Ask your professor to provide you information on the format of the essay or report before you begin. Determining whether you are writing a scientific report or an essay is the first step in the process.
Outline your paper to make sure that you have included the pertinent sections. A psychology report will usually include an introduction which addresses the problem, a methods section, the results, a discussion and the final conclusion. An essay will include an introduction, the body and a conclusion. Essays are not usually formatted in strict sections like reports.
Use the style guide of the American Psychological Association (APA) when writing most papers in the field of psychology. The APA manual has information on how to reference sources, how to format papers and how to include charts in reports. Ask the professor assigning the essay or report if you should use the APA manual while writing.
Write the paper for a professional audience, which means that you do not have to explain extremely basic information. Explain any key terms that the reader may not be familiar with and that goes beyond the basics. If necessary, add charts or graphs to further explain the research presented in the paper. This will be included in the results section if you are writing a psychology report.
Proofread your paper after writing to make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Make a title page according to the instructions of the professor or refer to the APA manual. Print the finished paper from a computer so that it looks professional.