Effective Writing in Psychology

The second edition of Effective Writing in Psychology helps
users produce crisp scientific communication, form concise
unambiguous arguments, and render technical information clear and
comprehensible. The new edition incorporates the latest guidelines
contained within the 6th edition of the APA
Publication Manual.

• Clear guidelines on effective writing illustrate how to
  generate strong and compelling prose, even when the writing is not
  aimed at a research audience

• Incorporates changes to the guidelines contained in the
  6th edition of the APA publication manual

• Includes material on how to adapt APA style for poster
  presentations using PowerPoint, and for oral presentations

• Contains a new section on using the Internet to present
  research papers and a new chapter on conducting a literature
  search, to guide students through databases, keywords, sources, and
  connections between articles

• Highlights methods for selecting a research topic and
  organizing papers

• Features a sample manuscript showing common deviations from
  correct APA style and a version demonstrating appropriate use of
  APA style

Auteur

Bernard C. Beins, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Ithaca College, New York. He recently received the Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award from the American Psychological Foundation. He is also the author of Research Methods: A Tool for Life (2009). He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Eastern Psychological Association. Agatha M. Beins is Assistant Professor of Women's Studies at Texas Woman's University. She co-edited Women's Studies for the Future: Foundations, Interrogations, Politics with Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy (2005), and has published articles in Women: A Cultural Review and Sinister Wisdom. She is also part of the editorial collective for the journal Films for the Feminist Classroom.

Résumé
The second edition of Effective Writing in Psychology helps users produce crisp scientific communication, form concise unambiguous arguments, and render technical information clear and comprehensible. The new edition incorporates the latest guidelines contained within the 6th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

• Clear guidelines on effective writing illustrate how to generate strong and compelling prose, even when the writing is not aimed at a research audience
• Incorporates changes to the guidelines contained in the 6th edition of the APA publication manual
• Includes material on how to adapt APA style for poster presentations using PowerPoint, and for oral presentations
• Contains a new section on using the Internet to present research papers and a new chapter on conducting a literature search, to guide students through databases, keywords, sources, and connections between articles
• Highlights methods for selecting a research topic and organizing papers
• Features a sample manuscript showing common deviations from correct APA style and a version demonstrating appropriate use of APA style

Contenu
Preface to the Second Edition ix

Preface to the First Edition xi

1 Writing in Psychology 1

Writing in Psychology 2

How Does Psychological Writing Differ from Other Kinds of Writing? 3

Using APA Style 4

Making a Credible Argument 5

Different Types of Communication 6

Effective Communication 8

How to Begin 9

Part I Organizing and Developing Your Ideas and Writing 11

2 Formulating Your Ideas 13

Identifying Your Focal Question 13

Locating Relevant Sources 16

Recognizing Multiple Viewpoints 19

Ethical Writing 21

3 Assessing Your Sources 27

The Difference between Primary and Secondary Literature 28

The Difference between Popular and Scholarly Sources 28

Evaluating Sources 31

Evaluating Internet Sources 33

4 How to Conduct a Literature Search 41

Understanding Library Resources 43

Using Article Databases 49

Using the Internet 51

Using Sources to Find Sources 53

5 How to Read and Summarize a Journal Article 55

An Overview of the Researchthe Abstract 56

Identifying the Issuesthe Introduction 57

Understanding What Was Donethe Method Section 57

What Happenedthe Results Section 60

What It Meansthe Discussion Section 62

Where the Ideas Originatedthe References Section 65

Figuring Out What It Means 65

6 Organizing a Paper 67

Organization 68

Using the Work of Others to Support Your Argument 70

Editing and Revising 75

Mechanics 77

7 Elements of Style 79

Recognizing the Importance of Grammar and Style 80

Choosing Effective Wording 81

Using Inclusive and Appropriate Language 82

Deciding on the Use of Technical Language 85

Avoiding Common Problems 85

Verb Forms 88

Spelling 89

Specific Word Use 95

8 Communicating Statistics 97

Why Do We Use Statistics? 98

What Point Are You Trying to Make? 99

Understanding Your Numbers 101

Helping Readers Understand Your Statistics 103

Differentiating Results and Interpretations 106

Part II Preparing APA Format Papers 107

9 Writing a Thesis or a Term Paper 109

Developing Your Idea 111

Organizing Your Paper Around the Central Questions 114

Finding Different Perspectives About Your Idea 116

Developing the Logic of Your Argument 119

10 The Introduction Section 123

Introducing the Topic 124

Different Approaches to Starting the Introduction 124

How to Begin 127

Reviewing the Literature 128

Reasons for Reviewing the Literature 128

Clarifying Terms in the Research 129

Introducing Your Research: Generating a Hypothesis 130

11 The Method Section 133

Participants and Subjects 134

Materials and Apparatus 141

Procedure 143

Design 144

12 The Results Section 147

Your Hypotheses 148

Deciding What to Present 149

Reporting Significant and Nonsignificant Results 150

Marginally Significant Effects 151

APA Style and Presentation of Your Results 152

Creating Tables 155

Creating Figures 160

The Connection between the Text and the Tables and Figures 164

The Difference between Results and Discussion Sections 166

Some Final Points About Presenting Results 169

13 The Discussion Section 171

Summarizing Your Results 172

Connecting Different Aspects of Your Results 173 Dealing with Nonsignificant Results 1...