Offers students an engaging introduction to the conventions of writing in the psychology discipline. Provides a thorough overview of academic writing in psychology. Author from University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

Table of Contents

P r e f a c e x. A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s. C H A P T E R 1 : Introduction to APA style. Structure of an essay. Sections of a research report.Finding the right information. Searching the literature. Reviewing the literature.Academic integrity. Plagiarism. Collusion. Checklist. Key terms. Internet activity. Applied activity. C H A P T E R 2 : Learning the mechanics of APA editorial style. Punctuation. Spelling. Capitalisation. Abbreviations and acronyms. Headings. Point form or seriation. Anchors on a scale. Numbers. Footnotes.Writing clearly and concisely. Grammar. Choosing your words carefully. Sentence and paragraph length. Using nondiscriminatory language. Checklist. Key terms. Review questions. Applied activity. C H A P T E R 3 : Critical thinking. Scepticism. Objectivity. Open-mindedness.Critically evaluating research. Interpret and evaluate the research evidence. General tips on how to write critically. Develop a balanced argument. Logical fl ow of argument. Checklist. Key terms. Applied activity. Internet activity. C H A P T E R 4 : Basic steps in essay writing. Title page. Abstract. Introduction. The essay body. Conclusion. Reference list.Word limit. Checklist. Key terms. Applied activity. Bad essay. Good essay. Identifying the essay topic. Sections of the essay. Why research is reported. Essays versus research reports. C H A P T E R 5 :Introduction. Identifying the research topic. Quantitative research. Qualitative research 88Parts of a research report. Title page. Abstract. Introduction. Hypotheses. Method. Results. Discussion. Reference list. Appendices. Word limit. Checklist. Key terms. Applied activity. Bad report. Good report. C H A P T E R 6 :Introduction. General forms for in-text citations. Single author. Two authors. Three, four, or fi ve authors. Same work in one paragraph. Six or more authors. Authors with the same surname. Multiple works by the same author. Same author and same year of publication. Two or more works within the same parentheses. No publication date. Online media. Personal communications. Latin abbreviations. Quotations of fewer than 40 words. Quotations of more than 40 words. Quotations from online documents and web sites. Exceptions within the author-date method of citation. Use of "et al." No individual author. Year and author integrated in text. Distinguishing between major and minor citations. Citing from online documents and web sites. Errors in material being quoted. Citing a secondary source. Checklist. Key terms. Applied activities. C H A P T E R 7 :Introduction. APA reference style. General form of reference entries. Periodicals. Non-periodicals. Electronic media. Other sources. Ordering the reference list. Special cases for ordering references. Checklist. Key terms. Internet activities. Applied activities. C H A P T E R 8 :Polishing your work. Revise and rewrite. Proofread. General tips for presentation. Typed or handwritten? Font. Contents. Margins. Borders. Spacing. Paragraph indents. Justifi cation. Starting on a new page. Ordering the pages. Length. Submitting your work. Cover sheets. Late assignments. Backup copies. Constructive feedback. Checklist. A P P E N D I C ES. Appendix 1: Answers to questions and activities. Appendix 2: Key to errors in Bad Essay. Appendix 3: Key to Good Essay. Appendix 4: Key to Good Report. G l o s s a r y. Index.

Author Biography

Dr Lorelle Burton is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Southern Queensland. She is a registered psychologist, a member of the Australian Psychological Society and author of the leading undergraduate Introductory Psychology text in the Australian market. Her passion and commitment to student learning has been offi cially recognised with several national teaching excellence awards.