Select Paragraph M2A1 For this part of the assignment, select one paragraph from the body of one of the articles you have chosen to include in your literature search. Paraphrase Paragraph Paraphrase the content from the paragraph you selected. You may want to later include it in the body of your literature review. Include appropriate citations, as necessary. Post Paraphrased Paragraph Post the original paragraph (in quotation marks) and your paraphrasing of the paragraph to the M2: Assignment 1 Discussion Area by Saturday, July 26, 2014.
Selecting Your References M2A2 Along the way in this module you will need to gather a minimum of ten (10) scholarly research articles you plan on using for your final research paper. APA-formatted literature reviews always include a references page. The references page cites every article you have mentioned in your literature review. To view a sample references page, view the sample APA paper in Doc Sharing, visit the www.apastyle.org Web site to view other sample papers, and consult your textbooks. Part I Based on the feedback you received from your peers and your instructor on your research/focal question and your search of the literature, finalize your research question, and submit it on page 1 of your submission. Part II Select at least ten (10) scholarly research articles related to your chosen focal/research question. These should be articles that you intend to review, critique, or include in some other way when writing your literature review/final paper. Create a draft of an APA-formatted references page, including each of the research articles you have selected. Note the following important points: • The references must be in alphabetical order. • References should be double-spaced. • Hanging indents must be used. (The first line of the reference is flushed left to the margin while all subsequent lines of a single reference are indented five spaces from the left-hand margin. Part III Include a title page in APA format with your submission. Submit your paper to the M2: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Wednesday, July 30, 2014.
Research Journal Entry M3A1 You have made significant progress in the prewriting phase of your literature review. In Modules 1 and 2, you selected a focal/research topic and a list of potential references. Now, you have entered into the process of evaluating those references and perhaps seeking more information. You are beginning to sift through your references for common themes that you will use as headings in your literature review paper. According to researchers who have interviewed thousands of college students about the process of gathering information for such papers, there is a great deal of frustration involved in the process. Students describe how difficult it is to get started or to find high quality, relevant, current articles on their chosen topic. Some students have found it helpful to discuss the process with each other, give each other tips, and share their successes and pitfalls with the research process. In the form of a research journal entry, post a description of your efforts so far in the course: 1. Provide a list of your search terms (words or phrases you used when searching in the online library database, on Google Scholar, or on other search engines). 2. Discuss at least three frustrations you have had with the searching process. Be specific. You could describe a specific dead end you faced in a search. Or, if you had difficulty getting started, discuss how you overcame that frustration. What did you do or avoid doing, in order to get past the point of being stuck? 3. Share at least three tips. For example, if you have had successes with the online library or Internet search, what did you do well? Did you find articles using a unique strategy? 4. Did you use a less-reliable Web site, such as Wikipedia, to jump start your search? Why or why not? If you did use it, how did you use it? What information did you gain from using it? Add any other details that would help you describe your experience so far. by Saturday, August 2,
LASA 1: Writing a Brief Draft M3A2 At this point in the course, you have developed a focal question, reviewed articles related to your topic, and have designed an outline of your final paper. Using all of that information, begin the writing process now. Effective writers create a draft of their paper and revise that draft one or more times before producing a final paper. Your draft-writing process begins with this assignment and continues in Module 4. In Module 5, you will submit your final draft of this paper. This assignment requires you to write a draft of the first few pages of your final paper, using current APA standards for editorial style, expression of ideas, and formatting of the text, headings, citations, and references. The following components, each in current APA style, must be included: 1. Title page 2. Running head with page numbers 3. 2-3 pages of the body of the paper. Be sure to: a. Articulate a research question which is specific, researchable, and important to the field. This should be the same focal question you submitted in Module 2. b. Provide an introduction to your paper, introducing your topic and providing an overview of the main points you will discuss in further detail in the final paper. c. Review at least 3 academic references. These should be academic references taken from the list of 10 references you submitted in Module 2. Your review of each source should include the following: i. The main topic ii. The focus or thesis of the journal article iii. The argument the author is making and its relevance to your focal question iv. The type of article—published, original research, meta-analysis, or reflection piece v. The key findings of the study vi. Your opinion about the merits of the study, including future points of interest or research vii. Analysis of how the information/research findings in each article confirm or contradict the findings in the other articles you have chosen. 4. Headings and subheadings organizing the body of the paper 5. References page Submit your paper to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Wednesday, August 6,
The Big Picture M4A1 The Abstract is a brief summary of the entire research article. It helps us to get a sense of the research question, methods, and findings. Creating an Abstract is often a very helpful exercise for the writer of a literature review, because the Abstract conveys the big picture, so to speak. In the process of writing the Abstract, the writer must develop a big picture idea of their topic, data, and conclusions. Readers benefit greatly from abstracts. They use them to screen articles quickly, while gathering resources for their own projects. They use them to evaluate the strength of the paper, the generalizability of its findings, and the overall argument of its author. In a literature review, a strong Abstract includes the following pieces of information: 1. Your research topic; 2. Your research/focal question; 3. Your hypothesis (what did you guess the answer to the research/focal question would be prior to beginning your research?); 4. A general statement or two about the findings discussed in the articles you’ve reviewed; 5. Your conclusions; 6. Some implications of the findings you’ve described (What do they mean to us or to society?); and 7. What future research needs to be done? The post should be at least 100 words in length and should include all of the above items (#1 through #5). Post your Abstract to the Discussion Area by Saturday, August 9, 2014. Review and respond to at least two your classmates’ posts through Wednesday, August 13, 2014.
Identifying Themes M4A2 Submit the following assignment to the M4: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Wednesday, August 13, 2014. Identifying themes in your literature is very important because it helps you create a scaffold for your literature review. Without knowing themes, patterns, and trends, the literature review usually reads like a meaningless list with no connection between one study and the next. Also, without identification of themes, there is no appreciation of how scholars are actually having a conversation on paper regarding their discoveries. By now you have taken part in multiple exercises and assignments which were intended to assist you in clarifying the themes you will pull together in and through your literature review. Now is the time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), and to take all of the preparatory work you have done and to actualize it in a draft of your literature review. For this assignment, you will develop a Title page, Abstract, and a References page. Articulate your main research/focal question as the opening for your paper. Be sure it is specific, researchable, and important to the field. Then go on to list a detailed outline of the body of the paper, (including all headings and subheadings). Be sure to format your entire paper, including the headings and subheadings according to APA style.
LASA 2: Submitting Final Paper M5A1 Based on your review of the most recent, relevant research findings on your chosen topic, submit a final version of your literature review paper, integrating feedback received from your instructor. Be sure to include a research/focal question, synthesis of the literature you reviewed, well-established conclusions, and points of discussion and/or future research. Apply current APA standards for editorial style, expression of ideas, and formatting of the text, headings, citations, and references. You may want to study the style and formatting illustrated in the sample APA paper in the Doc Sharing area and model your paper after it. The following components, each in current APA style, must be included: 1. Title page 2. Running head with page numbers 3. Abstract 4. 8-10 pages in the body of the paper. Be sure to: a. Articulate a research question which is specific, researchable, and important to the field. b. Review at least 10 academic references. c. Offer a synthesis of the key points established in and through literature review. d. Provide well-established conclusions, and identify needed areas for future research. 5. Headings and subheadings organizing the body of the paper 6. References page Submit your final paper to the M5: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Saturday, August 16, 2014.
Reflection M5A2 This last assignment of the course provides you an opportunity to reflect upon your learning and expectations from this course.
Use the Discussion Area to discuss the following: • What did you learn about yourself through your time spent in the writing process? • What were the problems you faced and how did you deal with any related frustrations? • What did you learn about your strengths and weaknesses in researching, writing, and revising? • How did the conclusions you reached at the end of your research paper match the expectations you had when you began your research paper? Did any of the research findings surprise you or challenge the assumptions you had at the beginning of the research? • Given your experience in this course, you now understand better the scholarly requirements of a psychologist. In this context, explain the career direction you see yourself pursuing—researcher, clinician, educator, or something else. How has this course experience helped you to develop some goals? The post should be at least 100 words in length and should include all of the bulleted items listed above. Post your Reflection response to the Discussion Area by Sunday, August 17, 2014.