Psycholinguistics has come a long way since its inception in understanding the mannerism in which humans communicate, disseminate, comprehend and analyse important information through verbal communication. The different components of sound, emphasis and pronunciation have a deep psychological impact in our perceiving and understanding of the information presented to us. Writing a psycholinguistics paper is perhaps an even more difficult task. There are many kinds of research currently underway and the scope extends from first language to acquisition of second language to medical issues that can affect or hamper acquisition of knowledge.
Some of the areas in which the paper can be written on when considering how to write a psycholinguistics essay are;
- First language education
- Medical and physiological issues that can affect language
- Syntactic structure
- Phonology and phonetics
- Lexicography
- Language learning
While the topics may differ, the principle guidelines of writing the paper consist of same patterns in writing. Psycholinguistics follows the academic form of writing style and papers need to be made according to the journal where they are to be sent for consideration or publication. All in all, all psycholinguistics when understanding how to write a psycholinguistics essay, fall in one of the three major categories. These include
- Brief literature review about a topic in psycholinguistics and drawing conclusions from studies made before.
- An experimental project that explores a hypothesis pertaining to a psycholinguistic hypothesis.
- Creation of a proposal, carrying it forward and reporting results.
Selection of the topic is very important in the eventual approval of it and marking. The key topics and new areas of research can be identified from web sources such as PsychINFO. Other common areas where you can find inspiration include magazines such as The Times, Newsweek, Discover and Popular Science respectively.
Each type of paper requires some modification of the basic plan when concerned with research. However, research and study of the pertinent literature review is very important. The most recent research, most commonly within five years of writing the paper are preferred, since they display the most currently advanced topics in discussion. However, the date of publication should not be the only criteria for selection of a good paper for referencing purpose. Also ensure which articles have had a major impact on the overall research in this area, and what inferences can be drawn in the present. The following is the breakdown of how to approach the task of how to write a psycholinguistics essay.
Literature Review:
Considered as one of the easiest methods of research, the literature review is primarily involved with studying current as well as previous research in one particular area of emphasis. The topics need to be tapered down to one particular focus so that the research is more comprehensive, which in turn increases the impact of the paper. Literature reviews are a critical analysis of understanding the different dimensions of research and what improvements can be made. It also highlights some of the best research and promotes similar models for future efforts. These researches can be analysed individually or altogether. However, key differentiating points must be highlighted. Remember it is not the aim of the research to just compile all the findings and write a paper on them. Rather, it attempts to understand just what these findings have led to, where they might be lacking, and what the possible are for future areas of research in this regard. The literature reviews can also be an inspiration for new studies, projects and project proposals.
Projects:
Projects are somewhat more challenging than the literature reviews. These projects are drawn from inferences of other studies or projects carried out, or are an imitation of a project already done. This article is more structured and demanding. Therefore, you need to write an abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and conclusions. Depending upon the journal selected for publishing, you may need to modify it according to its publication requirements. This type of study design is quantitative in nature, with the literature reviews mentioned above being more of a qualitative nature. Therefore, statistical analysis will play a major role in this research. Selection of the best statistical analysis tool is the key to this kind of paper, and proper advice and care should be taken in this regard.
Project Proposals
An amalgamation of the above two and perhaps more challenging considering the imaginative aspects, project proposals explore uncharted areas of research in psycholinguistics. There more theoretical in nature, drawing inspiration from other works and proposing solutions based on these ideas. These inspirations come from sources within the subject domain, as well as outside it such as phonetics, semantics and pure linguistics.
The most important part of the paper is to create the proposal and introduction. This introduction lays out the need as to why this research is essential and what areas does it intend to explore. The introduction should be more generalised in the beginning but gradually narrowed down to the key area of focus so that it ends with the hypothesis statement. In this way, a person who has limited understanding or knowledge about the subject or is a new student in the studies can easily grasp the connections and in this way create interest in reading it further.
Referencing is essential and it is vital you understand your requested referencing system when learning how to write a psycholinguistics paper, since these papers are to be published in academic texts and journals. Ensure that you find out the correct referencing style and requirements of the paper before submitting. On many occasions, it is the poor formatting and referencing that leads to rejection of the paper. The more effort that is placed upon this aspect, the more chances that the paper will be accepted for publication.
The paper also needs to be very objective in nature. Scientific language should be used and if necessary a glossary of the terms be added. Key words should be added in the introduction part which helps improve searching on the internet and allows the reader to get a brief idea about the topic.
The writing style must avoid jargon, slang and common phrases etc. This paper is intended for the scientific audience and therefore, the language should reflect the same.
A well written paper is able to portray itself in its clarity and conciseness with a strong topic and good referencing style.
Academic sciences has a selection of referencing guides to help you get the most out of your academic writing.
The Chicago Formatting and Style Guide
The OSCOLA Referencing Standard
Are you still struggling with writing the perfect essay? Academic Sciences is able to provide custom essays and model answers which can help you manage your essay writing and get the grade you want. We have a variety of solutions available to you to suit your academic level, time frame and budget. Have a look through our academic guides and if you are still struggling, consider giving us a call or placing an order for an essay on-line.