Psychology of Religion
PSYC 402
Psychology of Religion
Guidelines for Research Paper
General
The assignment is to write a 10-12 page typed research paper using APA style. The paper must contain at least 8 sources, no more than two of which can be Internet sources. If you are using an online version of a published journal, you do not have to count that as an Internet source. You will submit the paper as a MS Word (or rich Text) file attachment to the Drop Box in the Week 7 Learning Module. The paper needs to be submitted by Sunday night in week 7
For those of you unfamiliar with APA style there are online tutorials that may assist you. The psychology department home page has several writing guides for APA style available. The site Purdue OWL, is very helpful and easy to use (the link for this site is listed in your syllabus). This site includes links to other references to APA style and has sample papers the student can view. There are also copies of the APA Publication Manual (6th Edition) in the library. If you are a Psychology major, it is in your best interest to purchase the publication manual – you will be using it a lot!
A complete paper should include:
Title Page (includes p.#, running head, title, author and class)
Abstract (a one-paragraph [150-250 words] summary of what your paper is about)
Body or Text (This is what I count in the 10-12 pages)
Reference Page (lists all the sources you used for the paper)
Topic
The topic of the paper must cover either some psychological aspect of religious experience (guilt, self-esteem, forgiveness, mental health, etc), or a religious facet of psychology (moral development, archetypes in Bible stories, helping behavior, prejudice, etc.). Do not merely write a biographical sketch of the founder of a theory or an overview of a theory we have discussed in class. A suggestion is to choose an approach or an issue and apply it to a particular situation.
Use your imagination and analytical skills, as well as your interests to develop a topic. If you get stuck and can’t seem to find something to write about, or you have a topic but do not know if it is acceptable, come see me and I’ll give you some help in fine-tuning your choice.
Evaluation
I grade these papers according to a 80%-20% ratio… that is 80% content, 20% mechanics. I do count off for errors of grammar, style, spelling, sentence structure, etc, so write carefully. Twenty percent doesn’t sound like much, but it is two grade points! I also know the content, many of the sources, and check the sources I don’t know, so don’t turn in inaccurate material and expect a good grade.
General Guidelines
Some general guidelines for APA style research papers are as follow:
Paper should be typed in 12-point serif font (such as Courier, Palatino or Times New Roman)
Paper should have one-inch margins on all sides.
Each page should have a header (which is the first couple of words from your title – not your name!) placed ½ inch from the top of the page starting at the left margin. The page number should be placed at the right margin.
EVERY source you use for the paper should be cited in the text. It should be cited in parentheses and follow the format of (Author, Date). The page number will be included in the citation if it is a direct quote. If you state an idea or provide information that is not common knowledge you MUST cite where it came from (otherwise it is plagiarism!).
Quotes of 40 or more words need to be set apart as a block quote with the left margin indented 5-7 spaces.
Terms that are abbreviated are written out completely the first time they are used, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, then always abbreviated thereafter. For example: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).
There should be no one-sentence paragraphs.
Each and every citation used in the manuscript is correctly typed in the References section
……………….Answer preview……………..
The German psychologist, Carl Jung, invented the term ‘archetype’. He posited that each person had a set of “unconscious” images and memories, which are inherent from birth. This was in describing people who are also the same as particular characters in stories……………………….
APA
3032 words