All psychology students know that their studies are impossible without writing assignments. They are a frequent part of their degree pursuit. Yet, not so many young people are ecstatic to receive such homework. Why is that? For one, papers take a lot of time, effort, and dedication if one wants to do them right. Secondly, a student can be assigned to write a research paper which makes everything so much harder. Such assignments require a lot of hard work, dedication, and reading. After all, research is the keyword here and that’s exactly what every student must do to succeed here.
Still, you are not just done yet by reading and exploring the literature. You also have to write the whole thing. This is where most students get into real trouble. Writing is not a skill that comes to us easily. Building and improving this talent takes time and practice. However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t work on it and help yourself to speed up the process. For example, you can learn more about the essential steps of writing a research paper for psychology. So, here is the guide on how to write a psychology research paper in a few simple steps.
Choose a Topic
Choosing a topic for a research paper in psychology can be tricky. First, you need a great idea. You should think about your areas of interest and what you would like to learn more about, even if you weren’t assigned this work. Writing about things that are interesting to you is an essential step in enjoying your assignments. This way, you get to learn more about your interests while also receiving good grades.
A good topic here should be interesting, original, and relevant to your field of studies. Try to avoid picking overly broad or too common themes. They will not give you any credit and will also make your work much harder to complete. It’s best to pick something a little bit more complicated but interesting to research than boring or oversimplified. Remember, your efforts will be acknowledged and rewarded accordingly.
Find References
Learning how to write a psychology term paper is almost meaningless without learning how to find needed resources. The type of research in psychology will depend on the specifics of your studies, your year, and your class. You must have enough evidence and data to build your case. Hence, you should learn how to look for those references. Often, it can become one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks. Still, it’s possible to complete it without much stress or chaos. Here’s how.
First, you have to narrow down your search areas. Start with where you are looking for resources. Often, your instructor can give you a tip on where to look for references. For instance, they can allow only certain libraries or authors. They can also insert certain period gaps, so you can use literature of specific years only. Always follow such instructions when you have them. In case you didn’t receive those, set such limitations yourself. For example, should you rely only on the most recent studies or not? What authors did their studies on the theme of your work? What online libraries or sites do you trust? Limit the area of your search so that you won’t get lost in the process.
Next, think of the keywords that you should look for when reading your sources. You have to value your time and skip everything that can’t provide you with proper insights on your topic. Look for the data and studies that can help you elaborate on your topic. It’s best if you keep track and make notes of all the sources that can be of use to you. Thus, once you are done with your search, you can see what sources you approved of, why, and what pieces of information you can use from there. Such a strategy will significantly speed up your work.
Structure
Writing a paper is similar to any other written assignment. It should follow the same rules, structure, and guidelines. For instance, it must have the three main essay components: introduction, main body, and conclusion. These elements are the essential parts of any academic piece of writing and must be done in accordance with their general requirements. In addition, you have to know how to start a paper, deliver your message, and give readers a sense of closure.
Outline, for one, is a great strategy on how to start a psychology research paper. An outline should serve you as a perfect map of all your main ideas, arguments, and evidence. It should help you structure your flow of thought and distribute all your ideas to the right places, sections, and paragraphs. Here’s how a traditional outline should look:
- Introduction
- Main body
- First paragraph
- Main idea
- Arguments
- Evidence
- Second paragraph
- Main idea
- Arguments
- Evidence
- Third paragraph
- Main idea
- Arguments
- Evidence
- Conclusion
You should try to follow the same structure of your work. Of course, you can add additional paragraphs in your main body. The length of the paper should always depend on the word count and the complexity of your work. However, for the most part, you should stick to the traditional outline and structure.
Drafting
Once you know what you're writing about and how you want to shape it, you can make your first drafts. Your outline should be your main helper here. You should rely on it to inform your paragraphs and deliver your opinions. However, you can also experiment here a bit and see what serves you better. It’s okay to make adjustments at this stage. You can look for additional references or change your main ideas. Also, make adjustments in the order of your paragraphs if you need. Your goal here is to make an effective flow of thought that is easy to read and comprehend. Once you have it, you should start writing the whole paper.
Editing
Editing is always that one part of the work that is often neglected. Such an approach can cost you. Editing should always be your last and essential part of the work. You should never submit a paper that you didn’t proofread and edit. During this stage, you get to read and analyze your work. See if you have said everything you wanted. Make sure that your message is clear. See whether your argumentation is enough to convince people. Check your text for errors, misspells, or grammar mistakes.
It’s important that you make a good first impression on your instructor. So, be sure to emphasize your hard work with great editing skills. Whenever you leave simple errors or inconsistency in your work, you demonstrate poor professionalism and little care. Naturally, none of your teachers will approve of that.