How to write a psychology research paper in a proper way


A research paper for psychology may be required to follow certain guidelines. For instance, you may need to use a specific formatting style, access certain resources, and provide thorough explanation for how you reached your conclusion. Since this is known to vary you can review your assignment with colleagues and your instructor before tackling the project independently. The following content provides a basic idea of what is expected when writing a psychology research paper.

  1. Choose a good psychology topic. The topic should complement your writing style and interest. Think about something you want to learn more about and something that will make it easy for you to follow guidelines.
  2. Define your main purpose or idea behind your paper. Develop your thesis statement depending on your subject matter. It should be strong, concise and clear. You may need to make changes to this statement as you conduct research to make it purposeful.
  3. Make a list of sources you will need for research. You can make your resource list when you decide on your topic. Some students may find this part of the writing process time consuming and difficult, especially if they are not about to find reputable sources for their topic. You may need to consider making changes to your topic selection if you have limited resources.
  4. Develop your outline with points you want to mention for each section. Your main idea or thesis will be supported by additional points you will mention throughout your paper. These points are what you will do additional research on and present your findings when you start writing. An outline will have your research paper broken into smaller parts with points you wish to discuss in each area.
  5. Research your topic and use your outline as a guide. Take notes on your topic and use your outline to help you collect evidence for your supporting information. Your research may be based on sections your paper is required to have. Make sure to collect enough data so you can write your paper from start to finish.
  6. Start your rough draft. Your draft will feature information you collected from research. This will not be perfect but you are writing sentences and paragraphs you will clean up later.
  7. Revise content. Clean up your content to make it organized and structured based on formatting requirements.
  8. Proofread and edit your paper. You can also double-check references and citations.
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