PS954 Research Methods in Psychology Lab Report Brief 2026 | University of Essex

PS954 SP Lab Report Brief

Grading for this course will be based on a lab report, with each student required to compile a 2,500-word document. The lab report will constitute 100% of the grade for this module. This document provides a detailed brief of the assignment.

Assignment

Prepare a research proposal aimed at addressing the research question: “Does a selfadministered mindfulness intervention reduce subjective and objective stress levels over a six-month period?”

The proposed research should: 

• serve as a confirmatory study (i.e., test a hypothesis/hypotheses),
• enable causal inference, and
• be presented as a Registered Report.

As this is proposed research, you are not supposed to collect any data, but the study should be prepared in a reproducible way. Use future tense when referring to the planned research (e.g., in the Method section, for instance, “we will sample participants…” rather than “we sampled participants…”).

The submission deadline: 20/03/2026 12:00 PM

Word Count: maximum of 2,500 words (excluding title, abstract, references and Supplementary Materials)

Format: Registered Report Phase 1; adhere to the JARS (Journal Article Reporting Standards)

Referencing Style: APA (7th Edition)

Language: British English

Use a predefined Word format to write your lab report (see Assessment)

Sections and Word Count Recommendations:

1. Title (no more than 12 words)

• Brief, informative, and accurately reflects the research question/research hypothesis.

2. Abstract (around 150-200 words)

• Concisely summarise the rationale, hypothesis, and method.
• State the problem explicitly, including the hypothesis/ses
• Describe the study method in detail (including, research design, sample size, and measures)

3. Introduction (recommended word count: around 600-1,000 words)

State the Problem

o State the importance of the problem, including possible implications of the research (e.g., theoretical, methodological or practical implications)

Describe Relevant Scholarship (i.e., Review of literature)

o This section should identify what is known and what is unknown o Provide a concise review of relevant scholarship (e.g., present relevant studies and theories related to the concepts and their possible relationship).

o Justify why it is crucial to investigate your research question and the gap your study intends to fill

o Ensure at least 5 references to empirical research articles are used in the Introduction (these must be empirical research articles, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses).

State the Research Question and Hypotheses

o Clearly state the research question/objective of the proposed research

o Explicitly state your hypothesis/-es and justify them with previous research/theories that you have outlined in the previous section.

Notes: You can choose to use subheadings in the Introduction or not (they are usually not needed if the Introduction is short)

4. Method (recommended word count: around 1,000 to 1,200 words)

Participants

In this subsection, you need to describe the sample you plan to recruit for your study.

o Sample Size

• Describe the intended sample size, how you will determine it, and the stopping rule (e.g., when you will stop data collection). This may include power analysis, but it’s not required (you could reference sample sizes from previous studies)

o  Inclusion and exclusion

• Report inclusion and exclusion criteria, including any restrictions based on demographic characteristics o Sampling Procedure
• Describe your population and the procedures for selecting participants
• Describe settings and locations where data will be collected as well as dates of data collection
• Describe agreements and payments to be made to participants (if any)
• Ethical considerations and informed consent procedures should be detailed.

o Expected Participant Characteristics

• Report expected variability in major demographic characteristics (age, sex, ethnicity)
• Report how you will ensure that you are targeting a “non-clinical population”

Design

In this subsection, you need to describe the design of the study, the conditions of the study and whether the conditions were randomised.

o  Conditions

• Identify the independent and dependent variables State how many conditions there are and what they are.
• Report whether conditions will be randomised
• If manipulation will be used, report how you are going to ensure it is working in the intended way (e.g., manipulation check)

o Masking

• Report whether participants, those administering the experimental manipulations, and those assessing the outcomes will be aware of condition assignments.
• If masking (e.g., single-blind, double-blind) will take place, provide a statement regarding how it was accomplished.

Materials

In this subsection, you need to describe the different measures, scales and questionnaires you plan to use in detail. You also need to cite where you got them.

o Measures and Covariates

• Define all primary and secondary measures and covariates
• You need to provide the name of the measure, how it was measured, how many items it contains and an example of a question from the measure (the measures should be reported in full in Supplementary Materials)

o Additional points to consider:

• Quality of MeasurementsWhen necessary describe methods used to enhance the quality of measurements, such as training and reliability of data collectors and the use of multiple observations
• InstrumentationProvide information on validated or specific instruments created for individual studies, for individual studies (e.g., psychometric and biometric properties)
• PsychometricsIf available, report estimates related to the reliability of measures including interrater reliability for subjectively scored measures and ratings, test-retest coefficients in longitudinal studies, internal consistency coefficients for composite scales

Procedure

In this subsection, you need to describe the order of events.

• Offer a step-by-step guide on how the study will be conducted from recruitment to debriefing.
• Include any controls and randomisations.

Data Analysis Plan

In this subsection, you need to describe how you are going to test your hypothesis/hypotheses.

o Data Diagnostics

• Describe planned data diagnostics (e.g., handling statistical outliers, data transformations to be used if needed, etc.)

o Analytic Strategy

• Describe the analytic strategy to test each of the hypotheses (i.e., what tests you are going to use)
• Describe how you will protect against experiment-wise error (if you are using corrections)

5. Anticipated Results and Discussion (recommended word count: 200-300 words)

Expected Findings, Limitations and Future Directions

Discuss the hypothesised outcomes and their alignment with existing literature.

o  Forecast potential limitations in your methodology, design, or other aspects.

o Suggest avenues for future research, considering potential outcomes.

Conclusion

o Concisely summarise key points and their relevance to the field.

6. References

• Ensure all references are in APA 7th edition format.
• Verify all empirical work cited in the report is included.  Double-check in-text citations for accuracy and format.

7. Supplementary Materials

Please enclose all the materials including instructions, manipulations and measures planned to be used in this research.

Notes on writing style and APA formatting:

• Clarity and Coherence: Ensure that each section of the report logically flows into the next. To ensure clarity and coherence, start early and consider multiple drafts, focusing on content, coherence, and APA style across iterations. Allocate time for thorough proofreading, checking for grammatical accuracy, clarity, and consistent style.
• APA Style Adherence: Strictly follow the APA manual for formatting, headings, citations, and referencing.
• JARS Alignment: Ensure methodological and analytic processes align with JARS guidelines.
• Ethical Considerations: Clearly articulate ethical adherence, especially considering anxiety which can be sensitive.

Using AI for the lab report

• Generative AI tools must NOT be used to generate any materials or content for this assessment.
• Generative AI tools may only be used to provide feedback on the grammatical accuracy of writing.

Note:

Students registered with the Disability Advice team and receiving reasonable adjustments may still use assistive technology as required.

If unsure, students should consult the module coordinator for clarification.

How this will be Assessed?

PS954 Lab Report Marking Criteria

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