Paper Guidelines
Choose a DSM-V psychological disorder that is of interest to you. Your paper will focus on current research regarding etiology, assessment, and treatment of your chosen disorder. Your paper should be divided using three subheadings so that there is a section for etiology, assessment, and treatment.
When you discuss assessment, I do not want you to provide DSM-V criteria as this is already covered in class and in your book. For the assessment section of your paper you are to find and summarize the psychometric data (i.e., reliability and validity) for 2 or 3 published tests or paper-pencil screeners that can be used for your disorder (e.g., Beck Depression Inventory, Yale-Brown OCD Scale, PTSD Checklist, etc.) You can find these tests by searching the APA PsycTESTS It is accessed under the Auraria Library website and is similar to APA PsycINFO, but it only covers published tests. Be sure to also cite the authors of the tests that you summarize! Another great way to find tests is to look at which tests are being used in the research articles you are using for the paper. For example, if you are looking up depression treatments, the researchers will also have to measure depressive symptoms and you can find which test they used to do that in the method section.
Locate and read a minimum of 8, peer-reviewed, journal articles related to your topic. They should be from current scientific journals. In other words, they should be genuine research articles (i.e., not Psychology Today, internet articles, etc.) and should have been published within the last 15 years. Articles for tests should be published within the last 30 years. Do not use any tests that are older than 30 years. You should not rely on your book for sources because one goal of this paper is to read original research articles.
Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, and in APA Manual Version 7 student format. Grammar, punctuation, clarity, and spelling will be considered in assigning grades. Typeset must be 12pt Times New Roman and paper margins should be set at 1 inch.
Identify your references at the conclusion of your paper using APA style.
Papers must be 6-8 pages. You will lose points for papers that are below or above the required number of pages. Page count does not include the title page or references. You do not need to include an abstract.
Your paper topic is due March 7 by 11:59pm and the final paper is due April 11 at 11:59pm. You will lose 10% for each day your paper is late after the due date. Papers will not be accepted more than 3 days after the due date.
Plagiarism** Be careful not to engage in plagiarism, as it can often unintended. Anything you include in your paper that is not your own unique idea must have a source attributed to it. It is better to cite too much than not include enough citations. For example, anytime you say “research shows” or “psychologists have found” or you report any statistical information, you need to include a citation. Additionally, refrain from using too many quotes. The idea of this paper is to show that you read and understood the articles you looked up. Paraphrasing instead of quoting demonstrates you understand the research. Your paper must be submitted through Canvas.
Paper Grading Criteria
5% You submit your paper topic by March 7 at 11:59pm.
20% Paper follows all guidelines and uses correct APA formatting (see sample APA Manual Version 7 student paper). Papers above or below the page requirement will be additionally penalized 10% per page. Your articles are no more than 15 years old (except for the tests). ** You should also use quotes very sparingly and paraphrase instead. Paraphrasing shows that you have read and understood the material you found. Points will be deducted if you use more than four short (i.e., less than two sentences) quotes.
25% Etiology section discusses potential causes of your disorder (examples might include psychological, social, biological, etc.) You do not have to address all potential areas.
25% Your assessment section summarizes 2-3 diagnostic tests/instruments and their reliability and validity. You also correctly cite the authors of the test. See test summary samples below.
25% Your paper addresses some of the different treatments available for your disorder.
Below are some ideas of things you can include in your treatment section.
Identify and differentiate between different psychotherapy and pharmacological treatments
Discuss any possible side effects or treatments that have been shown to have no and/or harmful effects
Discuss research on treatments and their use with diverse populations (e.g., sex, gender, race/ethnicity, disability, etc.).
You can discuss how different treatments may affect prognosis.
