© Odilia Yim 2025
PSY220 – Introduction to Social Psychology
1
Assignment #2: Article Summary (5%)
Academic Writing
For this writing assignment, students will write a short and focused summary of a peer- reviewed research article in the field of social psychology. The Article Summary will allow
individuals to engage in academic writing and practice critical reading of scholarly literature
in order to develop a better understanding of how psychological research is conducted and
presented.
Learning Outcomes and Skill Development
Through this assignment, students will:
• Develop critical reading skills
• Identify and extract key concepts, research
questions, and findings from scholarly articles
• Build ability to communicate complex ideas
clearly and concisely
Instructions
Students will be randomly assigned a peer-reviewed research article in the area of social
psychology and must write a clear and concise summary to convey the key ideas of the
article, including its objectives/research question(s), methods, and findings. Students should
closely read the scholarly paper, extract relevant details, and present the information in a
short summary, developing essential skills in critical reading and clear written
communication. The assignment should be written in a formal academic style and students
are encouraged to be paraphrase and/or use their own words whenever possible, avoiding
direct quotations unless necessary.
The submission should be approximately 0.75 page in length (double-spaced; max. 1.0 page,
approx. 250 words) and follow APA style. Students are responsible for submitting a Word
and/or PDF copy on Quercus by Friday, October 24th at 5:00pm.
For summarizing, use the following questions as a guide:
• What is the authors’ thesis and/or goal? What research question(s) did the authors set
out to explore and answer? What are the main concepts in the paper?
• What are the research methods that the authors used in their data collection process?
• What are the authors’ main results/findings? What are the implications of their research
findings?
Assignment #1 § apply thinking § personalize concepts § link theory to practice Connecting Describing Assignment #2 § identify & extract
relevant info § summarize facts § explain claims
Explaining Assignment #3 § convey understanding § deconstruct complex ideas § translate for audience
Analyzing Assignment #4 § gather evidence § evaluate arguments § consider perspectives (Yim, 2025) Writing © Odilia Yim 2025
PSY220 – Introduction to Social Psychology
2
Rubric
Very Good
Good Satisfactory Poor
Content (3)
Conceptual
Understanding/
Critical Analysis
- concepts and ideas
are clearly and
concisely presented
- methods and
findings explained
well and described
appropriately
- relevant and
essential
information is
included; excellent
critical reading
- summary focused
and accurate; strong
understanding of
assigned article
- most concepts and
ideas are presented,
though lack clarity
or depth
- methods and
findings described
but somewhat
superficial or under- developed
- relevant and
essential
information mostly
included, some
details missed or
non-relevant details
included, some
critical reading
- summary mostly
focused and
accurate; some
understanding of
assigned article
- some concepts and
ideas missing or
inaccurately
presented
- some methods and
findings missing or
described vaguely
or generically
- irrelevant and
limited information
included, many
details missed or
non-relevant
details included;
minimal critical
reading
- summary vague or
inaccurate; weak
understanding of
assigned article
- most concepts and
ideas are missing,
unclear, or
inaccurate
- methods and
findings missing or
not described
- irrelevant and
insufficient
information
included, missing
essential details; no
critical reading
- summary minimal
or incoherent; lack
of understanding of
assigned article
- assignment
instructions have
not been followed
Writing (2)
Organization/
Format/Written
Communication
- writing is clear and
coherent, with
strong logical flow
and smooth
transitions
- structure is well
organized, making
arguments easy to
follow
- no errors in spelling,
grammar, or
punctuation
- no APA errors
- writing is generally
clear, with only
minor lapses in
coherence or flow
- structure is logical
but transitions may
occasionally be
uneven
- minor grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation errors
that do not affect
readability
- minor to no APA
errors
- writing conveys
meaning but is at
times unclear,
awkward, or
repetitive
- organization is
loose and ideas feel
disconnected or
poorly sequenced
- major grammar,
spelling, or
punctuation errors
that affect
readability
- major APA errors
- writing is unclear,
confusing, or
disorganized,
making meaning
hard to follow
- no clear structure
or logical flow of
ideas
- major formatting
errors
- APA style not
followed
- assignment
instructions have
not been followed
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