Introduction
Writing a psychology research paper is an arduous task if you are a novice researcher and unfamiliar with the research process in psychology. Psychology is a complex and nuanced subject that requires an interdisciplinary approach and attention to detail. There are subtle and hidden meanings behind the literal explanations of human behaviour. A researcher has to probe deeply into the hidden mind and extract meaningful insights. It requires paying attention to detail and a good grasp of complex psychological concepts. So, if you are a novice researcher and looking for guidance for writing your psychology research paper like a pro, you have come to the right place. This article will tell you how to write your psychology research paper.
What approaches are necessary for writing a research paper?
Psychology research papers seek to enlighten the readers about a novel concept, theory or experiment. Scholars in psychology emphasise clear writing skills and the usage of simple language to enhance the readability of psychology research papers. Scholars advise against using complex, descriptive and jargon riddled language. An influential research paper in psychology can convey the meaning of complex psychological concepts in a clear and concise manner. A psychology paper that contains complex language and terminologies is not easy for an average reader to understand.
A psychology paper also entails informing the readers about the factual knowledge that exists in the discipline of psychology. Writers have to support their claims with ample evidence and construct their language precisely to cater to a wide readership. Writing in psychology is multifaceted and encompasses previous research that attempted to find the relevant question. Psychology research papers do not cite the quotes directly from other sources. Instead, authors in psychology summarise or paraphrase the ideas from various sources and connect them with their key arguments. Writers allude to the source’s ideas in psychology research papers to enhance the clarity of the outlined concepts.
What are the common types of psychology research papers?
Researchers in psychology write the following types of research papers:
- Grant Proposals
- Research applications
- Review Articles
- Research Articles
- Textbooks
- Lab Reports
Students in psychology have to generally attempt two types of psychology research papers, which are:
Lab Report or Empirical Research
A lab report or empirical psychology research paper requires presenting the primary data collected through experimentation. Researchers have to present the hypothesis, research methods, results, and analysis. A lab report in a psychology research paper is a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the experiments conducted.
Literature Review
This paper style summarises past research on a specific issue to set the stage for your research, and it must be a unique take on the subject. Rather than simply describing the sources you have read, your purpose is to assess them. For example:
- What impact do variances in study design or population-based studies have on the broad consensus on your topic?
- What are the inconsistencies among research that focus on a single theory?
How to write a psychology research paper like a pro?
Even though psychology writing can initially appear intimidating, the process follows a very exact pattern or blueprint. You’ll be a proficient psychological writer with time if you follow the guidelines correctly. You must employ the language that great psychology writers use, and practice makes a man perfect. Here are some strategies that you can use to write your psychology research paper like a pro:
Narrow down the Focus of Your Topic
You begin with a broad opening, then reduce your focus as your topic and point become more particular. Then finally, in the end, you begin to broaden the paper again to focus on the bigger perspective. The writer can use this format to provide background for the paper’s main topic. It is essential to have a claim for writing a psychology research paper. It does not matter even if you are doing the literature review; you must have a central claim. A literature review is not about restating the claims of other authors, but you must have an arguable claim that adds value to the literature. Your claim must be insightful and offer a fresh perspective on the specific research problem. You will also have to inform the reader about the significance of your research paper. You will have to help readers understand the context of your research paper.
Write a Critical Literature Review
A psychology research paper requires writing a critical literature review that is engaging and insightful. The primary goal of a literature review is to integrate the previous studies and offer fresh perspectives on the study. You will have to do comprehensive research online and, in the library, to write a robust literature review. Literature review entails a critical evaluation of different sources relevant to your topic and identifying gaps in the existing knowledge. Being critical does not mean that you have to unnecessarily criticise the other sources and reject the ideas of other scholars. But you must take a dialectical approach and identify the strengths and limitations of previous studies. After a thorough literature review, you will be able to construct a strong statement of the problem. A strong statement of the problem helps you write a logically consistent psychology research problem.
What is the structure of an influential psychology research paper?
A psychology research paper has the following structure and format:
Abstract
An abstract is a brief summary that briefly describes the key points of the research findings and conclusions.
Introduction
The introduction section provides the background knowledge of the topic to the reader. It includes the research problem, research questions, hypothesis, aims and objectives, and significance of the study.
Research Methods
Research methods inform the readers about methods to probe the research problem. You will have to explain and justify the chosen research methods.
Results
In the results’ section, you will have to report the results gathered through primary research and experimentation.
Discussion
A discussion part entails an analysis and evaluation of the results. The discussion part is a thorough analysis of your results based on research questions and problem. You will have to connect your study’s results with the literature and explain what the value of your research is.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you will have to reiterate the research problem and discuss the broader implications of your research. You can also make recommendations and call for action.
Writing a psychology research paper requires following the scientific process of research. Novice writers must do extensive research to get familiar with the complex psychological concepts. For this, the writers must use straightforward language to explain the meaning of complex concepts.
Author Bio:
Robert Fawl is a professional Content writer & Content Marketer, based in London. Robert is an Author and Blogger with experience in providing writing services including but not limited to Buy Dissertation Online, Buy Assignment Online and Buy Essay Online etc.
