WRITING ASSIGNMENT HANDOUT FOR ASSIGNMENT
Assignment Objective: Demonstrate competence in identifying testable and novel research question.
Requirements for Assignment : Students will
(i) select a relevant research topic;
(ii) summarize the intent of paper in abstract format not to exceed 250 words following APA Editorial Guidelines.
(iii) prepare an outline of key questions related to the topic that is comprehensive, critical and clever.
RECOMMENDED READINGS
Kazdin, A.E. (1995). Preparing and evaluating research reports. Psychological Assessment, 7(3), 228-237.
Privitera, G.J. (2017). Research methods for the behavioral sciences (2nd Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA.
Sage (ISBN: 978-1-5063-2657-3)-See Chapter 15 (pp. 495-526); Appendix A (pp. 527-580).
ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE
Guidelines for Abstract. An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of your proposal/manuscript that is no more than 250 words in length. The abstract should be accurate reflecting only information that is contained in the body of the proposal/manuscript.
The abstract should be written so that it can stand alone and independently from the proposal/manuscript. It should be concise and specific as well as coherent and readable. The abstract should convey the following information:
a. What is the topic/question/issue/problem under investigation?
b. What population or sample will be the subject of the investigation (e.g., age, education level, race-ethnicity, gender, setting-e.g., organizational, educational, or any other pertinent characteristic to the topic/question/issue/problem under investigation).
c. What are the major results and findings bearing on the topic/question/issue/problem under investigation?
Guidelines for Outline. The outline for assignment 1 should
(i) Identify a course relevant research question or topic;
(ii) articulate the rationale for the selection of the specific research question and/or topic to course (i.e., it should address why you selected this particular topic and how it relates to the course);
(iii) delineate key topics and/or questions to be addressed within the paper. Consult the example provided on-line.