Practice Innovations, Vol 10(1), Mar 2025, 43-57; doi:10.1037/pri0000251
Decades of research have strongly advocated for crafting effective psychological reports in a manner that presents information at a lower reading level, organizes content by functional domain, and communicates results in a client-centered manner. However, psychological reports remain challenging for nonpsychologists to comprehend. Extensive research indicates that service users (e.g., patients, parents, and teachers) perceive these reports as overly technical, difficult to understand, and lacking utility. One identified contributor to these challenges is the training practices within professional psychology programs. Despite considerable research on test administration and scoring errors, there has been limited investigation into the development of report writing practices among graduate students. This study represents the first examination of graduate students’ psychological report writing skills within a professional psychology program. Utilizing quantitative content analysis, 63 psychological reports authored by graduate students were analyzed to identify commonalities and disparities in writing style and content. In addition, the study explored relationships between specific characteristics of report writing, such as presentation style, integration, and readability, within the framework of best practices. The findings indicate that students do not write accessible or integrated reports. The choice of formatting and the use of active voice may play a role in enhancing integration and readability. Therefore, these aspects should be considered when instructing students on report presentation. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to psychologists, educators, and students undergoing training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)