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Lecture 2 Notes: Conducting Research, Library Resources, APA Style and Paraphrasing

Topic and Controversy in Psychology

  • Topic must be controversial; a position that allows arguing multiple sides.
  • Example: Does playing violent video games increase aggression?
    • Position A: Playing violent video games increases aggression.
    • Position B: Playing violent video games does not increase aggression.
    • Each side should be supported with empirical evidence.
  • Reported questions to address for arguments: Is there empirical evidence for the pro position? Is there empirical evidence for the con position?

Framing Strong Arguments

  • Consider the reader when crafting the argument.
  • Use credible sources.
  • Use sources that directly address the argument.
  • Describe source material without bias.
  • Ensure logical connections between ideas.
  • Ensure the paper has a good flow.

Conducting Research: Planning

  • After choosing a topic, develop a plan to search for related, published research.

Library Resources

  • York University Libraries provide:
    • Sources of information
    • Resources to help with research and writing
    • Support from library staff
  • Website: www.library.yorku.ca

Searching for Sources: Databases and Access

  • Key databases mentioned:
    • ProQuest
    • APA PsycInfoⓇ
  • Access provided by York University.
  • Features highlighted: Advanced Search, Thesaurus, Field codes, search tips, etc.
  • Example search focus shown: the term "violent video games" and related filters (e.g., Peer reviewed).
  • Interface elements shown: limiting to peer-reviewed, publication date filters, locations/classifications/test & measures (e.g., MENDAHL, MBATIVEN).

Search Strategies

  • Start with subject terms related to the topic.
  • Use logical operators: AND, OR between keywords.
  • Narrow search with filters.
  • Read abstracts of relevant articles to determine suitability.

Using Databases for Psychology

  • Main psychology database: PsycINFO (also use other databases).
  • Updates occur monthly.
  • Searchable by subject headings, author names, keywords or phrases.

Example Search Results (Illustrative)

  • Sample results show filtering and sorting options (2010–2029, 2015–2025, peer-reviewed, scholarly journals).
  • Example article: "Why do people play violent video games? Demographic, status-related, and mating-related correlates in men and women" (Kasumovic et al., 2015).
    • Abstract/Details available; full text may require Omni access.
    • Times cited: ProQuest citation count; references: ~51.
  • Other related items shown include various journals and articles on the topic.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  • Definition: Peer-review is a rigorous process in which submitted articles are reviewed by independent experts in the field.
  • All aspects of the work are reviewed.

Types of Sources

  • Journal articles
  • Empirical studies
  • Meta-analyses
  • Review papers
  • Theory papers
  • Book chapters
  • Sources for statistical information (e.g., Statistics Canada)

Example Article (Illustrative): Social Cognition and Social Motivation in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

  • Citation example: Green et al. (2024) in Psychological Medicine.
  • Core idea: Distinguishes between impairments due to disorder vs. social isolation.
  • Key findings (from abstract):
    • Schizophrenia patients (n = 72) show intermediate levels of social isolation and loneliness, and deficits in social cognition relative to control groups.
    • Bipolar disorder patients (n = 48) are intermediate for loneliness and social approach but do not show social cognition deficits.
    • Both clinical groups exhibit higher social avoidance than controls.
    • Conclusion: Social cognition deficits in schizophrenia and high social avoidance in both disorders are features of the disorders, not merely outcomes of isolation.
  • Important methodology notes: comparison across four groups (clinically stable schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, socially isolated individuals, connected community controls).
  • Sample sizes highlighted: schizophrenia n = 72; isolated n = 96; connected controls n = 55; bipolar n = 48.
  • Implications: disentangles disorder-specific deficits from isolation effects; informs intervention targets.

APA STYLE: Basics and Resources

  • APA STYLE is a standardized format for writing papers, covering formatting, citing, and style.
  • Emphasizes clear, concise, plain language and specific instructions.

APA Style Resources

  • APA Manual (7th edition)
  • Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL)
  • apa.org
  • York University SPARK (YorkU)

In-Text Citations: Examples (Journal Article)

  • One author (example):
    • Parenthetical: (Govrin, 2014)
    • Narrative: Govrin (2014)
  • Two authors:
    • Parenthetical: (Stellwagen & Kerig, 2013)
    • Narrative: Stellwagen and Kerig (2013) …
  • Three or more authors:
    • Parenthetical: (King et al., 2020)
    • Narrative: King et al. (2020) …

References in the Reference Section

  • Begins on a new page following the body of the essay.
  • Arranged alphabetically by the last name of the first author.
  • Only references read and cited in the essay should be included.
  • Information must be precise and conform to APA guidelines.

Reference Section Formats (Examples)

  • Journal Article:
    • First, A. A., & Second, B. B. (Year). Title of the article. Name of the Periodical, volume(issue), #-#. https://doi.org/XXXX
  • Book:
    • First, A. A., & Second, B. B. (Copyright Year). Title of the book (7th ed.). Publisher. DOI or URL

Paraphrasing

  • Paraphrasing: taking original text and putting it in your own words.
  • Should include all the main information of the original text and be about the same length as the original when possible.
  • Challenge: create original wording while preserving meaning.

Steps of Paraphrasing

  • Read and pick out unfamiliar or technical terms.
  • Read again, focusing on the line of reasoning and order of information.
  • Pause to understand what you have read.
  • Present the information from the original text in your own words.

Plagiarism

  • Definition: using another person’s work or ideas without credit.
  • Includes intentional and unintentional forms, as well as self-plagiarism.

Detecting Plagiarism

  • Tools like Turnitin detect similarity by comparing against a large database of online information and generate an originality report.
  • Report shows percentage similarity.

Senate Guidelines on Academic Honesty

  • 2.1 Summary of Offences Against the Standards of Academic Honesty (non-exhaustive):
    • 2.1.1 Cheating: gaining improper advantage in an academic evaluation.
    • Examples include: obtaining a copy of an exam before it is available, copying another person’s answer, consulting unauthorized sources, disrupting an evaluation, unapproved assistance, changing scores, submitting the same work for different classes without consent, collaborating when not allowed, submitting someone else’s work as your own, selling essays, etc.
  • 2.1.3 Plagiarism: misappropriation of another’s work presented as one’s own; paraphrasing without proper acknowledgement, or representing others’ work as one’s own.

Direct Quotations

  • Exact words from the original text.
  • Must be enclosed in quotation marks and include author, year, and page number in the body of the paper.
  • Use quotations sparingly.

Secondary Sources

  • A secondary source is written by someone who has read the primary source.
  • Use sparingly.
  • In-text citation guidance: e.g., (Thompson, 2018, as cited in Walker, 2025) or Thompson (2018, as cited in Walker, 2025).

Items Coming Due

  • Essay Component 1:
    • Mini-Reflection 1
    • First draft of Writing Exercise 1

Mini-Reflection 1

  • Task: Reflect on reasons for taking the course beyond mandatory requirements.
  • Identify one current writing strength and one current weakness.
  • State what you hope to gain from the course.
  • Word limit: 160 words.

Writing Exercise 1

  • Task: Paraphrase the first three paragraphs of the Literature Review section of journal article #1.
  • Word count: ~275 words.
  • Submission: Post as discussion forum replies; respond to peers; do not start a new discussion.
  • Feedback: Will be provided after deadline for Draft 1.

What to Do Before Next Class: Essay Component 2 (Overview)

  • Working annotated bibliography with 3 sources:
    • Find 3 scholarly sources related to your topic.
    • Two must be peer-reviewed empirical journal articles, each providing evidence for a different position on the issue.
    • The third source can be any peer-reviewed journal article (e.g., meta-analysis, theory paper, review paper).
    • All three must be published within the last 10 years.

What to Do Before Next Class: Essay Component 2 (Details)

  • For each of the three sources (~200 words each, excluding the APA reference), you must:
    • Provide the full citation in correct APA 7th edition format.
    • Briefly summarize the source (focus of study, methodology, and results).
    • Note how the source relates to your other sources (link them, show relationships).
    • Evaluate the source’s credibility and value based on source type (peer-reviewed, empirical, theory, meta-analysis, review).
    • State how the source will be useful for your essay.