How to Write a Good Psychology Essay

Writing a good psychology essay is not an essay task, as it depends on adhering to appropriate psychology guidelines for writing. The psychology essay topic should be thoroughly researched with qualified and credible academic sources, such as reputable websites, peer-reviewed journals and other reputable publications. In addition, the essay should be properly formatted according to APA style, which is the most widely used writing style by psychology writers. This style is defined by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Choosing a Psychology Topic
Although you may be allowed to choose your own topic, the professor often assigns psychology essay topics to students. These topics are often in the form of research questions. If you choose the topic, make sure it is course relevant and one that is interesting to you. If it doesn’t interest you, then chances are it won’t interest your readers either.

Structuring the Psychology Essay
Be sure to follow all required guidelines given by the professor and ask questions if anything is unclear about the assignment.

Your first task should be determining an argument for your essay and presenting it well. You need a concise thesis statement explaining what the essay will highlight and attempt to prove, and this should be backed up with credible sources offering evidence and theories which support and oppose the argument. Once the argument has been determined, it can be used as a blueprint for completing the essay.

The psychology essay structure should basically consist of six portions: 1) the title, 2) the abstract, 3) the introduction, 4) the body, 5) the conclusion, and 6) the reference page.

• Title – Make the title concise and interesting enough to capture the reader’s attention and convince the reader to continue reading your essay.
• Abstract – This is a summary of the essay argument, explaining how the argument will be proven. You should also include what conclusion you aim to come to in the abstract.
• Introduction – The introduction gives a brief outline of the topic and pertinent issues leading into the argument. It should be no longer than 10% to 12% of the total essay content.
• Body – This portion is where the essay topic and ideas are organized and is the bulk of the essay content. The body presents the argument and evidence for and against it, and it examines and highlights theoretical research pertaining to the topic.
• Conclusion – This portion is a concise summary of the main points of the essay. The argument is restated and information on alternative thoughts and reasons for further research are included.
• References – Be sure to use the proper citation and referencing style assigned by your professor. College essays are usually in APA style.