Welcome!
The undergraduate psychology student body at the University of Toronto is one of the most enthusiastic groups of people on campus—merely observing the turnouts for events by the Psychology Students' Association (PSA) should indicate that. The PSA is an incredibly active organization with students constantly looking for ways to get involved. It came to our attention that the students pursuing a career in psychology, or simply those with a love for it, should have a way to explore and share their interests in psychology with their peers. The students are driven by a keen interest in the field and show incredible passion.
Coupled with the vast amount of interest, a strong work ethic seems to be embedded in the students of psychology. We are perpetually seeking ways to learn and to improve. In class, undergraduate students are trained to look at published work in the field and to synthesize information from those readings. The work required of us, however, is often different from the work we see published in academia. Great writing is highly valued by the professors in the psychology department, and the teaching assistants and professors provide the utmost guidance to the students to ensure that we are following the most effective writing approaches. Nevertheless, the task of writing a good paper requires more than just a clear understanding of instructions.
We know, from personal experience, the easiest way to start writing a good paper is by looking at exemplary work and seeing the particular aspects of that work that makes it stand out. Model papers aid students in seeing the various approaches that can be taken when exploring a topic—even when the topic of the example paper is completely irrelevant, that piece of writing may offer perspective in terms of structure or analysis style. In addition, many students find it extremely useful when peers edit their work. With that, we hope you enjoy the publication!