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.