Written Assignment (Optional)
If your study is professionally presented and adds to the value of our research knowledge, it will be published on the Sound Therapy SYNERGY site with a link to your contact details.
You are invited to submit a one to two page research proposal before undertaking your study. This should document the following:
- What is the background to the study, previous research and findings?
- What is the hypothesis, question posed or purpose of the study?
- Who will the subjects be and will there be a control group?
- How will the subjects be selected, using what criteria
- What treatment will be given?
- Duration
- Application
- Supervision
- Monitoring
- What evaluation/testing criteria will be used before, after and at what intervals?
Undertake your study and then write and submit your research paper.
How to write a research paper
Abstract
A short summary of the paper in one paragraph- less than 200 words
Should include: the rationale behind the study, the general approach to the problem, the pertinent results and important conclusions or new questions.
Introduction
To acquaint the reader with the reason for the study, with the intention of defending it. This enables the reader to understand your objectives in doing the study.
Review the literature and background context for your study.
Describe the importance of the study, why you chose the approach you did, your hypothesis or questions that you were investigating and, briefly, the experimental design.
Materials and methods
The purpose of this section is to describe what materials were used and how the study was done so that another person could replicate the experiment to judge the scientific merit of your work.
Describe the specific materials and methods that were used.
Results
Present and illustrate your findings. Illustrate with graphs and tables where appropriate. Describe results of control experiments and analyse your data. This section is purely an objective report of the results. All interpretation should be saved for the discussion.
Discussion
This section provides an interpretation of your results and support for your conclusions, drawing on evidence from your experiment, as well as generally accepted knowledge. The significance of your findings should be clearly described.
Discuss which of your hypotheses were supported, rejected or unclear.
If results differ from your expectations, explain why this might be so. Discuss whether the experimental design and the controls used were suitable for addressing the hypothesis.
If the results confirm your expectations, then describe the theory that has been supported by this evidence.
You may suggest future directions for further research.
Citations
Include citations for all research sources used.