PSYC 3570 Fall 2009 Tips for Term Project Dealing with an Organizational Stressor Amrita Ghai September 17, 2009

Stressor Must be an ORGANIZATIONAL stressor Not a CONSEQUENCE of a stressor E.g. Burnout is a consequence of a stressor You must operationalize your stressor – provide a specific definition of the stressor (do not use direct quotes)

Organizational Approaches What approaches are employed by the ORGANIZATION to mitigate the STRESSOR? Organizational approaches are different from individual specific approaches (e.g., flexible working hours vs. to-do lists) Discuss approaches which deal with the STRESSOR not the stress resulting from the stressor Do not discuss general stress management techniques

Experts Someone who has had FORMAL training, or provides training to others, in dealing with YOUR SPECIFIC STRESSOR (not just stress). An expert is not someone who has merely experienced the stressor, nor is it a clinical psychologist with knowledge of the topic but no experience with the formal application of O.B. strategies.

Research Paper You are being asked to conduct research in order to address a particular issue/question There are 2 main sources of information you are to explore Scientific Literature Experts IMPORTANT! Link between literature and experts? I’m interested in how you’re able to synthesize and integrate information from these sources, in order to describe ways in which an organization may mitigate a given stressor.

The Process Primary research – what is out there? Is there enough research? Pick a stressor Thorough Literature Review Interview Experts Evaluate experts’ advice in light of literature Overall evaluation

Focus Although you need to describe causes/consequences of the stressor, this should not be the focus of the paper. Although you need to synthesize the scientific literature, you should not need to go into minute details of particular studies.

Space Guidelines 6 pgs, d/spaced, 12 pt, Times, 1 inch margins Important to be concise Conclusions: don’t restate all your points DO NOT USE DIRECT QUOTATIONS Keep focus * It IS possible to fulfill the requirements of the assignment in the given page limits *

Notes About References You must properly cite any and all ideas which are not your own within the text of your paper as well as in the references section ALL cites in the references section must appear within text and vice versa Use APA style for referencing

Useful Links Finding Journal Articles http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/Home/ResearchAndInstruction/finding-journal-articles.html APA Guidelines www.psychwww.com/resource/apacrib.htm

Some final advice… Read the syllabus! Read the grading sheet Look for information on the course website Do the proposal Read/understand proposal feedback Contact experts as early as possible

Still have questions? Amrita’s Contact Info email: ghai@yorku.ca Office: 046 BSB (Basement) Office hour: Thurs 1:30-2:30 by appointment