Description
Book SynopsisMaster the art of APA-style writing with this newly updated and accessible resource The newly and thoroughly revised Third Edition of Effective Writing in Psychology: Papers, Posters, and Presentations offers compelling and comprehensive guidance to readers who want to create powerful and persuasive prose in a rigorous, scientific, and APA-compliant framework. Distinguished academics and authors Bernard and Agatha Beins walk readers through the foundational and advanced topics they must grasp to generate convincing and credible APA-stye writing. The book combines an accessible and approachable guide to effective writing with the most current best practices from the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association's publication manual. New writers and experienced authors alike will benefit from Effective Writing in Psychology's descriptions of the most frequently used and important aspects of APA-style writing. The authors minimize their use of technical jargon and include explanations of how to create effective posters, deliver high-quality oral presentations, and publish electronically. The book also includes: An up-to-date presentation of ethical, inclusive writing and proper use of modern pronounsStep-by-step guidance on the use of APA formatting in scholarly papersExplanations of how to create effective posters for poster sessionsDescriptions of how to organize convincing and credible oral presentations that leave listeners and conference attendees impressed and edifiedThe basics of creating and formatting electronic documents for publication on the web Effective Writing in Psychology: Papers, Posters, and Presentations is an invaluable resource for psychology and social, and behavioral science students at any level. It also belongs on the bookshelves of practicing psychology professionals, researchers, and academics who would like to brush up on their technical writing abilities.
Table of ContentsPreface to the Third Edition xii
Preface to the Second Edition xiv
Preface to the First Edition xv
1 Writing Professionally 1
Introduction to Writing in Psychology 1
How Does Professional 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 20
3 Assessing Your Sources 25
The Difference Between Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Literature 26
The Difference Between Popular and Scholarly Sources 27
Evaluating Sources 29
Evaluating Internet Sources 31
4 How to Conduct a Literature Search 39
Understanding the Purpose of a Literature Search 39
Understanding Library Resources 41
Using Article Databases 46
Using the internet 48
Using Sources to Find Sources 50
5 How to Read and Summarize a Journal Article 51
Understanding Journal Articles 51
Overview of the Research—the Abstract 53
Identifying the Issues—Introduction Section 53
Understanding What Was Done—Method Section 54
What Happened—Results Section 56
What It Means—Discussion Section 59
Where the Ideas Originated—References Section 61
Figuring out What It Means 61
6 Organizing a Paper 63
Organization 64
Using the Work of Others to Support Your Argument 66
Editing and Revising 71
Mechanics 73
7 Elements of Style 75
Recognizing the Importance of Grammar and Style 76
Choosing Effective Wording 78
Using Inclusive and Appropriate Language 81
Deciding on the Use of Technical Language 83
Avoiding Common Problems 84
Verb Forms 86
Spelling 88
Specific Word Use 88
8 Communicating Statistics 95
Importance of Understanding Statistics 95
Why Do We Use Statistics? 96
What Point Are You Trying to Make? 97
Understanding Your Numbers 99
Helping Readers Understand Your Statistics 101
Differentiating Results and Interpretations 104
Part II Preparing APA‐Style Papers 105
9 Writing a Thesis or a Term Paper 107
Framework for Writing a Term Paper 107
Developing Your Idea 108
Organizing Your Paper Around the Central Questions 112
Finding Different Perspectives About Your Idea 114
Developing the Logic of Your Argument 117
10 The Introduction Section 121
Introducing the Topic 122
Different Approaches to Starting the Introduction 122
How to Begin 126
Reviewing What Others Have Already Done 126
Reasons for Reviewing the Literature 127
Clarifying Terms in the Research 128
Introducing Your Research: Generating a Hypothesis 129
11 The Method Section 131
Participants and Subjects 132
Materials and Apparatus 140
Procedure 142
Design 143
12 The Results Section 145
Providing a Good Ending 145
Your Hypotheses 146
Deciding What to Present 147
Reporting Significant and Nonsignificant Results 148
Marginally Significant Effects 150
APA Style and Presentation of Your Results 151
Creating Tables 154
Creating Figures 159
The Connection Between the Text and the Tables and Figures 162
The Difference Between Results and Discussion Sections 164
Some Final Points About Presenting Results 167
13 The Discussion Section 169
Summarizing Your Results 170
Connecting Different Aspects of Your Results 171
Dealing With Nonsignificant Results 172
Comparing Your Results With Those of Others 173
State the Importance and Implications of Your Results 174
Acknowledging the Limitations of Your Study 175
14 References: Citations in the Text and the Reference List 177
Purpose of the References Section 177
Citing References in the Text 178
Order of Citations in the Reference List 181
Using Your Word Processing Program to Create the Citation 182
Examples of How Different Types of References Should Be Laid Out in a Reference List 183
Examples of Different Types of Citations in the Reference List 188
References Involving Books 190
Presentations 192
15 Final Touches: The Abstract and Formatting Details 195
The Abstract 196
Formatting Details 197
Part III Communicating Beyond the Research Paper 221
16 Creating Poster Presentations 223
Differentiating Visual and Written Communication 224
Reducing the Amount of Information 224
Visual Style 225
Your Behavior: The Ethic of a Poster Session 228
Creating Your Poster Using PowerPoint 230
17 Giving Oral Presentations 237
The Difference Between Oral and Written English 237
Adapting APA Style to Oral Presentations 242
Preparing for Your Talk 242
Creating Graphics for Your Presentation 244
Giving the Presentation 245
18 Presenting Your Work on the Internet 247
New Capabilities with Internet Publication 248
Using a Word Processor to Create Manuscripts for the Internet 249
Advantages of Internet Publishing Software 252
Publishing Your Poster on the Web 254
Uploading Your Manuscript to the Internet 254
19 Submitting Your Plan to an Ethics Committee 255
Ethical Standards in Research 256
Writing a Proposal for an Institutional Review Board for Research With Human Subjects 257
Writing a Proposal for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for Animal Research 262
Appendix A Example of APA-Style Manuscript with Common Errors 265
Appendix B Corrected APA-Style Manuscript 273
References 283
Author Index 295
Subject Index 298
