Option 2: Library Research Summary

Students who are unable or unwilling to participate in studies for any reason may satisfy the research requirement by answering a few questions about a published article in psychology. However, this is not a free-form summary. Please follow the directions below carefully so that you can be assured that you do not have to rewrite it to get a grade in the course.

What Steps Do You Need to Take to Complete the Summary?

• Select an article from one of the articles on the appropriate journal list (see below) that was published after January 1, 2003. If the article does not come from one of these journals, you will not receive credit for writing a summary!
• The article MUST describe a research study that involves data. Review articles and similar articles are not acceptable.
• You may use a printed version of the article or an electronic (such as PDF) version of an article.

• This web site includes a REQUIRED cover sheet and question template for your summary. (Download the template here!) Summaries that do not include this cover sheet or follow this template will be automatically rejected.
• You should type your answers directly into the required template; you do not need to write a separate paper. This template will help you to properly structure your summary.
• All questions must be answered in complete sentences and paragraphs and be written in your own words. Additional guidelines and hints are available here!
• Plagiarism (copying work from someone else) is a serious offense and will be dealt with accordingly!

• Place the ORIGINAL copy of the completed summary template in the box in the Psychology Main ofice (D240 Science - See Map). Please do not use a plastic binder or any other kind of fancy binder or folder. Simply staple the paper once. Emailed papers will not be accepted (except under extreme circumstances).
• Your paper will be judged on a Pass/Fail basis at the end of the semester. If your paper is unacceptable, you will receive a notification after finals week. You will be given only one more try to make the paper acceptable and remove the Incomplete.

Which Journals May You Use to Complete the Requirement?

Journals are publications of original scientific work. They are different from magazines and newpapers, which are not typically written by the researchers themselves. This requirement will have you summarize a single article from a journal and, thus, summaries of articles from other sources will be automatically rejected.

The journals listed below (organized according to subdisciplines in psychology) can be found in the periodical section of the library. You may read either a printed copy of the journal article or you may use an online version (such as a PDF file). Links to library records of the journals can be found below:

If you discover that you are having a difficult time understanding or summarizing the article, pick another one. The most common reason a summary is rejected is that it is too shallow, which results from trying to compress a complex article into 3 pages or less.

What is the Timeline for the Library Research Option?

Most importantly, the deadline for the summary is the last day of classes for the semester. No summaries will be graded during finals week or later! The following timeline is offered so that you know what to expect throughout the semester:

• Week 1: You received a copy of these Research Requirement guidelines.
• Week 3: You will receive an email with your logon information for study sign-ups.
• Week 13: You will receive a reminder email about the Research Requirement.
• Week 15: The research summaries are due in the Psychology Main Office.
• Finals Week: All participation records will be updated. The information will be passed along to your instructor before your final exam.

Note: Papers received during finals week and later will be put on hold until the next semester. This means that an Incomplete will be submitted for your grade. Therefore, if you wish to receive a grade you must hand in your paper before finals week.