Undergraduate Writing in Psychology: Learning to Tell the Scientific Story, Revised

by Landrum, R. Eric

• ISBN13: 9781433812163
• ISBN10: 1433812169
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-18
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

Now updated to reflect the changes made from the 5th to the 6th edition of the APA Publication Manual, this book takes undergraduate psychology students step-by-step through the process of writing papers. Sample draft and final papers are included.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 3
Why Psychology Students (and Not Just English Majors) Have to Write	p. 1
Telling a Good Story With Scientific Information: Can It Be Done?	p. 8
Why Do We Tell the Scientific Story?	p. 11
Types of Assignments	p. 11
Meeting Audience Needs: What Is the Instructor Asking for?	p. 14
Why APA Style and Format Exist	p. 17
Starting Your Paper: Finding the Thread of Your Story	p. 21
Selecting a Topic	p. 21
Developing a Thesis Statement or a Research Question	p. 24
Uncovering the Backstory, Part 1: Your Library Search Strategy	p. 27
What Sources Are Allowed?	p. 34
Extracting the Useful Nuggets From a Literature Search	p. 37
Uncovering the Backstory, Part 2: Primary and Secondary Sources	p. 38
Evaluating Sources	p. 40
Which Information Is Most Pertinent?	p. 42
Keeping Track of Ideas	p. 48
Keeping Track of Sources	p. 49
Alternate Methods of Recording and Using Research Notes	p. 51
How to Write Your Psychology Paper With Style: General Tips	p. 53
Why Instructors Like to Read Stylish Papers	p. 56
Audience Approval Meter: Ask What You Are Being Graded On	p. 64
Telling and Retelling Your Story: Drafting, Editing, Revising, and Proofreading	p. 64
How to Avoid Plagiarism With Style and Good Academic Citizenship	p. 73
Quiz Yourself on APA Style	p. 78
Bringing the Audience Up to Speed With Literature Reviews	p. 89
Literature Reviews Provide Story Context	p. 90
Guiding Principles for Writing Literature Reviews	p. 91
Reassembling Pieces of the Story: Synthesis	p. 92
Organizing a Literature Review	p. 95
Sample Literature Review	p. 97
Telling an Original Story Through a Research Paper	p. 105
Set the Tone: Introduction and Sample	p. 106
Total Transparency: Method Section and Sample	p. 107
What Happened, but Not Why: Results Section and Sample	p. 114
Explain and Question Again: Discussion Section and Sample	p. 118
The Rest of the Story: Title, Abstract, References, and Tables	p. 133
Titles and Abstracts for Posterity's Sake	p. 134
References: Your Paper's Pedigree	p. 135
Tables at a Glance	p. 136
Putting It All Together	p. 137
Sample Research Paper, Completed	p. 137
Reshaping Your Story for Different Audiences: Other Types of Writing in Psychology	p. 163
Oral Presentations at Conferences	p. 164
Poster Presentations	p. 165
Writing for the Web	p. 167
Essay Exams	p. 171
Writing for Pleasure and Insight	p. 172
References	p. 175
Index	p. 183
About the Author	p. 191
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