Study Resources

• Help With Multiple Choice Exams
• Writing Term Papers and Research Projects
• General Study and Exam Skills
  
  

Help With Multiple Choice Exams

Test Taking Advice: Especially for the Multiple-Choice Challenged
This site has detailed help provided by the University of Calgary’s Department of Psychology.

Preparing for Tests and Exams, Writing Multiple Choice Tests, and Learning From Multiple-Choice Exams

The University of Western Ontario's Student Development Centre has advice to help you prepare for, take, and learn from your exams.

Multiple Choice Exams
This document, by The Learning Commons of the University of Guelph, helps you from preparation through to writing the exam.

Preparing for Multiple Choice Exams
More tips and strategies from York University’s Learning Skills Program.

Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions
Presents strategic ways to take multiple choice exams.

Writing Term Papers and Research Projects

How do I write up my assignments and research projects?

Many of you would have been exposed to MLA (Modern Language Association) style through high school papers. (MLA style is about the mechanics of writing, such as punctuation, quotation, and documentation of sources.) However, psychology term papers and professional journal articles typically require something called “APA (American Psychological Association) style”. For term papers, APA style emphasizes the following:

• cite, in appropriate format, all sources of information, or else you are claiming those ideas as your own and that is  plagiarism
• reference, at the end of the paper, all cited sources

APA Research Style Crib Sheet
This is a detailed summary of the rules from the APA Publication Manual (fifth edition).

A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Styles Recommended by The American Psychological Association
Easy to navigate and in question-and-answer format, you can quickly find examples of citing in your papers and referencing at the end for most sources you will use in your term papers.

Psychology With Style: A Hypertext Writing Guide
This page will help you write research reports that covers everything from writing style, format and presentation, to detailed hints for each section of the report. Very thorough.

APA Style Electronic References
Describes how to cite electronic sources, such as the World-Wide Web, in official APA style.

APA Style Resources
A list of links to sites on APA style from Psych Web.

Preparing Your Laboratory Report
Psych Web's tip sheet on the organizational structure for writing up experimental research in APA style.

Tips for Writing Psychology Papers
Describes types of psychology papers, writing, and editing your paper.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
For those term papers, basic information on style considerations when writing in English.

yourDictionary.com
Online dictionary and thesaurus may be useful for writing your student papers.

General Study and Exam Skills

Wadsworth’s College Success Discipline site
This resource centre is an excellent source of tools and information for developing your learning skills.

College Survival Guide

This online wiki lists a number of topics that will help you survive your post-secondary education!

Note-Taking for University
Includes strategies for effective listening in lectures, determining what is most important in lectures, and how to take effective notes in class (pdf format).

Ten Traps to Studying

How to avoid the Ten Traps of Studying, including "I don't know where to begin" and "There's too much to remember" (pdf format ).

University Time Management
This how-to guide from York University’s Learning Skills Program helps you manage the time you have.

Tools for Improving your Memory
Mind Tools’ site has several articles and techniques to train and enhance your memory.

Sites to Promote Academic Success
Has useful links to information on time management, study skills, goal setting, learning strategies, memory skills and test taking.

Are You A Procrastinator?
Includes strategies for reducing procrastination.