How to Write Psychology Research Reports and Essays (6e)

For undergraduate courses in Introductory Psychology.

How to Write Psychology Research Reports and Essays, 6e is endorsed by the Australian Psychological Society and is a useful reference to the strict guidelines required by the APS and the APA (American Psychological Association) styles.

A student who grasps these concepts and learns the conventions will have a sound basis for presenting research in a professional manner, and writing well argued essays, so that the later step of writing for publication should be an easier one to take.

1. Transition to University
 1.1 Coming to University Straight from School  
 1.2 Coming to University as a Mature Age Student  
 1.3 Students Changing Careers  
 1.4 Off-campus Students  
 1.5 How to succeed at Tertiary Study  

2. Reasons for Writing Research Reports and Essays  
 2.1 Why Write Them?  
 2.2 What is a Research Report?  
 2.3 Writing Essays at University  

3. Writing Research Reports and Essays – Common Elements  
 3.1 The Collaboration/Copying Distinction  
 3.2 Information Gathering  
 3.3 Evaluating Internet Resources  
 3.4 Critical Thinking  
 3.5 Writing Style  
 3.6 Using the Correct Tense  
 3.7 Inclusive Language  
 3.8 In-text Referencing (or How to Avoid Plagiarism)  
 3.9 Proofreading and Redrafting  
 3.10 The Physical Presentation of Your Assignment
  
4. Research Reports – How Do You Start?  
 Flowchart: The Process of Writing a Research Report  
  4.1 How to Approach a Research Report  
  4.2 How to Begin  
 4.2.1 Studies Designed by the Psychology Department  
 4.2.2 Studies You Design  
 4.2.3  All Studies  
 4.2.4  Research Ethics  
  4.3  Where to Go From Here 
 
5. Sections of a Research Report  
 5.1  Title Page and Abstract  
 5.2  Introduction  
 5.3  Method  
 5.3.1  Participants  
 5.3.2  Design  
 5.3.3  Materials  
 5.3.4  Procedure  
 5.4  Results  
 5.4.1  Your Very First Report  
 5.4.2  All Reports  
 5.4.3  Numbers and Words  
 5.4.4  Decimals  
 5.4.5  Tables  
 5.4.6  Figures  
 5.5  Discussion  
 5.6  References  
 5.6.1  Books  
 5.6.2  Journal Articles  
 5.6.3  Internet Sources  
 5.6.4  Other Sources  
 5.7  Appendices  
 5.8  Further Reading  
 5.9  Feedback  
 5.10  Summary  
 5.11  Checklist 
 
6. Essays in Psychology  
 Flowchart: The Process of Writing an Essay  
 6.1  How are Essays Different from Research Reports?  
 6.2  Choosing an Essay Topic  
 6.3  Deciding What the Essay Topic Asks  
 6.4  Preparation – Reading, Note-taking and Planning  
 6.5  Structure of an Essay  
 6.5.1  Title Page and Abstract  
 6.5.2  The Introduction  
 6.5.3  The Body (Discussion)  
 6.5.4  The Conclusion  
 6.5.5  References  
 6.6  Redrafting and Presentation  
 6.7  Further Reading  
 6.8  Checklist  

Appendix A  Sample of a Good Research Report  
Appendix B  Sample of a Poor Research Report

- New chapter on Transition to University
- New Appendix A and Appendix B
- Commonly misspelled words now available in the Companion website
- CompanIon Website (on-line study guide)

The website contains a diversity of self-assessment modules, including multiple-choice and
short-answer questions, which provide both depth and variety for student interactive testing.
It includes referencing exercises, plus a range of interesting and relevant web links for further
exploration, and examples of more sophisticated tables and figures that higher year students
will find helpful. See www.pearson.com.au/highered/findlay

- How to Use this book section provides a brief overview of the key aspects used in the text and the best way to use them. 
- Tables and figures are provided for better visual and statistical learning. 
-  Icons are used to indicate four key learning areas:
         - Tick indicates Good examples of writing style,
         - Cross indicates Bad examples for writing styles,
         -  Notepad accompanies most tables and provides key information about what is being shown, and 
         - Magnifying glass indicates information that is essential for students to be aware of. 
- Flow charts show the processes involved in writing a research report and an essay
- Glossary of those words used in the text with their meaning so students can learn and understand the terminology used in writing Psychology reports/essays. 
- Appendix A & B provide samples of good and poor research reports that students can use as a graphical index 
- 1000 commonly misspelled words to save students from dragging out their dictionary. (Available on the Companion website.)
- APS Student Membership form included in back of the text.

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  http://www.pearson.com.au/highered/findlay