Writing Your Psychology Research Paper

139 Pages·2017·6.72 MB·English

by  Scott Baldwin

Baldwin’s talent as a teacher of writing shines through in Writing Your Psychology
Research Paper. This crisp, practical book should be the first stop for students
new to writing about the science of psychology.
—Paul J. Silvia, PhD, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
From research-based class papers to manuscripts for professional journals—
this easy-to-read book provides a clear guide for any student (undergraduate or
graduate) who wants to improve the quality of his or her writing and save time in
the writing process.
—Joshua K. Swift, PhD, Idaho State University, Pocatello
Writing Your Psychology Research Paper, by S. A. Baldwin
Copyright © 2018 American Psychological Association. All rights reserved.

Writing Your
Psychology
Research Paper
WritingPsychPaper_TitleP.indd 1 6/13/17 7:18 AM
Concise Guides to Conducting
Behavioral, Health, and Social
Science Research Series
Designing and Proposing Your Research Project
Jennifer Brown Urban and Bradley Matheus van Eeden-Moorefield
Writing Your Psychology Research Paper
Scott A. Baldwin
Writing Your
Psychology
Research Paper
SCOTT A. BALDWIN
CONCISE GUIDES TO CONDUCTING BEHAVIORAL,
HEALTH, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION • Washington, DC
WritingPsychPaper_TitleP.indd 2 6/13/17 7:18 AM
Copyright © 2018 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. Except
as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication
may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, including, but not limited
to, the process of scanning and digitization, or stored in a database or retrieval system,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published by To order
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Typeset in Minion by Circle Graphics, Inc., Columbia, MD
Printer: Sheridan Books, Ann Arbor, MI
Cover Designer: Naylor Design, Washington, DC
The opinions and statements published are the responsibility of the authors, and such
opinions and statements do not necessarily represent the policies of the American
Psychological Association.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Baldwin, Scott A., author.
Title: Writing your psychology research paper / Scott A. Baldwin.
Description: First edition. | Washington, DC : American Psychological
Association, [2018] | Series: Concise guides to conducting behavioral,
health, and social science research | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003497 | ISBN 9781433827075 | ISBN 1433827077
Subjects: LCSH: Psychology—Authorship. | Psychology—Research. | Academic
writing.
Classification: LCC BF76.7 .B35 2018 | DDC 808.06/615—dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003497
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record is available from the British Library.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0000045-000
To Will Shadish. I’ll miss you.

Contents
Series Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 3
I. Preparing to Write 9
Chapter 1. Developing an Idea 11
Chapter 2. Finding Background Information and Literature 21
II. Writing 37
Chapter 3. Organizing Your Ideas and Creating a Thesis 39
Chapter 4. Structuring and Drafting Your Paper 57
Chapter 5. Revising Your Paper 79
Chapter 6. Managing Citations 93
III. Staying on Task 103
Chapter 7. Dealing With Procrastination 105
Conclusion 115
References 117
Index 125
vii