ASHFORD 4: – WEEK 3 – ASSIGNMENTFinal Research Project Preparation – Annotated BibliographyReview the Final Research Project instructions located in Week Five. To help with the preparation of the paper, complete the following items and submit them to your instructor as a single document.Introduction to Topic: Refer to the Final Research Project guidelines for your topic selection. For your introduction, you should write a 150-word paragraph which clearly explains the topic, the importance of further research, ethical implications, and how the topic relates to one’s academic and professional pursuits. Make sure you effectively inform the reader of the rationale behind your topic.Thesis statement: Write a direct and concise thesis statement, which will become the point or perspective you will argue or prove in the Final Research Project. A thesis statement should be a single declarative sentence that makes one point in 25 words or less. The thesis statement must appear within the introduction paragraph.Annotated Bibliography: To help prepare for your Final Research Project, write an annotated bibliography to indicate the quality of the sources you have read. The bibliography must include no less than five scholarly sources that will be used to support the major points of the Final Research Project. Critical thinking skills need to be demonstrated by accurately interpreting evidence used to support various positions of the topic. Please make sure to provide full reference information in accordance with APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Write a brief paragraph (around 150 words) summarizing the source and explaining how it is pertinent and relevant to the topic of the project and how each source will support your thesis statement. See the Sample Annotated Bibliography in the Ashford Writing Center for more detailed information. Keep in mind the academic research standards for all Ashford University papers.For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center.The Final Research Project PreparationMust be 1,000 – 1,250 words in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Must include a separate title page with the following:Title of paperStudent’s nameCourse name and numberInstructor’s nameDate submittedMust use at least five scholarly sources.Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.Total Possible Score: 10.00Introduction to TopicTotal: 2.00Distinguished – Clearly explains the topic, the importance of further research, ethical implications, and how it clearly relates to one’s academic and professional pursuits. Thoroughly informs the reader of the rationale behind the topic.Proficient – Explains the topic, the importance of further research, ethical implications, and how it relates to one’s academic and professional pursuits. Informs the reader of the rationale behind the topic. Minor details are missing or the relationship to academic and professional pursuits is slightly unclear.Basic – Somewhat explains the topic, the importance of further research, ethical implications, and how it relates to one’s academic and professional pursuits. Partially informs the reader of the rationale behind the topic. Relevant details are missing and/or the relationship to academic and professional pursuits is unclear.Below Expectations – Attempts to explain the topic of the research paper, the importance of further research, ethical implications, and how it relates to one’s academic and professional pursuits; however, does not inform the reader of the rationale behind the topic, significant details are missing, and the relationship to academic and professional pursuits is entirely unclear.Non-Performance – The introduction to the research paper topic is either non-existent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.Thesis StatementTotal: 2.00Distinguished – Provides a developed thesis statement that thoroughly prepares the reader for the content, direction, and purpose of the paper.Proficient – Provides a thesis statement that prepares the reader for the content, direction, and purpose of the paper. The thesis statement is slightly underdeveloped.Basic – Provides a limited thesis statement that somewhat prepares the reader for the content, direction, and purpose of the paper. The thesis statement is underdeveloped.Below Expectations – Attempts to provide a thesis statement; however, it does not prepare the reader for the content, direction, and purpose of the paper. The thesis statement is significantly underdeveloped.Non-Performance – The thesis statement is either non-existent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.Annotated BibliographyTotal: 4.00Distinguished – Thoroughly summarizes at least five scholarly sources and comprehensively explains how each is relevant to the topic of the Final Research Project. The sources clearly support the thesis statement. Each annotation is at least 150 words in length.Proficient – Summarizes five scholarly sources and explains how each is relevant to the topic of the Final Research Project. The sources support the thesis statement, and most of the annotations meet the 150 word requirement. Minor details are missing or slightly unclear.Basic – Summarizes at least four scholarly sources and partially explains how each is relevant to the topic of the Final Research Project. The sources vaguely support the thesis statement, and/or some of the annotations meet the 150 word requirement. Relevant details are missing and/or unclear.Below Expectations – Attempts to summarize at least five scholarly references and explain how each source is relevant to the topic of the Final Research Project; however, the sources may not support the thesis statement, the annotations do not meet the 150 word requirement, and significant details are missing and entirely unclear.Non-Performance – The annotated bibliography is either non-existent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.Critical Thinking: Interpretation of EvidenceTotal: 0.50Distinguished – Interprets evidence used to support various positions. The interpretation is accurate, objective, clear, and thorough.Proficient – Interprets evidence used to support various positions. The interpretation exhibits minor flaws in accuracy, objectivity, clarity, and/or thoroughness.Basic – Interprets evidence used to support a tenable position. The interpretation lacks objectivity, clarity or thoroughness and may have minor flaws regarding accuracy.Below Expectations – Attempts to interpret evidence that is used to support a position. The interpretation has substantial flaws regarding accuracy, objectivity, clarity and thoroughness and/or the position is not plausible within the field of study.Non-Performance – Does not interpret evidence that is used to support positions.Written Communication: Control of Syntax and MechanicsTotal: 0.50Distinguished – Displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains no errors and is very easy to understand.Proficient – Displays comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains only a few minor errors and is mostly easy to understand.Basic – Displays basic comprehension of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains a few errors which may slightly distract the reader.Below Expectations – Fails to display basic comprehension of syntax or mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains major errors which distract the reader.Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.Written Communication: APA FormattingTotal: 0.50Distinguished – Accurately uses APA formatting consistently throughout the paper, title page, and reference page.Proficient – Exhibits APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout contains a few minor errors.Basic – Exhibits limited knowledge of APA formatting throughout the paper. However, layout does not meet all APA requirements.Below Expectations – Fails to exhibit basic knowledge of APA formatting. There are frequent errors, making the layout difficult to distinguish as APA.Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the instructions.Word RequirementTotal: 0.50Distinguished – The paper is at least 1,000 words in length, excluding the title page and reference page(s).Proficient – The paper closely meets the word requirement, excluding title page and reference page(s).Basic – The paper meets over half of the word requirement, excluding title page and reference page(s).Below Expectations – A fraction of the word requirement is completed.Non-Performance – The assignment is either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.ASHFORD 6: – WEEK 5 – FINAL RESEARCH PROJECTFinal Research ProjectThe topic of your project needs to be a contemporary societal problem, such as healthcare reform, immigration reform, privacy rights, euthanasia, First Amendment Rights, stem cell research, capital punishment, corporate prisons, legalizing drugs, ageism, animal rights, cloning, prayer in schools, racial profiling, recycling/conservation, sexism, outsourcing jobs, workplace bullying, etc. The topic must focus on a single aspect, as in “How far do corporations intrude into the private lives of their employers?” or “The social costs of financing the distribution of custom-designed drugs.” You may suggest another topic to use, but the instructor must approve the topic during the Week Two Discussion.The Final Research Project will present research relating the responsibilities of a critical thinker to contemporary society. In this assignment, you will do the following:Research one aspect of a contemporary social problem.Define the problem.Propose a possible solution for the problem.Create an argument that supports your thesis position. You should take on the perspective of a critically thinking researcher. The argument must present a thesis statement and evidence to support the thesis statement.Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from the position you take on the issue and explain how those outcomes would influence society and culture.Interpret statistical data from at least two peer-reviewed scholarly sources.Evaluate evidence using the following standards: validity, reliability, and bias related to the chosen topic and accurately identify strengths and weaknesses.Research and Define the ProblemYou must take on the perspective of your major field of study and explain in your paper what that perspective is and how it informs your view of the topic. The topics listed above are far too broad to write about in 10–12 pages (3,300–3,900 words). Instead, you must choose a narrowly defined thesis and approach it from the perspective of your field.Example: If you are an economics major, and you are interested in immigration reform, you should approach a very specific aspect of immigration reform through the lens of economic theory and practice. A specific thesis question would not be, “How does illegal immigration influence the U.S. economy?” One could write thousands of pages on such a topic. Instead, a better question would be, “How do illegal immigrant hotel workers in Chicago impact the economy of Northern Illinois?” You would then want to do the research and determine the positive and negative impacts they have, ultimately trying to conclude how illegal immigration in this area should be approached ethically.How to Hone Your Thesis: It is important that you start your research early in this course. Try to find the most important contemporary questions and theories in your field of study and then align the most important questions with a very specific aspect of the general topics above. For example, if you are a psychology major, you might want to start thinking within the realm of healthcare reform or aspects of mental health and criminality in the prison system.Your ArgumentYou must present a complete argument, including a major claim with at least five points of evidence, information, or data that will prove the claim.The thesis statement must beA clear, simple declarative sentence as the first or last sentence in the opening paragraph of the essay.Of such a nature that it can be substantiated, corroborated, verified, and proved through appeal to primary or secondary academic research source materials.The introductory paragraph mustPresent the thesis statement, an explanation for the importance of the topic, and its relation to the student’s field of study.Beliefs, opinions, and personal opinions must not be introduced at any point in the essay.All beliefs and opinions should be supported with academic evidence. Sweeping generalizations with no supporting academic evidence do not reflect adequate critical thinking skills.Do not include rhetorical questions in your essays. All the questions that are pertinent to your project need to be answered in your essay and your answers again need to be supported with evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles and academically published books.Attributes of Good Critical Thinking in PapersYour paper should include academic sources that explain multiple sides of the issue.The evidence that you use should come from high-level researchers engaged in your field of study.Your interpretations of the evidence should be objective and state the conclusions and theses presented in the evidence clearly and fairly.Your paper should place the various forms of evidence in relation to one another and demonstrate why one form or perspective is stronger than the other positions that one could take on the issue.Your paper should point out the limitations of current evidence and attempt to indicate areas for future research.Ethical Outcomes of the Position You TakeAfter you have defined the problem and created an argument about how one ought to respond to the issue, you need to explain the ethical outcomes of the position you have taken. This should again be in relation to the field of study in which you are working. There might be different ethical outcomes that result from your analysis. For example, going back to the example issue above, from an economic standpoint, illegal immigrants might contribute positively to the economy of Northern Illinois in a specific number of ways. Thus, an economist who believes that positive impact to the economy is the greatest good would say that one should promote the use of illegal immigrants. However, because these workers are often paid less than others and eliminate jobs that could be done by residents of Chicago, there could be other negative ethical outcomes that would outweigh the positive impacts to the economy. It is your goal to draw out the ethical implications of your thesis and explain the underlying rationale that is the foundation for your claim that one action is better than another.Critical thinkers are those who can outline the positive and negative ethical impacts of their positions. In addition, they are able to provide a rationale for why they believe a specific position is the right position, even when it leads to negative outcomes.Critical thinkers are also able to be honest and objective about the limitations and gray areas that pertain to their theses.Final Research Project RequirementsThe Final Research Project may be presented as a formal research paper (essay format), a PowerPoint presentation, a video, or a podcast equivalent to a minimum of 10 – 12 pages in APA format (approximately 3,300 – 3,900 typewritten words, excluding title page and reference pages). Written essays must adhere to all APA formatting standards and requirements, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.PowerPoint presentations must include the full text (at least 3,300 words) in the speaker notes portion of the slides, with appropriate citations, and full reference pages. PowerPoint presentations must adhere to the basic principles of PowerPoint presentation design and must include citations and references according to APA standards and requirements.Videos and podcasts must include a full transcript, in APA format, including appropriate in-text citations and a references page.Quotations:There must be no more than 15% quoted content in the body of your essay. All quoted material must bear quotation marks and a full quotation citation.Source Documents:There must be 10 or more source documents used, cited, and referenced.Multimedia sources (such as videos) may be used, but no more than two such sources may be used. If multimedia sources are used, then they must be authored and distributed by credible sources, such as universities, law schools, medical schools, or professors, or found in the Ashford University Library.Where print documents are used for source materials, those must be peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, and academically published books. Popular media sources (e.g., newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows, etc.) may not be used. Materials from advocacy groups (e.g., Greenpeace, Human Rights Campaign, National Organization for Women, etc.) may not be used.Two of the peer-reviewed scholarly sources used must include statistical evidence, which must be accurately interpreted.Sites such as ProCon.org and Wikipedia should not be used.Religious texts are neither peer-reviewed nor scholarly and so may not be used in any way.Summary Conclusion:You must have a summary conclusion as the last paragraph(s) of the project, presenting the major point of the essay and the evidence supporting that point.Word Count:The content body of the project must be 3,300 words or more. The word count does not include anything in the title page, running header, or reference list. It is expected that you meet all logistical requirements of this paper.Reference List:The list of references must include only those source documents that are cited within the body of the project.The project must fully comply with APA formatting standards and requirements as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center: title page, running header with page numbers, font face and size, line spacing, citations, and reference page(s)

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