You are here

How to Design and Report Experiments
Share
Share

How to Design and Report Experiments

First Edition


January 2003 | 384 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
How to Design and Report Experiments is the perfect textbook and guide to the often bewildering world of experimental design and statistics. It provides a complete map of the entire process beginning with how to get ideas about research, how to refine your research question and the actual design of the experiment, leading on to statistical procedure and assistance with writing up of results.

While many books look at the fundamentals of doing successful experiments and include good coverage of statistical techniques, this book very importantly considers the process in chronological order with specific attention given to effective design in the context of likely methods needed and expected results. Without full assessment of these aspects, the experience and results may not end up being as positive as one might have hoped. Ample coverage is then also provided of statistical data analysis, a hazardous journey in itself, and the reporting of findings, with numerous examples and helpful tips of common downfalls throughout.

Combining light humour, empathy with solid practical guidance to ensure a positive experience overall, How to Design and Report Experiments will be essential reading for students in psychology and those in cognate disciplines with an experimental focus or content in research methods courses.

 
PART ONE: DESIGNING AN EXPERIMENT
 
Before You Begin
 
Planning an Experiment
 
Experimental Designs
 
PART TWO: ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING DATA
 
Descriptive Statistics
 
Inferential Statistics
 
Parametric Tests
 
Non-Parametric Tests
 
Choosing a Statistical Test
 
PART THREE: WRITING UP YOUR RESEARCH
 
A Quick Guide to Writing a Psychology Lab-Report
 
General Points When Writing a Report
 
Answering the Question 'Why?'
The Introduction Section

 
 
Answering the Question 'How?'
The Method Section

 
 
Answering the Question 'What Did I Find?'
The Results Section

 
 
Answering the Question 'So What?'
The Discussion Section

 
 
Title, Abstract, Reference and Formatting
 
Example of an Experimental Write-up

This book is highly recommended for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students and even trainee clinical psychologists who need a quick revision of statistical concepts and experimental designs. My only regret was not purchasing this book during my early Undergraduate years, I have read and re-read countless books on the same phenomena, and despite the detail these books comprise of, they have never been able to impact on me the way this book has. Without sounding too much like a cliché’, if your only ever going to buy one statistical and research book, it has to be this one. Consider this the bible of all things statistically related!
M. L
Psych Me Up!


I strongly recommend this book. The all-important steps of defining the research question and choosing an appropriate method are clearly written by these experienced authors and by doing so provide a framework, which if followed, would avoid many of the common difficulties encountered by those in training. The book is a succinct, clear, and readable treatise on this extremely important area. It should prove to be invaluable to researchers, practicing social scientists, students and anyone involved in the design and reporting of experiments
Social Psychological Review


Unfortunately, the book covers too much that is not essential to the course. I will therefore recommend the book but cannot have it on the reading list without confusing my students.

Dr Matthias Stadler
Educational Psychology, LMU Muenchen
August 30, 2019

It's a great supplement for students as they conduct individual group experiments.

Dr Angela Marie Sikorski
Clg Of Health Behavioral Sci, Texas A & M Univ-Texarkana
August 21, 2016

This is an extremely well written step by step guide to experimental research.

Dr Iljana Schubert
Social Sciences Institute, University of Basel
October 19, 2017

This book (How to Design and Report Experimentss) introduces students comprehensively to designing and reporting experiments and if you are familiar with scientific research, you can also use it as a reference book. The logic is easy to follow and easy to understand.
Unfortunately there are statements in Chapter 5 Inferential Statistics that puzzle me:
The authors explain that they follow Fisher’s Test of significance. But Fisher considers only one hypothesis to be tested, called the null hypothesis. There’s no alternative hypothesis (experimental hypothesis, Field & Hole, p. 145). Neyman and Pearson (NP) introduce the alternative hypothesis beside the null.
And according to Fisher the cutoff point of 5 per cent (the level of significance) is not the probability of the Type I error (Field & Hole, p. 151). This is again NP’s theory. Fisher considers neither Type I nor Type II error. Fisher explains in his paper “Statistical Methods and Scientific Induction” (1955), why he could not accept NP’s concept of test theory. Finally he states in another paper “The Arrangement of Field Experiments” (1926) that a significant result means “Either there is something in the treatment, or a coincidence has occurred …” There are always two possibilities.

Ms Irasianty Frost
Business Administration , Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Sciences
October 13, 2016

This book (How to Design and Report Experiments) introduces students comprehensively to designing and reporting experiments and if you are familiar with scientific research, you can also use it as a reference book. The logic is easy to follow and easy to understand.
Unfortunately there are statements in Chapter 5 Inferential Statistics that puzzle me:
The authors explain that they follow Fisher’s Test of significance. But Fisher considers only one hypothesis to be tested, called the null hypothesis. There’s no alternative hypothesis (experimental hypothesis, Field & Hole, p. 145). Neyman and Pearson (NP) introduce the alternative hypothesis beside the null.
And according to Fisher the cutoff point of 5 per cent (the level of significance) is not the probability of the Type I error (Field & Hole, p. 151). This is again NP’s theory. Fisher considers neither Type I nor Type II error. Fisher explains in his paper “Statistical Methods and Scientific Induction” (1955), why he could not accept NP’s concept of test theory. Finally he states in another paper “The Arrangement of Field Experiments” (1926) that a significant result means “Either there is something in the treatment, or a coincidence has occurred …” There are always two possibilities.

Ms Irasianty Frost
Business Administration , Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Sciences
October 13, 2016

This book introduces students comprehensively to designing and reporting experiments and if you are familiar with scientific research, you can also use it as a reference book. The logic is easy to follow and easy to understand.
Unfortunately there are statements in Chapter 5 Inferential Statistics that puzzle me:
The authors explain that they follow Fisher’s Test of significance. But Fisher considers only one hypothesis to be tested, called the null hypothesis. There’s no alternative hypothesis (experimental hypothesis, Field & Hole, p. 145). Neyman and Pearson (NP) introduce the alternative hypothesis beside the null.
And according to Fisher the cutoff point of 5 per cent (the level of significance) is not the probability of the Type I error (Field & Hole, p. 151). This is again NP’s theory. Fisher considers neither Type I nor Type II error. Fisher explains in his paper “Statistical Methods and Scientific Induction” (1955), why he could not accept NP’s concept of test theory. Finally he states in another paper “The Arrangement of Field Experiments” (1926) that a significant result means “Either there is something in the treatment, or a coincidence has occurred …” There are always two possibilities.

Ms Irasianty Frost
Business Administration , Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Sciences
October 13, 2016

Fun to read, easy to understand.
As my lessons focusses on the implementation of content lectured earlier, I refer students to these lectures, but this book is a great booster!

Miss Helena Helbrich
Psychology , Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Sciences
June 13, 2016

An easily accessible& entertaining text which covers key issues in relation to designing, executing and writing up experimental research.

Dr Maria Fitzgerald
London School of Osteopathy, London School of Osteopathy
December 17, 2015

Realized I do not have enough time to go through this book with my students.

It is very nicely written, but not that good to read for a whole course.

I will recommend it to the students that write their bachelor thesis under my supervision. For this purpose it fits perfectly. With time on their hand the students can dwell in the book. Most of the common questions are answered in there.

Mr Constantin Schmidts
Inst of Psychology, University of Wurzburg
February 10, 2016