PSY 310, Section 03

Syllabus Psychology 310: Research and Writing in Psychology Recitation Section 03 Spring 2012 Class Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:50-7:45 PM Class Location: Psychology A, Room 141 Instructor: Jenny Bress E-mail: Jennifer.bress@stonybrook.edu Office: Psychology B, Room 133 Office Hours: Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. or by appointment Textbook: Dunn, D.S. (2008). A short guide to writing about psychology. 2nd Edition New York: Pearson Longman. Course Description: This writing section is designed to help you think critically about psychological research and to learn how to communicate your research according to the standards expected of research psychologists. This course will be devoted to (a) learning how to effectively use and access library resources, (b) formulating innovative and interesting research questions, (c) designing and describing an appropriate study to test the questions you generate, and (d) drafting, writing, and presenting an original research proposal for your study. You will learn the technical aspects of writing each section of the Research Proposal (i.e., the Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, Abstract, and References sections), and you will also participate in one-on-one meetings with me to discuss your ideas and writing. Along the way, you will receive feedback on each component of your Research Proposal. At the end of the semester, you will present your Research Proposal to the class. This course will be demanding of your time, but will also give you the tools needed to write scientifically. Selecting a topic that interests you and keeping up with assignments will be key for your success in this class. Online course website: This course is registered on Blackboard. Class documents, announcements, and assignments will be posted there. You will also submit all assignments electronically through Blackboard; you can post your assignments by clicking on the Assignments tab under this course. You can log on at http://blackboard.stonybrook.edu. Course Requirements and Policies: Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation are expected and required in this class, and will count strongly toward your final grade. You will lose 1 point for each missed class or individual meeting. y Attendance will be taken at every class, and you will lose 1 point from your final grade for each class session that you miss. If you miss more than 15 minutes of class, you will not receive the point for that day. You must also be present on all presentation days. y Participation means being prepared for class, being involved in discussions, contributing your thoughts, questions, and ideas, and showing respect and consideration for others. If you are not prepared for class, or are not actively involved (e.g. if you are sleeping, texting, checking email, or not being respectful during presentations), you will lose the attendance/participation point for that day. CELL PHONES MUST REMAIN OFF. If your phone rings, or if you use it during class, you are subject to losing the point for that day.
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Absences: If you anticipate missing class, please let me know well in advance. You must also provide a letter signed by your coach, doctor, etc. If an emergency or illness prevents you from attending class, please let me know as soon as possible, and provide the appropriate documentation. Due Dates and Late Assignments: Assignments must be submitted electronically on Blackboard by the beginning of class. No paper copies will be accepted. One point will automatically be subtracted for every 24-hour period that an assignment is late, starting from the beginning of class. Writing Assistance: The Writing Center on campus is available to all students for additional help with their writing skills and composition. Their website contains their hours of availability and additional information: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/writrhet/writing_center/writing.html. Call them at (631) 6327405 for more information and to make an appointment. Academic Integrity: The University provides severe penalties for cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism. Any form of academic dishonesty will be treated as a serious matter and will be reported to the appropriate college judiciary committee. Academic dishonesty consists of any act that is designed to obtain fraudulently, either for oneself or for someone else, academic credit, grades, or other recognition that is not properly earned, including but not limited to, cheating or plagiarizing. It is your responsibility to be fully aware of the University policies on academic conduct. So if you are unfamiliar with the University policies in this area, please see me, or consult an appropriate advisor. Please respect yourself, your classmates, and me by refraining from any form of academic dishonesty. A special note about plagiarism: Stony Brooks academic judiciary website (http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/policies.shtml) defines plagiarism as copying someone else's writing or paraphrasing it too closely, even if it constitutes only some of your written assignment, without proper citation. You must cite all of your sources and use quotation marks around any wording taken directly from another source. If you have questions about how to cite a source, I will be happy to help you. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/. Special Needs (Americans with Disabilities Act): If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center), room 128, (631) 632-6748/TDD. Their staff will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information go to the following website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities.shtml.

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Grading: Your grade for this class will contribute 100 points to the to the total of 200 points for PSY 310 (the remaining 100 points will be earned from the lecture component). Assignment Date 3 possible research topics Thurs 2/2 Outline Tue 2/21 Introduction draft (2-3 pages) Tue 3/6 References draft (at least 5 citations) Methods draft (2-3 pages) Tue 3/13 Results draft (2-3 pages) with Thurs 3/22 figures/tables Discussion draft (2-3 pages) Thurs 4/12 References Thurs 4/12 Abstract Thurs 4/12 Final paper Thurs 4/26 Presentations Attendance and participation *Final papers will not be accepted after Tuesday, May 3. Course Calendar Points 5 5

5 5 5 5 5 30 10 (5 each for 2 presentations) 25

Date Tue 1/24 Class 1 Thurs 1/26 Class 2 Tue 1/31 Class 3 Thurs 2/2 Class 4

Topic Welcome and overview

Lecture: Scientific method and research design: How to devise your project Lecture: Brainstorming research ideas Brainstorm three research In class activity: Group brainstorming ideas of interest to you Lecture: Structure of a research article Workshop: Conducting a literature search Lecture: Format of your outline presentations Lecture: Writing style guidelines Administrative: Schedule individual meetings

What You Should Do Before Next Class Buy A Short Guide to Writing about Psychology Think about possible research topics

Assignment Due Today

Submit 3 possible topics (ranked)

Tue 2/7 Class 5

1. Continue your literature search 2. Copy articles from the library, print articles from online journals, or request items from ILL 3. Work on your outline Continue to work on your outline Bring outline draft and 5 references to individual meeting

Thurs 2/9 Class 6

Individual meetings no class (In my office: Psych B Room 133)

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Date Tue 2/14 Class 7 Thurs 2/16 Class 8 Tue 2/21 Class 9 Thurs 2/23 Class 10 Tue 2/28 Class 11 Thurs 3/1 Class 12 Tue 3/6 Class 13

Topic Individual meetings no class (In my office: Psych B Room 133) Individual meetings no class (In my office: Psych B Room 133) Outline presentations (4-5 minutes) Outline presentations (4-5 minutes) Lecture: Writing an Introduction

What You Should Do Before Next Class Continue to work on your outline Continue to work on your outline

Assignment Due Today Bring outline draft and 5 references to individual meeting Bring outline draft and 5 references to individual meeting Final Outline Due

*Read WAP pp. 46-52 Begin writing your Introduction section Finish your Introduction draft and reference list 1. Introduction draft due (2-3 pgs) 2. Reference list and articles due (at least 5) Work on Method section

Lecture: Plagiarism & citations/references Lecture: Writing a Method section

Thurs 3/8 Class 14 Tue 3/13 Class 15 Thurs 3/15 Class 16

In-class time for Method section *bring drafts and any questions Lecture: Writing a Results section Lecture: Descriptive statistics Lecture: Inferential Statistics Lecture: Figures and Tables

Tue 3/20 Class 17 Thurs 3/22 Class 18

In-class time for Results section *bring drafts and any questions Lecture: Writing a Discussion section Lecture: Title page and Abstract Administrative: Schedule individual meetings

Write the descriptive statistics paragraph of your results section 1. Write about your inferential statistics 2. Work on your figures and tables Finish Results section

Method section draft due (2-3 pages)

Work on Discussion section

Results section draft due (2-3 pages, with Figures and Tables)

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Date Tue 3/27 Class 19

Topic Individual meetings no class (In my office: Psych B Room 133) Bring detailed outline of discussion to individual meeting Individual meetings no class (In my office: Psych B Room 133) Bring detailed outline of discussion to individual meeting SPRING BREAK NO CLASS

What You Should Do Before Next Class Continue to work on Discussion section

Assignment Due Today

Thurs 3/29 Class 20

Continue to work on Discussion section

Tue 4/3 Thurs 4/5 Tue 4/10 Class 21

Thurs 4/12 Class 22

SPRING BREAK NO CLASS Individual meetings no class Continue to work on (In my office: Psych B Room 303) Discussion section Bring detailed outline of discussion to individual meeting Lecture: How to adapt your paper and Work on your presentation present your research

Discussion section draft (2-3 pages), Abstract, Title Page, and final References due

Tue 4/17 Class 23

Discussion: Career/graduate school

Thurs 4/19 Class 24

Presentations

Tue 4/24 Class 25

Presentations/Course evaluations

1. Work on your presentation 2. Make corrections and gather all necessary work for your final research proposal Make corrections and gather all necessary work for your final research proposal Make corrections and gather all necessary work for your final research proposal *** FINAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE***

Thurs 4/26 Class 26 Tue 5/1 Class 27 Tue 5/3 Class 28

Presentations

Presentations Presentations