Friday Writing 1/17

Researchers and students who pursue psychology research and write grant proposals develop writing conventions in order to intrinsically support crucial standards involving their field of study. Important sections for both research articles and grant proposals involve an abstract and an introduction. An apprehensive approach in the writing versus a confident one will establish the reader’s interest in supporting them. When writing a research article, providing two different types of studies can assist in expanding the perception of the study to the reader in order to get greater depth in how the research will support the hypotheses. For example, in the research article “The Benefits of Meditation Vis-a-Vis Emotional Intelligence, Perceived Stress and Negative Mental Health” depicted a study using cross-sectional surveys and an experimental study in which the goal was to enhance the certain dependent variables involving emotional intelligence, stressful scenarios and detrimental mental health once meditation education was completed. The intention of the research should be stated clearly and concisely. Furthermore, the methods, procedure, materials, results, and discussion portray the writer's effort in going into detail to explain the systematic process in which the research will take. Adding a perceived stress scale gives participants a measured level of situations they consider stressful, which will assist collecting more systemic data that can be measured in the statistical analysis. Moreover, the writer is efficient in representing the statistical analysis of emotional intelligence, perceived stress, negative mental health, meditation group and control group. Incorporating a practical implications convention validates the writer’s familiarity health-care costs and that preventative investments in mental health can save individuals a lot stating, “...meditation may be an activity that promotes better health by reducing people’s perception of stress and enhancing their EI. Most importantly, meditation practice costs little and is easily administered “(177). The fact that limitations and future directions are illustrated emphasizes the writer’s acknowledgment in tieing up the loose ends, demonstrating their professionalism. Moving on to the grant proposal, “Mindfulness Based Intervention For Early Stage Dementia: A Grant Proposal”, it begins with an informative section called Literature Review in which it gives a thorough explanation of dementia, mindful meditation and issues that arise when preventative action is not taken place, stating, “The literature reviewed shows promise that MBI to be successful intervention for future non-pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia”(21) This section is urgent in case the grant funder is not familiar with the research jargon that is presented.. Providing a statement of need highlights the vast population of individuals who suffer from the mental illness, describing the 8.3 millions increase of dementia patients that will occur within thirty-two years. The writer encourages mindful meditation because it is more affordable to pharmacological treatment, and even explains how the black population, who is primarily low-come is more susceptible to dementia. Interpreting a target population as, “early stages of disease”(27), supports the goal of efficiency, as allocating the funding sources to those who will best influence out of it. The recognition of the possible funding source section is beneficial in order to acquire support from potential donors. This section may be the most crucial because it depicts the timeline, goals and objectives and budget information. Most funding agencies potentially skip this section in order to identify if they have the resources to support the grant. Overall, elaborate and analytical data will prove to the reader how much effort the writer placed into the documents. Closing both the research article and grant proposal with a strong conclusion is beneficiary as many readers tend to skim through the documents and concentrate primarily on the introduction and conclusion.