Psychology Research Papers

The most important thing to remember about writing a psychology research paper (or any research paper) is to begin with a bold statement. Not outlandish but bold, a well defined single statement that sums up the paper hypothesis clearly and concisely. This will sharpen and focus the subject matter for you and for the reader. From this point it is clear to you, the author, what needs to be researched and for the reader there are no surprises. He or she knows exactly from that opening paragraph what you will purport or prove and how you will do it. The latter is important particularly for a psychology paper because these papers require the author to present a reliable and respectable research methodology. Because psychological testing is subject to specific testing criteria, these must be presented and followed at the start of the paper in order to be credible.

Once the hypothesis is stated the body should be written using sub-headings in the writing style requested. Every statement made in the body of a paper must be supported with evidence. Part of supporting evidence is presenting alternative and opposing arguments and then explaining how these are unsubstantiated or why they carry less weight than the ideas promulgated in your hypotheses. The facts of every supporting and opposing argument must in turn be supported with references to where the data was sourced, whether that is books, experiments or personal experience, every piece of evidence has a source and that source should be made known.

Remembering to present a strong argument in the introduction, substantiating arguments with evidence and counter arguments and correctly citing sources (usually APA style referencing in psychology) are the foundations of a passing grade and respected paper. Sum these up neatly in the conclusion and you will be assured of a successful psychology research paper.

Related Links and Resources

• Psychology Writing Guide – psychology.gmu.edu
• List of Psychology Research Paper Topics
• Finding Ideas for Psychology Term Papers
• Psychology Research Paper Sample

Recommended Books

• Writing Papers in Psychology (with InfoTrac Printed Access Card)
• Effective Writing in Psychology: Papers, Posters, and Presentations
• Writing for Psychology