Short Guide to Writing About Psychology, A

by Dunn, Dana S.

• ISBN13: 9780321094247
• ISBN10: 0321094247
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Combining up-to-date writing techniques with APA-style, this brief guide will help readers master the skills necessary for writing in psychology. This guide takes readers step-by-step through the writing process--from researching psychological literature, to choosing a topic, all the way through writing, formatting, and presenting their findings in written and oral formats. Special attention is given to interpreting and reporting the results of statistical tests, as well as preparing data displays in tables and figures. This guide also provides practical tips for more general types of writing encountered in psychology and the other social sciences. Ideal for individuals who need to learn the required writing style for professional writing in APA style.

Table of Contents

PREFACE	xi
1 WRITING ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY	1	(12)
Writing is a Process	1	(3)
Why Write, Anyway?	2	(2)
Forms of Writing in Psychology	4	(2)
Student Papers	5	(1)
Introducing APA Style	6	(2)
Planning Your Writing: Timing is Everything	8	(3)
Answering a Test Question	8	(1)
Writing a Paper	9	(1)
A Basic Timeline	9	(2)
Writing Habits	11	(1)
EXERCISES	12	(1)
2 SEARCHING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL LITERATURE	13	(25)
Selecting a Research Topic	13	(5)
Maintaining a Research Notebook	15	(1)
Narrowing Your Focus	16	(2)
Process Overview: Searching the Psychological Literature	18	(1)
Doing Library Research	19	(9)
A Brief Guide to Reference Works in Psychology	21	(1)
Using Online Catalogs	21	(3)
Psychology Online: Using Databases	24	(4)
Manually Searching the Psychological Literature	28	(1)
Searching the Internet	28	(6)
Search and Metasearch	30	(1)
Other Internet Resources	30	(3)
Using the Internet: Caveat Emptor	33	(1)
Keeping Track of References	34	(3)
Logging References in a Working Bibliography	35	(2)
EXERCISES	37	(1)
3 READING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL LITERATURE	38	(16)
The Scientific Pecking Order: Why Journals Are First	39	(1)
How to Read and Evaluate the Literature	40	(6)
How to Read a Journal Article	41	(2)
Skimming: Doing a Quick Prereading	43	(3)
Taking Notes on What You Read	46	(1)
Using Notecards	46	(1)
Using Your Research Notebook	47	(1)
Recognizing and Preventing Plagiarism	47	(6)
Try This Plagiarism-Awareness Exercise	49	(3)
One More Word of Advice	52	(1)
EXERCISES	53	(1)
4 GETTING STARTED WRITING	54	(27)
Getting Started: Prewriting Activities	55	(9)
Freewriting	56	(2)
Outlining	58	(6)
Writing a First Draft	64	(5)
"Trick Drafts": Starting With the Roughest Draft	64	(1)
Writing a Hypothesis and Composing Paragraphs	65	(2)
A Recommended Order for Drafting APA-Style Papers	67	(2)
Writing Subsequent Drafts	69	(4)
Three Issues to Consider	69	(2)
Suggestions for Further Improvement	71	(1)
How Many Drafts?	72	(1)
Revising: Top to Bottom Every Time	73	(4)
Revisiting a Draft	74	(3)
Seeking Feedback	77	(3)
Professor, Peer, or Writing Center?	77	(1)
How to (Graciously) Receive Feedback	78	(1)
How to (Graciously) Give Feedback	79	(1)
EXERCISES	80	(1)
5 WRITING APA-STYLE PAPERS: CONTENT AND GUIDANCE	81	(38)
Benefits of APA Style	81	(2)
Bem's Hourglass Model for Empirical Writings	83	(1)
Writing the Empirical, or Research, Paper in APA Style	83	(20)
Title	83	(2)
Abstract	85	(2)
Introduction	87	(5)
Method	92	(5)
Results	97	(1)
Discussion	98	(3)
References	101	(1)
Tables and Figures	101	(1)
Appendix	102	(1)
Author Note	102	(1)
A Sample Research Paper	103	(11)
Writing an Article Critique	114	(1)
Writing a Research Proposal	114	(1)
Writing a Literature Review Paper	115	(2)
Writing a Theory Paper	117	(1)
EXERCISES	117	(2)
6 WRITING UP RESULTS	119	(11)
Conveying Statistical Results In Words	119	(7)
Starting With a Hypothetical Research Result	119	(4)
Organizing the Results Section	123	(3)
Reflecting Further on Your Results	126	(3)
New APA Guidelines on Statistical Methods	126	(2)
Meaning Before Numbers: The MAGIC Criteria	128	(1)
EXERCISES	129	(1)
7 CITING REFERENCES IN APA STYLE	130	(20)
Citations and References	130	(2)
Learn the Psychological Literature by Reading Reference Sections	131	(1)
Basic Citation Mechanics	132	(9)
Citing References Within Text	132	(2)
Quoting and Paraphrasing	134	(6)
Citing Secondary Sources	140	(1)
Formats for APA-Style References	141	(8)
Journal Articles	142	(1)
Books	143	(1)
Edited Books	144	(1)
Chapters in Edited Books	144	(1)
Magazine or Newspaper Articles	144	(1)
Presentations at Professional Meetings or Conferences	145	(1)
Electronic (Online) Sources	145	(1)
Reviews	146	(1)
Personal Communications	146	(1)
Letter to the Editor	146	(1)
Dissertations and Masters Theses	147	(1)
Unpublished Manuscripts or Data	147	(2)
EXERCISES	149	(1)
8 DISPLAYING DATA IN TABLES AND FIGURES	150	(10)
Tables	150	(4)
Constructing a Table	151	(3)
Figures	154	(5)
Constructing a Figure	156	(3)
EXERCISES	159	(1)
9 FORMATTING AND PROOFREADING YOUR PAPER	160	(23)
Grammar Guidelines	160	(4)
Punctuation Basics	164	(3)
Some Common Usage Errors in Student Writing	167	(2)
Checking Your Spelling	169	(1)
Check Your Writing Voice: Be Active, Not Passive	170	(1)
Using Inclusive Language	171	(4)
Gender and Sex	173	(2)
Race and Ethnicity	175	(1)
Guidelines for Formatting in APA Style	175	(4)
Title Page	176	(1)
Page Numbering	177	(1)
Headings and Subheadings	177	(2)
Quickly Checking a Paper's Format	179	(1)
Proofreading the Penultimate Draft: Once More with Feeling	179	(3)
EXERCISES	182	(1)
10 BEYOND WRITING: PRESENTING PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH	183	(26)
The Call for Papers	183	(5)
Understanding Call Types and Requirements	184	(2)
Knowing Your Audience	186	(2)
The Talk	188	(7)
Outlining a Talk	189	(1)
Preparing Overheads, Slides, and Handouts	190	(1)
Computer-Aided Programs	190	(1)
Practice, Practice, Practice	191	(1)
Giving the Talk: Be a Pro, Avoid the Cons	191	(4)
Symposia: Talks in Common	195	(2)
Student Symposia	197	(1)
Poster Presentations	197	(5)
Knowing What to Expect	198	(1)
Creating a Poster: Less Is More-and More Is a Bore	199	(3)
Return to Writing: Submitting Your Research to a Journal	202	(6)
Student Journals	202	(1)
Professional Journals	203	(2)
Submission, Peer Review, and Editorial Decision: A Process Outline	205	(2)
Patience, Patience, Patience	207	(1)
EXERCISES	208	(1)
APPENDIX	209	(2)
REFERENCES	211	(9)
CREDITS	220	(3)
INDEX	223