TASK Background: The use of social networking sites (SNS) continues to increase rapidly, providing opportunities to connect with people around the world. However, whether using SNS confers any health benefits remains a debated issue. Essay Question: Does the use of social networking sites help reduce feelings of loneliness? Important information and things to include in your essay To answer the essay question, you must state your position (i.e., whether you agree or disagree with this question) and present a critical discussion of the research evidence that supports your position. In your essay, you must cite at least three different primary research articles as evidence to support your position. SUBMISSION An Electronic copy only of the Essay should be submitted via Turnitin software. A hardcopy is not required. Most file types are accepted, but not .pages documents. It is department policy that assignments are set in terms of a specified word limit and specified format which are as follows: 1250 words maximum (Please include your Word Count on the title page of the Essay) Double-spaced lines Correct length essay title and running head Use size 12 Times New Roman font (or other accepted fonts, see manual for list) Margin of 1 inch (2.54 cm) at the top, bottom, left, and right of every page The word limit includes in-text referencing but does not include the reference list at the end, nor the title page. . Penalties for breaching word limit: 5% (i.e., 1.5 ) mark deduction for every 100 words over the limit. For example, essays 1350-1449 words long will lose 1.5 marks, essays 1450-1549 words long will lost 3 marks etc. Penalties for late submissions: 5% (i.e., 1.5) mark deduction for every 24 hours after the due date. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA Two tutorials are dedicated to how to write in psychology, be sure you have completed these tutorials which also includes an exercise for you to mark an essay using the rubric below. Specifically addressed the topic and required elements of the essay question Developed a robust, theoretically solid and evidence based argument Accurate presentation of literature demonstrating good knowledge of the research area and perspectives Thoughtful, insightful, specific, and cogent conclusion on the question/topic Overall structure and format of the essay - did each section contain the required elements? Overall style, presentation, language, and grammar Citations and references list of sources used, formatted in APA style STARTER REFS The starter references are available for download via the Leganto link. Note: the starter references are a great place to start researching the area. Whether or not you chose to cite them is up to you. Bouwman, T. E., Aartsen, M. J., van Tilburg, T. G., & Stevens, N. L. (2017). Does stimulating various coping strategies alleviate loneliness? Results from an online friendship enrichment program. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(6), 793–811. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516659158 Deters, F., & Mehl, M. (2013). Does posting Facebook status updates increase or decrease loneliness? An online social networking experiment. Social Psychological & Personality Science, 4, 579–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612469233 Kraut, R., Kiesler, S., Boneva, B., Cummings, J., Helgeson, V. and Crawford, A. (2002), Internet Paradox Revisited. Journal of Social Issues, 58, 49-74. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/1540-4560.00248 Lee, K. T., Noh, M.-J., & Koo, D.-M. (2013). Lonely people are no longer lonely on social networking sites: The mediating role of self-disclosure and social support. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16, 413–418. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0553 Lemieux, R., Lajoie, S., & Trainor, N. E. (2013). Affinity seeking, social loneliness and social avoidance among Facebook users. Psychological Reports: Physical and Mental HealtGeneral Tips and Advice Do not use direct quotes! There is no need for ANY direct quotes in this essay. Paraphrase, do not copy a passage of text and change a few words - Turnitin will pick up on this and contribute to your score on the originality report. Reading scientific journal articles can be challenging to get used to, you might have to read one paper a couple times to understand it when just starting out in psychology (but stick with it, it will get easier with practice). Introductory paragraphs should state the structure of the essay (i.e., what each section covers) and the position taken by the author with respect to the essay question. Each paragraph should clearly address the essay question - the opening sentence of a paragraph usually reflects what will be addressed in the paragraph and the final sentence in a paragraph is usually a summation of the paragraph and also demonstrates how this particular paragraph relates to the essay question/s. Essays should briefly and concisely define any key terms you use Be sure to clearly state your position and present published studies which clearly demonstrate how the research findings support your position. It can also be powerful to present published studies that DO NOT support the position you take. However, such counter-evidence should be challenged by critiquing the study (if possible) so as to diminish the veracity of the study's results. For example, if all the studies you cite to support your position have been conducted with females but the one study that doesn't support your position was conducted with males, then you could argue that the opposing findings are due to sample differences and therefore do not compromise your arguments and position. Consider whether the ecological validity of each study you cite compromises or bolsters your arguments. For example, a study conducted inside the lab where participants answered questions about how they predict they would react in certain situations has less ecological validity than a study which records a participant's behaviour in real-world settings without their awareness. Conclusions should recap the aim of the essay, the position taken and a very brief overview of the key findings used to support the position take. A concluding sentence that highlights any caveats or limitations of the findings presented or offers avenues of future research, are good ways to finish an essay. Reference your arguments accurately - if an idea is not your own you need to acknowledge this and provide and accurate citation. If an idea is your own you need to provide evidence from the literature that supports it. To write a good essay you will need to do your own research and find articles relating to your particular essay argument, and extend beyond the starter references. There is no set minimum of maximum number of references you need to cite in your essay. Finally, thoroughly read over your essay and fix all typos and poorly worded sentences before submitting!