Pearson Education Psychology Resource Site

Keys to Writing Effective Papers

The further you pursue psychology, the more papers you will be expected to write. Many students struggle with writing papers not because they are bad writers necessarily, but because they make basic mistakes before they even begin the paper. Here are some things to consider when writing a paper or essay.

Understand your assignment — although it sounds obvious, many students do not entirely understand the scope of the assigned paper. Be sure you know things like the length of the paper, due date, and so on. If you have any confusion, be sure to clear it up with your professor before you begin.
Unless they specify otherwise, most instructors expect your paper to be in the general form specified in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Manual). If you're unsure of how to write in APA style, check the library for a copy of the APA manual. You may also find it useful to look at an APA style crib sheet at: http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/apa-crib.html
Choose your topic carefully — if you choose a topic that interests you, you are likely to enjoy the project more, and probably put more effort into it. Be careful though, make sure that the topic you choose can be covered in the amount of pages you have to work with, and is achievable by the due date. Don't try to summarize the entire past 50 years of psychology if your paper is due in a week.
Know your audience— if your instructor is your audience, try to learn his or her expectations before you begin.
Don't be afraid to spend some time online and in the library. There is a wealth of resources online and in the library related to every topic in psychology that will help you with your essay.
Outline your paper before you begin. Decide what your key points are going to be in the paper, and what the take home message will be for the audience.
Once you have finished the paper, set it aside for a day or two. Come back to it after you have had some time away from the paper and review it again. You will likely find some mistakes you may have missed the first time around.