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Variables affecting the clarity of psychological reports
Author(s) -
Harvey Virginia Smith
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20196
Subject(s) - clarity , psychology , psychological science , applied psychology , social psychology , psychotherapist , cognitive psychology , biochemistry , chemistry
Effective psychological reports are consumer‐focused: They address the concerns of the referring persons, present data appropriately, communicate clearly and concisely, and include useful and appropriate recommendations. Although the importance of clear communication has been stressed repeatedly, psychologists often write reports that are very difficult for nonpsychologists to read. In this article, the author explores four reasons behind this dichotomy: (a) model reports available to psychologists in training are written at a level that is very difficult to understand; (b) psychological terms are not commonly defined; (c) the amount of time it takes to write easily understood reports is substantial; and (d) psychologists are confused about how to address multiple audiences. Methods to address each issue are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol.