings as a crutch to transition between topics, but this disrupts flow and creates a list like structure.
- make sure that you actually answer the question. You are not just summarising the literature, you need to draw conclusion regarding whether False Consensus Effect is actually real or some vague concept that research or theory does not support.
