Contents

CHAPTER 13: Communication in Psychology 439you to submit an appendix including your raw data, the worksheets for a statisticalanalysis, or the computer printout of the analyses. The appendix canalso be used to provide a verbatim copy of the instructions to participants or alist of the specific materials used in an experiment.) Each appendix is identifiedby letter (A, B, C, and so on), and any reference to the appendix in the body ofthe text is made using this letter. For instance, you might write, “The completeinstructions can be found in Appendix A.”Tips on Submitting Your Manuscript to a Journal Editor The Publication Manualprovides important information on the publication process, including descriptionsof editorial policies, author responsibilities, a manuscript checklist,a sample cover letter to a journal editor, and the APA Compliance with EthicalPrinciples Form that may be required when submitting manuscripts to APAjournals. (Tables 1, 2, and 3 in the Appendix to the Manual contain extensiveinformation recommended for inclusion in manuscripts reporting originaldata collection. A review of these critical elements will help even experiencedresearchers identify what may be missing from their research report.)ORAL PRESENTATIONSResearch psychologists regularly attend professional conventions at which theypresent brief oral descriptions of their research. Similarly, students may giveoral presentations of their research either in class or at a department researchsymposium involving students from a number of different classes or at undergraduateresearch conferences. All of these settings share one characteristic—the time allowed for the presentation is usually no more than 10 to 15 minutes.In this length of time it is impossible to provide the detailed description that isincluded in a journal article.A good oral presentation provides a succinct overview of the problem, themethodology, major results, and conclusions. It is in many ways like an expandedabstract of your study. Researchers frequently make available writtencopies of their study that contain more details than can be given in the oralpresentation. This frees the presenter to go over the highlights of a study andnot get bogged down in the fine details of the method or the analyses. Resist reportingspecific statistical outcomes (“the F value from the ANOVA was 4.67”).Simply report that a “significant difference was obtained” or that “conditionsdiffered reliably.” Listeners can look up the specifics in your written handout.Tips on Giving an Effective Oral Presentation Because it is an “oral” presentationdoes not mean that you should omit preparing a complete written version.Be careful, however, to write as you would speak and not, for example,as you would write a journal article. Use simple sentences and mark placeswhere you might want to pause or refer to a visual aid. Most of us speakfaster when nervous, so pause marks on your pages will remind you to speakat a moderate pace and pause occasionally. The written version you use forspeaking need not (and perhaps should not) be the same as a written handout