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Writing psychology papers

Psychology papers should

  • Address all parts of the prompt.
  • Use research and empirical evidence to support all points.
  • Be concise and clear.    

Formatting  

 Writing in APA

  • 12 pt, Times New Roman font
  • Double-spaced with 1”margins
  • Header (cover page is different than other pages)
    • Cover page header: Running Head: TITLE OR ABBREVIATED TITLE
    • Header for rest of paper: TITLE OR ABBREVIATED TITLE
  • Page numbering starts on the cover page
  • References
    • Double-spaced
    • ½ ” hanging indent from the margin on all lines after the first in an entry
    • See “References” page for examples

 Research papers: Sections

  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Literature review (past tense: “Roberts showed” or present perfect tense: “researchers have shown”)
  • Methods (past tense or future tense in the case of a proposal)
  • Results (past tense)
  • Discussion (present tense)
  • References
  • Appendices (if needed)

Do’s and don’ts 

Do

  • Use active voice instead of passive wherever possible.
    • passive:  The experiment was conducted by Roberts.
    • active:  Roberts conducted the experiment.
  • Use “I” and “we” sparingly or not at all, and only use “I” and “we” when referring to researchers, not when referring to people in general.
  • Use person-first language. For example, “people with autism” instead of “autistics.”
    • Remember that “data” are always plural.
    • Use the word “participants” instead of “subjects.”

Don’t

  • Use direct quotes (they can be used, but should be used sparingly. Paraphrase whenever possible).
  • Use absolutes such as “completely”, “absolutely”, “always”, etc.
  • Use immodest expressions such as “prove”. Use words such as “suggest”, “support”, “show”, or “indicate” instead.
  • Use overly complex sentence structures. The goal is clarity.
  • Use colloquial or informal writing style, especially slang.
  • Use contractions.
  • Use biased language. 
  • The male pronoun (he) does not refer to everyone. 
  • Define people by what they aren’t. Rather than saying someone is “non-white”, say they are Latino, for example.
  • Assume readers will know what you mean. Define all acronyms, jargon, theories and ideas fully.

 Other useful tips and tricks

  • Proofread.
  • Edit.
  • Make sure everything is cited, and cited correctly.
  • Avoid common grammatical errors.
  • Write the paper over time instead of in one sitting, and edit and proofread over time.
  • Never be afraid to ask a professor for clarification if something is unclear.

References

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American psychological association. (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., & Brizee, A. (2013, March 1). General format. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01.

Callaghan, Glenn M. (n.d.). Writing a winning statement of purpose. Retrieved from http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/gcallaghan/graduate/winningstatement.htm.

Olson, K. & Meyersburg, C.A (2008). A brief guide to writing the psychology paper. Retrieved from http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic526630.files/BG%20Psychology.pdf. 

Schafer, Mickey S. (n.d.). Writing in psychology. Retrieved from http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/msscha/psych/personal_statement.html.

University of Washington. (2010). Style points for scientific writing. Retrieved from http://www.psych.uw.edu/writingcenter/writingguides/pdf/style.pdf.

Wolfe, Conie. (n.d.) General tips for writing a paper for psychology. Retrieved from http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/psychology/writingtips.htm.