Integrating research as you write

Students frequently ask me, what is the best way to integrate research as I write? This is one of those issues that everyone has their own way of doing. I will share mine- I tend to read sections of articles then go to my document and summarize what I read and add a citation. Here is an example, an original article: 

Professionals involved in the training of psychology graduate students, both in educational and clinical settings (e.g., practicum and internship), need to understand the role of stress among students to provide guidance on effective stress management and self-care (Myers, Sweeney, Popick, Wesley, Bordfeld, & Fingerhut, 2012, p. 55). 

I would paraphrase it as: It is important that psychology faculty involved in graduate student training understand and be able to offer student assistance in stress related self-care (Myers et al., 2012). 

Some things to notice, I did not say something like "Myers et al. (2012) stated that…." These types of phrasings read very choppy and come across as unprofessional (I always think of it as undergrad-like). You want your writing to flow and tell a story- it is not a simple listing of study after study. If you find yourself writing lists of studies, it is time to stop and rethink what you want to say. What point are you trying to make about the studies? Think about it on a higher level than the individual studies, what is linking those studies together? Then write about the higher-level issues bringing in the individual studies as examples. 

Avoid quotes as much as possible; only bring them in if they add something unique to your argument. Check out peer reviewed articles; you will find that quotes are very rarely used. 

Next time I will talk about isolation. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu 

Myers, S.B., Sweeney, A. C., Popick, V., Wesley, K., Bordfeld, A., & Fingerhut, R. (2012). Self-care practices and perceived stress levels among psychology graduate students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 6(1), 55-66.