Your position paper can be on any topic related to the psychology of death and dying. Your paper may explore death and dying at various perspectives in psychology i.e., neuroscientific, evolutionary, cultural, individual differences, or the level of human affairs such as education, law, or economics. The paper may also explore the topic at an implicit level (i.e., the influence of unconscious processing and/or the role of affect on death and dying). Simple topic discussions are not acceptable for this position paper. A good paper will reflect a persuasive position on an issue supported by credible research. The paper must be in APA (7th Edition) format. The length of the paper is 8-10 double spaced pages, which includes the title page and reference sections. A copy of this paper is to be submitted through the assignment link on Canvas prior to the set date and time. A good paper will reflect thought and analysis on behalf of the student.
The position paper can be written in one of these forms:
(a) discuss different sides of an issue, and then argue which position you take and why.
(b) present a critical analysis of a theory or data, detailing the shortcomings, and presenting your position on how to improve the theory, experiment or interpretation of findings.
(c) write a research proposal that includes a brief introduction and literature review outlining a novel research idea and the relevance of your study.
Purpose of the paper:
To integrate a minimum of 2 primary published research studies (i.e., primary, empirical, peer reviewed articles) pertaining to a position on an issue relating to the psychology of death and dying. To prepare you for writing research papers in your upper-level psychology classes.
Step 1: Selecting journal articles to review.
Identify your research interests.
Do a literature search for research pertaining to your interest, including our class text.
Step 2: Incorporate the journal articles you have selected.
Select the aspects of the research relevant to your issue of interest. Questions to consider can include: What are the main topics/theories which relate to your position paper? What were the manipulated or measured, or what was described? What were the relevant main findings/results? How did the authors interpret the results? What is the practical significance of such research in terms of the issue you are addressing?
Does the literature reviewed and presented form a basis for a coherent paper? What are the common threads that bind your reviewed research? What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of the reviewed research? Do the reviewed articles make a clear argument or are there opposite points of view, and if so, how does this impact the stance of your own paper? What questions does your review leave unanswered? You may address these questions as part of your introduction and put them in the context of your ultimate conclusions later in the discussion. How would you design research to address unanswered question? Future directions are typically addressed in the discussion section.
Step 3: What to write.
Your paper must integrate and synthesize the journal summaries, and any other information included from our textbook or other review sources. Do not simply paste one research summary after another. The summaries should have a common theme. Also, avoid the use of unnecessary subheadings in your final draft (e.g., introduction, literature review). For option c, a Methods section with proper headings is required.
Avoid plagiarism. Be sure to cite any ideas that you quote or paraphrase.
Your paper must contain [Marks are indicated in the square brackets]:
A title page: the title page includes a page header and page number, the title of your paper, your name, and your research institution [4].
An introduction: introduce the topic you are researching. How do you define the central terms important to your position? What are you going to discuss in your paper? Also, hint at the conclusion(s) your will make. Remember that an APA style paper repeats the title of your paper on the first page of the introduction [4].
Incorporate reviewed literature: The reviewed literature serves to place your research proposal or position paper within the context of what has been done previously and to support/refute the position/argument/theory you will be discussing. You must review at least 2 published journal articles. Your literature review should form a coherent and integrated account of the research area (i.e., do not paste one review after another without ensuring that there are connecting sentences that link the ideas/concepts/research in one review to the next). Your literature review should describe each study with enough detail that the reader is not wonder what the paper’s relevance is to the position being addressed. [16].
Introduce your question of concern: What question(s) does your review of the literature leave unanswered? Why is this an important question [4]? This should be apparent early in the paper and be addressed consistently throughout.
How you write the remainder of the paper will depend upon what type of paper you want to write (e.g., position paper, critical analysis, or research proposal).
Position paper or critical analysis:
The Discussion Section: The literature incorporated should have a summarizing discussion drawing the research together to illuminate the position through the lens of the research, rather that the through the first person. The ultimate position does not delineate your point of view (i.e., avoid “I think that…� or “I feel that…�). For the research report and proposal options, summarize hypotheses in terms of theory and the reviewed literature [12]?
Research proposal:
Method Section (see APA): How can you answer the question? That is, describe how you would answer your question. What you are going to manipulate (i.e., your independent variable)? What you are going to measure (i.e., your dependent variable)? And, who will participate (demographics). See APA for details [8]?
The Discussion Section: Describe the results that you would expect to find if you ran your study. Discuss the implications of your results. Would they support the past research or not? How could these findings appeal to the real world? How might teachers, parents, lawyers, etc. use these findings [4]?
Reference Section: Following the guidelines set out in the 7th Edition of the APA publication manual, cite all of your references in APA format [4].
Papers will also be assessed on the basis of:
Cohesiveness: 10 marks will be assigned for whether the paper flowed together, moved from general to specific, and then back to the general level, and if it was well organized [10].
APA Style: 4 marks are allotted to proper APA citations, formatting, and overall style [4].
Step 4: Please Proofread your paper. Set your paper aside and return to it in a day or two. With ‘fresh eyes’ you will find something to fix, add, or delete. Ask a friend or have someone at the Learning Skills Centre read over your paper – be sure to give the reviewer plenty of time to do this for you.
Marking: You will be graded on whether you have adequately described and integrated prior research (i.e., your 2 empirical journal articles and any other secondary sources), the cohesiveness (or flow) of your paper, and the soundness of your research question and position paper/research proposal. Be sure to address all the points that are raised in step 3. Marks will also be assigned for style and grammar. Be sure to follow the APA style guidelines (see below).
Useful link for APA formatting:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_sample_paper.html (see student’s sample paper).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wv0ZDiCjgc&t=756s
The APA Publication Manual can be found in the library.
Also see the syllabus for resources.
Option A: Position Paper
For this option, you are asked to take a position on a psychological issue related to death and
dying. This is intentionally an open option to accommodate the various purposes people may
have for taking this course. Please let me know your intended issue of interest prior to beginning
work on your document. Please address an issue rather than a topic for this option. For example,
if you wish to write about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), select an issue within this topic
area and take a stance based on rational argument and empirical evidence, (e.g., Should it be
legal at all? Under what circumstances should MAID be allowed?).