The Principles of Writing in Psychology

Most people experience some difficulty with writing formal or technical papers. Students, in particular, can experience problems with the requirements of writing papers in psychology. This book is a comprehensive companion to the entire writing process, covering:

• Thinking analytically and critically
• Taking notes
• Organizing information and ideas
• Preparing and planning
• Writing drafts and editing.

It emphasizes the principles and logic underlying the thinking and writing process, so that these may be applied to a range of essays, literature reviews and research reports.

The book also includes advice and guidance on the reporting of statistics, and on the design, preparation, and use of figures and tables to illustrate research results. It also includes reference material on grammar, punctuation, spelling, abbreviations, and on typing and presentation.

For ease of finding relevant material it is organized into parts that relate to various aspects of writing and types of papers, and includes internal cross-references, a checklist of the writing process and examples of good and bad research reports.

The Principles of Writing in Psychology is suitable for use at all levels of study and beyond. It is consistent with the 5th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association but also covers deviations from this and includes material not included in the manual.

T.R. SMYTH held academic appointments at many of Australia's foremost universities, including Charles Sturt University, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of Canberra. He also authored The Psychology Thesis: Research and Coursework and Writing in Psychology: A Student Guide.

Auteur

THOMAS R. SMYTH held academic appointments at many of Australia's foremost universities, including Charles Sturt University, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University and the University of Canberra, Australia.

Contenu

A Note to Students
Introduction
PART 1: ACADEMIC PAPERS
Writing and Thinking
Scientific Writing
Style
Academic Standards
PART 2: SOURCES
Evaluating Sources
Citing Sources
Quotations
The Reference List
PART 3: WRITING
Writing a Paper
Drafts and Editing
PART 4: ESSAYS AND LITERATURE REVIEWS
An Overview of Essays and Literature Reviews
Preparation and Planning of a Paper
Writing an Essay or Literature Review
PART 5: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
An Overview of a Research Report
Preparation and Planning pf a Research Report
Writing a Research Report
Reporting Statistics
Using Figures and Tables
Preparing Figures and Tables
PART 6: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
Qualitative Research Reports
PART 7: RESOURCE MATERIAL
Grammar
Punctuation
Spelling and Capitalization
Abbreviations and Numbers
Typing and Presentation
Marking Papers
APPENDICES
Recommended Presentation Style Requirements for Student Papers
Examples of Citing Common Sources
Examples of Presentation of Publication Details in a Reference List
Common Standard Abbreviations
Abbreviations Commonly used in Statistics
Typing Format for Headings and Subheadings
Headings and Subheadings for a Simple Research Report
Headings and Subheadings for a Multiple Experiment Research Report
An Example of a Research Report
An Example of a Poorly Written Research Report
Checklist.