8-1 Final Project Milestone Four: Initial Draft Of Methods, Data Analysis, And Anticipated Results Sections
PSY 510 Milestone Four Guidelines and Rubric
Initial Draft of Methods, Data Analysis, and Anticipated Results Sections
This assignment will form a building block for the final project by requiring you to write an initial draft of the methods, data analysis, and anticipated results
sections of your paper.
Prompt: The sections included in this milestone follow the Literature Review section in your paper (your introduction from Milestone Three). The Methods
section should describe the participants to be studied and the methods to be used for the proposed research project.
Recall in Module Five that you had the opportunity to participate in PSY 520 experiments (Qualtrics surveys). Keep this in mind as you think about writing the
Methods section. Also, keep in mind that sample size will be limited based on your use of PSY 510 and PSY 520 classmates. You are expected to have 7 to 10
participants for your research study when you conduct it in PSY 520. This information will help for your subsection on participation.
For your procedure, you will use the survey tool called Qualtrics. Visit the Qualtrics Survey Module Overview page, which will help you write your procedures
section. Do not set up a Qualtrics account yet; you will be doing so in PSY 520.
The Data Analysis section should discuss the basic plan for analyzing the data, and the Anticipated Results section should discuss the expected findings. Make
sure your paper is formatted like a research article. You will want to start with your main heading: Method. Then you have second-level headings: Participants,
Materials, Procedure, and Data Analysis. Then you have the next main heading: Anticipated Results.
Your submission should include all of the following elements:
• Description of the participants you plan to use in your study (you will need at least seven PSY 510 and/or PSY 520 students to respond to your survey)
• Description of the materials that will be used in the study and why they are most appropriate for your proposal
• Description of the procedures that will be used to collect data and how they will address your research question
• Discussion of any ethical concerns you can foresee with the study and steps that could be taken to remedy them
• Explanation of the procedures you plan to use to prepare your raw data for analysis
• Explanation of the analytic procedures for analyzing data and how they will help obtain valid and reliable research results
• Description of which descriptive statistics will be most informative in answering your research question and why
• Discussion of how your proposed data analysis methods are ethical, as outlined by the APA’s principles and standards
• Prediction of your expected findings or anticipated results
Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch
margins. This paper should be a minimum of 4 pages (not including cover page and references), must follow APA format, and it should cite several peer-reviewed
sources.
Rubric
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Methodology:
Participants
Describes appropriate number
of participants for the study
Provides a number of
participants for the study, but
number is not appropriate for
terms of this assignment
Does not discuss the plan for
participants for the study
10
Methodology:
Materials
Describes the materials that will
be used in the study and why
the materials are most
appropriate for the proposal,
justifying claims with resources
and aligning materials to the
research question
Describes the materials that will
be used in the study and why
the materials are most
appropriate for the proposal,
justifying claims with resources
Describes the materials that will
be used in the study and why
the materials are most
appropriate for the proposal,
but does not justify claims with
resources, or has gaps in
accuracy or detail
Does not describe the materials
that will be used in the study
and why the materials are most
appropriate for the proposal
10
Methodology:
Procedures
Describes the procedures
proposed to collect data and
how the procedures will
appropriately address the
research question
Describes the procedures
proposed to collect data and
how the procedures will
appropriately address the
research question, but with
gaps in detail
Describes the procedures
proposed to collect data and
how the procedures will
appropriately address the
research question, but
procedures are inappropriate
Does not describe the
procedures proposed to collect
data and how the procedures
will appropriately address the
research question
10
Methodology: Ethical
Considerations
Discusses the ethical concerns
involved in the study and the
steps to remedy them
Discusses the ethical concerns
involved in the study, but does
not propose steps to remedy
them
Discusses concerns involved in
the study, but the concerns
presented do not warrant
ethical concern
Does not discuss the ethical
concerns involved in the study
and the steps to remedy them
10
Data Analysis Plan:
Prepare Raw Data
Proposes a plan for analyzing
the data that explains what
procedures will be used and
how they will help obtain valid
and reliable results
Proposes a plan for analyzing
the data and explains what
procedures will be used, but
does not discuss how they will
help obtain valid and reliable
results
Proposes a plan for analyzing
the data, but does not explain
what procedures will be used or
how they will help obtain valid
and reliable results
Does not propose a plan for
data analysis
10
Data Analysis Plan:
Analytic Procedures
Proposes analytic procedures
for analyzing data and explains
how these will help obtain valid
and reliable research results
Proposes analytic procedures
for analyzing data, but does not
explain how these will help
obtain valid and reliable
research results
Proposes analytic procedures
for analyzing data, but proposal
lacks accuracy or detail, or
procedures are inappropriate
Does not propose analytic
procedures for analyzing data
10
Data Analysis Plan:
Descriptive Statistics
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
descriptive statistics are
especially well aligned to the
research question
Describes which descriptive
statistics obtained from the
data would be most informative
Describes which descriptive
statistics obtained from the
data would be most informative
in answering the research
Does not describe which
descriptive statistics obtained
from the data would be most
10
in answering the research
question and why
question, but does not explain
why, or description has gaps in
accuracy or detail
informative in answering the
research question
Data Analysis Plan:
Principles and
Standards
Discusses how the proposed
data analysis methods are
ethical, as outlined by the APA
Discusses how the proposed
data analysis methods are
ethical, but does not relate
these to the APA
Discusses how the proposed
data analysis methods are
ethical, but does not relate
these to the APA, or discussion
has gaps in accuracy or detail
Does not discuss how the
proposed data analysis methods
are ethical, as outlined by the
APA
10
Anticipated Results Predicts results of the study,
explains how these results will
complement or contradict
previous literature, and
provides rationale for the
prediction
Predicts results of the study and
explains how these results will
complement or contradict
previous literature
Predicts results of the study, but
does not explain how these
results will complement or
contradict previous literature or
has gaps in detail or accuracy
Does not predict the results of
the study
10
Articulation of
Response
Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented in
a professional and easy-to-read
format
Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has some major
errors related to citations,
grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization that negatively
impact readability and
articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
10
Total 100%
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PSY 510 Milestone Four
MILESTONE 4: SLEEP & ONLINE PSYCH GRAD STUDENTS 1
Milestone 4: Sleep and Online Psychology Graduate Students
Student X
Research Methods in Psychology I
Dr. Y
date
SLEEP & ONLINE PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS 2
Sleep and Online Psychology Graduate Students
Method
Participants
The number of participants for this study will be those SNHU psychology graduate
students who self-select into the study. All participants will be gathered from a population of
current online psychology graduate students enrolled in the Southern New Hampshire
University Online Studies program. The demographics of this population will not be known as
demographic considerations are not part of this study’s hypothesis.
Materials
The material for this study will consist entirely of a survey. The survey will be created
and administered in Qualtrics, an online platform endorsed for use by SNHU for this project.
Qualtrics will allow those who self-select into the study to participate will relative ease.
Procedures
After the survey is constructed, a unique link to the survey will be posted in the
Psychology Student Lounge at SNHU to provide access for current graduate students to
complete. Participants will be asked to indicate their responses to topics such as the number of
hours slept per night and questions related to their stress levels. These variables will be
analyzed to determine if the hypothesis for this study can be accepted.
Ethical Considerations
This study will be authorized by SNHU. The restrictions place on this study (e.g., only
being allowed to collect data from fellow students) help ensure the ethicality of this effort. In
addition, informed consent information will be presented and only those who grant consent will
be allowed to participate. Any prospective participant can choose to not participate, or can
SLEEP & ONLINE PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS 3
choose to exit the study at any time, without any penalty or negative repercussions. Neither the
researcher nor the class instructor will know who did or did not participate in this study.
Because this study will ask about personal issues (i.e., sleep and stress), there is a
possibility that some respondents could experience some level of distress. For example,
participants may not have had full awareness of the amount of stress in their lives and
responding to questions about stress could trouble them, actually increasing their stress levels.
Participants will therefore be provided with the phone number of the SNHU Counseling Center.
The suggestion will also be made to contact a local Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
for Helpance should they feel the need to do so.
Data Analysis Plan
Prepare New Data
The raw data from the online survey will be entered into SSPS. Each variable will be
examined for descriptive data, such as the mean and standard deviation. Scatterplots and
boxplots will be created to find any outliners which may affect the data analysis. Outliers, if any,
will be addressed based on their number and severity.
Descriptive Statistics
Descriptive statistics will, at a minimum, include means, ranges, and standard deviations
for each variable. This information will be presented in table form for clarity. Scatterplots and
boxplots will be used, if appropriate based on the data received.
Analytic Procedures
According to Rosnow and Rosenthal (2013), variables are not examined in isolation but
in context with other variables and the nature of the study. The relationship between sleep
quantity and stress will be analyzed using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation (r), which is
SLEEP & ONLINE PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS 4
appropriate for seeking a relationship between two sets of ratio data. Findings will be deemed
significant if p < .05.
Principles and Standards
The APA Code of Ethics (2017) will be followed throughout this study. This will
include presenting accurate data and correctly using and reporting statistical results. All sources
will be properly cited.
Participants’ personal information will be guarded and no one will know who did (or
did not) participate in the study. Only the researcher will have access to the raw data and this
data will be destroyed at the conclusion of PSY-520. The APA Ethics Code requires specific
ethical attributes of good research in Standard 8: Research and Publication.
Results
The expectation for this study will be that the research hypothesis will be accepted:
there will be a significant, negative correlation between sleep hours and stress. If so, this study
will add to the body of knowledge on the topic of sleep by supporting the idea that reduced
sleep quantity is associated with higher stress levels. Because this study will focus only on
graduate students in psychology, this will be important information for those who are
psychology graduate students as well as graduate school instructors and administrators.
However, the focus on psychology graduate students may also limit the generalizability of this
study.
SLEEP & ONLINE PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS 5
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of
conduct. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Rosnow, R. L., & Rosenthal, R. (2013). Beginning behavioral research: A conceptual primer
(7th ed.). Pearson.
