RE: From the News

Quick Links
Blackboard Learn
My Blackboard   
Courses   
Community
202030 – PSYC-102-32448 Course-to-Course Navigation Final Paper
Hide Course Menu
202030 – PSYC-102-32448
Home Page
Syllabus
Course Content
Announcements
Discussions
Course Mail
Tools
MC Resources
Help
Library
Assessments
Final Paper
Chapter Summaries/ppt
Final Paper

Assignment
Submit Paper Here by Due May 15th
Detailed Instructions:

Step 1 Select an appropriate article. If you have any doubts as to whether your selection meets these requirements, ask!

Step 2 Attach a copy of your selected article when you submit your paper.

Step 3 Write a report on the article you selected, following the format described below.

Step 4 Turn in paper and copy of the article by the due date.

CONTENT: Refer to the General Paper Guidelines. Also, provide information in the following order, but write it as a complete paper, not just answering the questions.

Summarize the BACKGROUND information that was available to the authors that prompted them to do the study state why the study was done. Reference the source of your information through in-text citations, using the name and date system of APA style.
State the HYPOTHESIS or RESEARCH QUESTION of this study. A true hypothesis makes a specific prediction, and is used in experimental research. A research question might be used instead for a descriptive study.
Describe the METHODS used. Identify the subjects, and try to identify the type of research method (case study, naturalistic or laboratory observation, correlational study, experiment?). If it is experimental research, identify the independent and dependent variables, the experimental and control groups. Explain enough about the procedures so that your instructor knows what was done. Do not include statistical methods.
What were the most important RESULTS of the study? What information did they obtain? (Do not confuse this with the conclusions of the study.)
What was the CONCLUSION of the study?  Did it support or refute the original hypothesis? What are the implications for further research?
What were your thoughts after reading the article. Did you find the information new or did it only confirm what you believed? Would you recommend suggestions for the authors to improve the article and or study?

Item
Paper Rubric
Grading Criteria for Final Paper

Due Week 5

Total Possible Points: 100

Points Possible

Content Issues (60%)

10

Introduction

10

Methods

10

Results

10

Conclusion/Discussion

20

Coherent, Understandable, Shows depth of reflection/subject matter

Points Possible

Style Issues (40%)

References/Citations

10

Grammar and Punctuation

10

APA Format

10

Transition

10

References/Citations

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE CONSIDERED PLAGIARISM:

I.  turning in someone else’s work as your own

II.copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

III.          failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

IV.          giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation

V.changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit

VI.          copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

Specifics for Rubric Categories:

Introduction

Background/literature search (What has been done so far?)

Hypothesis development (What is the hypothesis? How did the student come to that hypothesis?)

Completeness and style (Were studies described in sufficient detail?  It is clear the student understood what they were describing?)

Methods

Participants  (Who were your participants? How many participants did you have?)

Measures/Materials (How was the IV/variable #1 operationalized?  How was the DV/Variable #2 operationalized?)

Procedure (What did the experimenters do?  What did the participants do?)

Results

What information did they obtain? (Do not confuse this with the conclusions of the study

What was most significant about their results

Conclusion/Discussion

What were your thoughts after reading the article.  Did you find the information new or did it only confirm what you believed? Would you recommend suggestions for the authors to improve the article and or study?

Style Issues

Grammar and content

Paper is coherently organized and the logic is easy to follow.

There are no spelling or grammatical errors and terminology is clearly defined

APA Formatting and proper citations.

Reference page

APA Style (Follow APA style in title page, body of paper, citations, and references

Item
GENERAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES
Choose your topic
Format for papers:
Title Page:The first page should include the following:
Your name, date, A title
No need for an abstract page 
Length: 3 pages minimum double-spaced but not to exceed 4 pages. (Note: Papers must be at least3- FULL, well-written pages to receive full credit. This does not include the title page)
Margins: 1-inch margins all around. (If you use Microsoft Word, be aware that the default margin is 1.25 inches. Change the margins to 1 inch using page set-up)
Font: 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font.
Source: Cite your sources.
Specific information about content of the paper is provided in the description below.

Requirements for the research you select to write about:

It must be an article in a scholarly (peer reviewed) psychology journal (see below on how to find a peer-reviewed journal, (CNN, Huffington Post,  Psychology Today are not peer reviewed).
It must have a recent publication date (not before 2000).
It must be empirical, that is, it reports on original research done by the authors. Hint: Look to see whether it has a section that is clearly labeled Methods or Procedures.
It must be something that you can understand. If you feel that the article you have picked is beyond your grasp, pick another one. You will not be able to write a good report on an article you dont understand.