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Psychology: Writing in Psychology
Journal Article Reporting Standards
What are JARS?
"APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (APA Style JARS) are a set of guidelines designed for journal authors, reviewers, and editors to enhance scientific rigor in peer-reviewed journal articles. Educators and students can use APA Style JARS as teaching and learning tools for conducting high quality research and determining what information to report in scholarly papers" (https://apastyle.apa.org/jars).
The guidelines include information on what should be included in all manuscript sections for:
- Quantitative research (JARS–Quant)
- Qualitative research (JARS–Qual)
- Mixed methods research (JARS–Mixed)
For more information about Journal Article Reporting Standards, consult the comprehensive JARS section on the APA Style site.
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Reporting Research in Psychology: How to Meet Journal Article Reporting Standards by Call Number: BF 76.7 .A5113 2011 (Murray Library: 4th Flr) -
Reporting Quantitative Research in Psychology by Call Number: BF 76.8 .A5113 2020 (Murray Library: 4th Flr)
Writing in Psychology
Here are some titles from the University Library that may be useful to you if you require some assistance with psychological writing.
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Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition is the official source for APA Style. With millions of copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, it is the style manual of choice for writers, researchers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, nursing, communications, education, business, engineering, and other fields. Known for its authoritative, easy-to-use reference and citation system, the Publication Manual also offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process-from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. The seventh edition is an indispensable resource for students and professionals to achieve excellence in writing and make an impact with their work. The seventh edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect best practices in scholarly writing and publishing. All formats are in full color, with a new tabbed spiral version Improved ease of navigation, with many additional numbered sections to help users quickly locate answers to their questions Resources for students on writing and formatting annotated bibliographies, response papers, and other paper types as well as guidelines on citing course materials Dedicated chapter for new users of APA Style covering paper elements and format, including sample papers for both professional authors and student writers New chapter on journal article reporting standards that includes updates to reporting standards for quantitative research and the first-ever qualitative and mixed methods reporting standards in APA Style New chapter on bias-free language guidelines for writing about people with respect and inclusivity in areas including age, disability, gender, participation in research, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality More than 100 new reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, and legal resources More than 40 new sample tables and figures Expanded guidance on ethical writing and publishing practices, including how to ensure the appropriate level of citation, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and navigate the publication process Guidelines that support accessibility for all users, including simplified reference, in-text citation, and heading formats as well as additional font optionsCall Number: BF 76.7 .A51 2020 (Murray, Education, St Thomas More libraries) -
Writing Your Psychology Research Paper by Many psychology students dislike writing a research paper, their aversion driven by anxiety over various aspects of the process. This primer for undergraduates explains how to write a clear, compelling, well-organized research paper. From picking a promising topic, to finding and digesting the pertinent literature, to developing a thesis, to outlining and presenting ideas, to editing for clarity and concision - each step is broken down and illustrated with examples. In addition, a bonus chapter discusses how to combat procrastination. Students learn that the best writing is done in chunks over long periods of time, and that writing is a skill that improves with practice. By following the advice in this book, any student can not only get through their dreaded writing assignment, but become a more proficient writer.Call Number: BF 76.7 .B35 2018 (Murray Library: 4th Flr) -
The Psychologist's Companion: A Guide to Professional Success for Students, Teachers, and Researchers by Call Number: Call Number: BF 76.8 .S73 2016 (Murray Library: 4th Flr & Reference) -
Conducting Your Literature Review by This book is a step-by-step guide to writing a literature review, and includes tips for modifying the process as needed depending on your audience, purpose, and goals. The lessons in this book can be applied to writing the background section for a thesis or an original research publication. Literature reviews are now much more challenging to compile today than they used to be. You need a structured approach to handle the sheer volume of published research available. This book will help you formulate a strategy for making decisions about what to include and not include in your review, and produce a reliable and unbiased summary of the existing research. You will learn skills for defining research questions, using search tools and managing citations. This book is part of the American Psychological Association's Concise Guides to Conducting Behavioral, Health, and Social Science Research series. Aimed at undergraduate students in research methods courses or others with a lab or research project, each book describes a key stage in the research process. Collectively, these books provide a solid grounding in research from start to finish.Call Number: BF 76.5 .H446 2020 (Murray Library - 4th flr)Publication Date: 2019 -
Guide to Publishing in Psychology Journals by This book is an indispensable guide to how to write articles, choose journals, and deal with revisions or rejection. Each chapter is written by a highly experienced journal editor - people who have actually made decisions on manuscripts and publication, as well as being eminent in their respective scientific field and written many articles themselves. It showcases parts of articles, discusses journal submission, outlines the resubmission process, and highlights systemic issues. Clear instructions are given on writing an empirical article, literature reviews, titles and abstracts, introductions, theories, hypotheses, methods and data analysis. Each part of the process is laid out from presenting results, to mapping-out a discussion and writing for referees. The integral skills of revising papers and ensuring a high impact are taught in 'article writing 101'. Whilst less intuitive knowledge is provided concerning publishing strategies, references, online submission, review systems, open access and ethical considerations.Call Number: e-bookPublication Date: 2019
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Scientific Writing for Psychology by In the Second Edition of Scientific Writing for Psychology, veteran teacher, editor and author, Robert V. Kail provides straightforward strategies along with hands-on exercises for effective scientific writing in a series of seven lessons. Kail shares an abundance of writing wisdom with "tools of the trade"--heuristics, tips, and strategies--used by expert authors to produce writing that is clear, concise, cohesive, and compelling. The exercises included throughout each extensively class-tested lesson allow students to practice and ultimately master their scientific writing skills. Call Number: BF 76 .K25 2019 (Murray Library - 4th Flr)Publication Date: 2019 -
Undergraduate Writing in Psychology by This third edition features new writing samples, including a full-length literature review and full-length scientific research paper, and new guidance to reflect the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. This accessible, practical guide to undergraduate writing takes the reader step by step through the process of developing research questions or theses, conducting literature searches, analyzing and synthesizing the literature, writing the paper, and more. Students will learn how to analyze and organize ideas for literature reviews, as well as how to prepare each section of a scientific research paper (introduction, method, results, discussion). The chapters are full of advice and resources, including a checklist and self-quiz, a sample grading rubric that an instructor might use, example reference formats, and several before-and-after writing samples showing marked-up changes. Bonus guidance is given for communicating effectively with instructors and preparing conference posters.Call Number: BF76.7 .L36 2020 (Murray Library - 4th flr)Publication Date: 2020
Writing Help
The Writing Centre provides free, one-to-one help at any stage of the writing process, both online and in person.
The Writing Centre's help guide provides a wealth of writing resources for students (including information about tutoring and workshops) and teaching resources for faculty.
Be sure to check out writing workshops geared to undergrads and grad students (all are welcome at either level). Attend a live workshop or watch a workshop recording on your own time.
Writing a Journal Critique / Review
You may be asked to critically review psychological research for your psychology assignments.
The books on this guide may include information on formatting and writing such a critique. These guides can also help:
- Writing a Critical Review (Monash University)
- Deconstructing a Scientific Research Article (Mississippi State University)