Psychology Research Guide

Overview

Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior, spanning cognitive processes, social influence, developmental trajectories, clinical disorders, and neuroscience. The field has undergone a methodological revolution since the replication crisis of the 2010s, with new standards for statistical rigor, pre-registration, transparency, and open science fundamentally reshaping how research is conducted and evaluated.

This guide covers the practical aspects of conducting psychology research in the post-replication-crisis era: experimental design with adequate power, pre-registration, appropriate statistical analysis, effect size reporting, and the tools and platforms that support reproducible psychological science. The focus is on what reviewers and editors at top journals now expect.

Whether you are designing a behavioral experiment, analyzing survey data, conducting a psychometric validation, or reviewing a manuscript, these patterns reflect current best practices in the field.

Experimental Design

Between-Subjects vs. Within-Subjects