Writing in psychology

Psychologists write for various audiences and with various purposes in mind. They frequently publish articles about their research for their colleagues, or they present their work at professional conferences. They write proposals to convince funding agencies to award grants for their research. If they teach, psychologists also write lectures.

Sometimes psychologists write to influence the opinions held by the public or by decision makers in government, lending their expertise to discussions on such issues as the effects of racism, the challenges of aging, or children’s mental health. For these readers, psychologists may write analyses for newspaper and magazine op-ed pages as well as policy recommendations and advocacy statements.

Related topics:

Audience in psychology

Forms of writing in psychology

Questions psychologists ask

Kinds of evidence psychologists use

Writing conventions in psychology

APA system for citation in psychology writing

Sample student paper: Literature review