HELMS – Psychology 101

Course Paper Common Mistakes Handout

The following are some of the most common mistakes I have found on Psychology 101 Course Papers. Please read this paper, keep it as a supplement to your guideline handout, and use it as a checklist in writing your Course Paper.

1. Cover page: - “Running head:” (notice, the “h” is not capitalized).

- Center the title, your name, and the college’s name.

- Do not add anything (no date, no instructor’s name, no course name, etc.).

- Make sure your title is actually descriptive of the paper.

2. Do not use boldface type or italics or underlining anywhere in the paper (an exception for underlining exists for the references page).

3. Write/save your paper using Microsoft Word only. If I cannot open your paper, I cannot grade it.

4. Use Times New Roman style in 12pt font size throughout your paper.

5. Do not use contractions (e.g., it’s, they’re, can’t, etc.). Its (possession); it’s (contraction of “it is.”)

6. Their (possession); there (location); they’re (contraction of “they are.”)

7. Effect (noun referring to the result of some action); affect (verb referring to causing something to happen). There are two other words that are spelled the same, but they’re not used as often.

8. Be sure you spell receive and perceive correctly. Remember, “I before E, except after C, or when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh.”

9. Use proper paragraphing throughout your paper to make information coherent and readable. Indent the first line with 5 spaces (most tabs are set this way); DO NOT USE EXTRA SPACES BETWEEN YOUR PARAGRAPHS.

10. Left justify entire paper EXCEPT cover page, and the word References.

11. Do not use slang or cliche’ terms. Ex: “The movie was really cool.” “I thought it was a bummer.”

12. Check your paper for proper sentence structure. Some common errors are below:

Run On Sentences (sentences that should actually be two or more separate sentences).

Ex: “The hypothalamus is located in the limbic system it plays a role in all human motivation.”

Fragmented Sentences (phrases that are not complete sentences).

Ex: “Because someone with schizophrenia has characteristic behaviors.”

Awkward wording (signified in my corrections with the word “AWK”).

Ex: There are too many examples of this to mention.

13. Do not mix singular nouns with plural pronouns (a person is not “they” or “their”).

14. Make sure that your Introduction is written to introduce the topic (a comparison of the film portrayal and the research on the disorder).

15. Make sure that your Conclusion is written to sum up the entire paper; don’t just add a bunch of emotional messages about how we treat people with this disorder.

16. References page: Last name of authors, followed by first initials.

Alphabetize the sources by last name of first author.

17. Do not mention yourself in your paper. “I statements” and opinion are not acceptable.