A TF's GUIDE TO TEACHING WRITING FOR PSYCHOLOGY
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5.18
DON'T use vague pronouns. If your reader must retrace the previous sentence to determine
whether "he"refers to the participant or the experimenter of a study you are describing, then
clarity has been compromised.
DO check your pronouns. Make sure that each pronoun in your manuscript has an obvious ref-
erent. One good rule is to replace all simple pronouns (this, that, these, those) with the appro-
priate noun or noun phrase.
Incorrect:
This indicates that creativity and IQ may be correlated.
Correct:
The results of this study indicate that creativity and IQ may be correlated.
5.19
DON'T use present tense. As a rule present tense use is discouraged and is used only when
describing currently-held theories.
Incorrect:
Ramirez (1993) presents the same results.
DO use past tense. Past tense is preferred for actions that have already occurred.
Correct:
Ramirez (1993) presented the same results.
5.20
DON'T write a single draft of your paper. No one can write a good paper in one draft!
DO revise and edit your paper! Revise, proofread,and then revise and proofread again! Here are
some strategies for improving the quality of your paper:
1
Lay it aside for 48 hours and then reread it. You will see many areas for improvement
that were not apparent to you during the initial writing.
2
Read it out loud. It is often easier to hear (rather than see) sections that are unclear or
awkwardly worded.
3
Give a copy to a friend (but be sure to proofread it first!). Then don't argue if the friend
finds a section that is unclear. By definition, if it is unclear to your reader then it is
unclear period!
4
Use the writing Center in the Barker Center.
019 (x5-1655)
www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/
Pre-scheduled conferences with trained peer tutors are offered Monday through Friday
during the day; drop-in hours are offered from 7 - 9PM in Room 209 at Hilles Library.
(During the week,you need to arrive no later than 8PM to guarantee a slot.)
You are also welcome to drop in during the day, and,if one of the tutors is free, he or
she will gladly meet with you at that time.
5
Don't get too attached to a particular phrase, sentence, or paragraph. You have to be
able to edit out anything, no matter how cleverly-worded, that does not advance your
story.