Welcome to the online home of the Student Notebook, a monthly column published in the APS Observer dedicated to issues of interest to graduate students in psychology. The Student Notebook features articles written by APS Student Caucus members on a variety of topics. Since 1990, the Student Notebook has served as a forum in which APSSC members can communicate their ideas, suggestions, and experiences to the members of APS.
Resources for Authors:
Twelve Tips for Authors by Henry L. Roediger, III (Observer, June/July 2007)
Publishing in Graduate School: Tips for New Graduate Students by Kristopher J. Preacher (Observer, April 2003)
Instructions for Authors:
The Student Notebook publishes articles intended for graduate students in the field of psychology. Past topics have ranged from advice for handling issues faced by graduate students, descriptions of authors’ unique research experiences, and discussions of important topics in the field of psychology. Members interested in writing for the Student Notebook are encouraged to review past articles to get an idea of the type and style of manuscripts that are printed.
Manuscripts should be 1,200 words (excluding title and references) in APA (6th edition) style. Abstracts are not necessary. References should be included when necessary but are usually limited to 5-10 sources. When applicable, lists of resources for further information are encouraged. Figures and tables may be included when necessary. The Student Notebook does not publish theoretical articles, literature reviews, or original research reports. Please include a 2-3 sentence author note/bio along with your submission.
All submissions and correspondence should be addressed to the Student Notebook Editor at apssc.sneditor@psychologicalscience.org.
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Testing for Measurement Invariance: Does your measure mean the same thing for different participants?
From Beck’s Depression Inventory to the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), psychological scientists regularly use scales, schedules, and inventories in published empirical papers. But how can we be certain that these questionnaires actually measure the same construct across all respondents? [More]
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A Call for the Positive: Why Young Psychological Scientists Should Take Positive Psychology Seriously
Although there are benefits to studying the faults in airplanes that cause crashes, would it not be better to study the mechanisms that allow flight? [More]
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Emerging Identities of Graduate Students
Many students find the transition from undergraduate to graduate education a difficult one. After all, it might be the first time individuals live away from campus and their childhood homes, cook for themselves, do their own taxes, and figure out how to get their own health insurance. It’s a time More
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Going Global With Your PhD
One way to take advantage of graduate school is to study abroad, where you can find new scientific perspectives and research methods as well as improve your career options. [More]
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Mixed Methods Research
Traditionally, there are three branches of methodology: quantitative (numeric data), qualitative (observational or interview data), and mixed methods (using both types of data). Psychology relies heavily on quantitative-based data analyses but could benefit from incorporating the advantages of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies into one cohesive framework. Mixed Methods (MM) More
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Studying First Impressions: What to Consider?
First impressions are long-lasting. This familiar phrase indicates one of the many reasons that studying people’s first impressions is critical for social psychologists. Any information about a person, from her physical properties to her nonverbal and verbal behaviors, and even the environment she inhabits, influences our impressions and judgments about More
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APS Student Caucus: Serving Student Members for 3 Decades
There is much to celebrate about the past 30 years of APS, an organization founded to advance the science of psychology. And that includes a key part of the APS membership — students. From its inception in 1988, APS has boasted a large student base. Of its 30,000 members, more More
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Telling a Story: The Secret Ingredient to Getting an NSF Fellowship
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) provides 3 years of generous funding for graduate students in the STEM or STEM education fields. The GRFP is one of the most esteemed and competitive fellowships a graduate student can receive, so it is no surprise that 16,500 students More
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How to Get in: Applying to Psychology Grad School
So you think you want to be a psychological scientist? Well, the first step is applying to graduate school — a long, but exciting, process! To be a competitive applicant, you’ll want to have been involved in research, which is the reason many people pursue graduate school in the first More
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Reenvisioning Graduate School
Carolyn Davies envisions ways that graduate programs and students can improve graduate training and empower other students. [More]
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Time-Series Methods in Experimental Research
For many experimental psychologists, the go-to methodological designs are cross-sectional. Cross-sectional studies involve measuring the relationship between some variable(s) of interest at one point in time; some common examples include single-session lab studies and online surveys (e.g., via MTurk). These designs can be useful for isolating relationships between variables, establishing More
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You Need Technology to Survive Graduate School
Having trouble figuring out ways to organize your graduate school workload? This article introduces you to some of the key applications that can help you survive and thrive throughout your experience. [More]