WK 3 Com
A research guide for a major paper
For your major paper, I would like you to use this guide, to help you through the process, from the time of selecting your topic, through to citing your sources.
Step One: Select your topic or issue
Whenever you have an option of selecting a topic, the rule of thumb is to select a topic which is close to your heart. You will likely find it easier to research on, write about; it will more likely be useful to you and your readers; and you will also enjoy the writing process!
Step Two: Search for terms
You need to locate journal articles and books on this topic. You can use either of the following two ways, or both:
a) library
Library page and look at EBSCO. Go to all indexes and then select Psychology and Behavior Sciences and PsychArticles. These indexes will lead you to the appropriate articles. You should only select scholarly research articles. You will be able to identify those articles because they will be academic peer reviewed journals. Often, they have journal, communication, or research in the topic. Even though research articles will be more difficult to read, look for them. You will find rich material in these articles. You may also use e-books on the EBSCO Host or ProQuest ebook. You may even look at the ProQuest Psychology Database although you may not find it to be as helpful.
Dr. Pendleton of the library provided these links for you.
APA PsycArticles database from EBSCO
ProQuest Psychology database
http://proxy.amberton.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/psychology?accountid=7009
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences collection from EBSCO
b) Google Scholar
You can also use Google Scholar to find citation sources with. To use Google Scholar, go to Google, type Google Scholar, then type the key terms of your research , and include the term “communication” to make sure that the sources are focused on communication
To search your topic, use the appropriate terms for example:
McGregor’s Theory Y AND communication
General Systems Theory AND communication
The Learning Organization Theory AND communication
Critical Theory AND communication
Step Three: Look for different viewpoints on your topic
Step Four: Select only credible academic sources. In other words, if it’s a journal article, it has to be peer reviewed. When you search, you need to include in the search engine that you are looking for peer-reviewed sources. Only use journal articles which are nine years or younger.
Step Five: When you find articles that are suitable for your topic, go to the Discussion session, or Conclusions and get your information from there.
Step Six: Use the information from the Results and Conclusions sections as Examples in making your argument. Also use statistics generated by the authors in the journal articles which you would have reviewed.
Step Seven: Use the APA 7th citation format in your paper