BUS7300 Week 3
VeryThorough
BUS-7300_Complete_Syllabus1.docxBUS-7300
Scholarly Business Communication
(3 credits)
Course Description:
It is important for business scholars to be able to communicate clearly and efficiently with a wide range of audiences and in a variety of situations. This course is designed to aid scholar-practitioners in reaching their audiences and ensuring their message is delivered and understood. Topics include both professional and scholarly communication useful to the business scholar-practitioner.
Number of Activities: 8
Learning Outcomes:
1. Compare and contrast the various forms of popular, scholarly, and industry communications. (L4)
1. Assess sources of information for their reliability and usefulness in addressing research problems. (L5)
1. Identify problems supported by scholarly literature. (L5)
1. Compile evidence from multiple sources to detail the state of the art in a current area of inquiry. (L6)
1. Design communication strategies to be used for diverse audiences and situations. (L6)
6. Communicate with diverse audiences about theories, applications, and perspectives related to business. (L5)
Course Concepts:
1. Scholarly publications and conferences
1. Problem identification
1. Dissertation requirements and milestones
1. Professional business communication
1. Electronic communication
1. Literature review
Primary Resource/textbook:
There are no primary textbooks required for this course
Additional Resources:
Please refer to the specific week for other resources.
Supplemental Resources:
Hinde, S., & Spackman, E. (2015). Bidirectional citation searching to completion: An exploration of literature searching methods. Pharmacoeconomics, 33(1), 5-11. doi: 10.1007/s40273-014-0205-3
Skiba, D. J. (2013). Bloom's digital taxonomy and word clouds. Nursing Education Perspectives, 34(4), 277-280.
http://proxy1.ncu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=c8h&AN=104100878&site=eds-live
SBTM Portfolio Handbook
Attachment: SBTM Doctoral Portfolio Handbook.pdf
Heads up to the CMP Portfolio
In the CMP Portfolio course that is part of your doctoral program, you will be asked to submit artifacts of your work from your courses as evidence of knowledge and understanding of different topic areas. You may want to consider using some or all of an assignment in this specific course as an artifact. If you elect to do so, make sure it aligns to artifact requirements as presented in the SBTM Portfolio Handbook. As a best practice, create a folder on your computer where you can store your selected assignments for easy retrievable when you begin working on your artifacts. If you have not done so, please download and review the SBTM Portfolio Handbook.
Course Outline
Section 1: Explain Differences among Publication Types
Activity 1: Evaluate Two Types of Articles from Business Literature (10 Points)
Activity 2: Evaluate Internet Sources Using a Structured Approach to Research (10 Points)
Activity 3: Analyze Scholarly References for Professional and Academic Reviews (10 Points)
Section 2: Planning and Creating Dissertation Literature Reviews
Activity 4: Examine Library Resources (10 Points)
Activity 5: Create an Annotated Bibliography (10 Points)
Activity 6: Create a Discursive Literature Review Plan (10 Points)
Section 3: Creating Final Assignments
Activity 7: Create a Research Paper (15 Points)
Activity 7: Create a Video Presentation (5 Points)
Activity 8: Signature Assignment: Create Final Literature Review (20 Points)
Section 1: Explain Differences among Publication Types
Course Overview
Written communication is different from verbal communication. This type of communication is more formal. For example, in written communication it is often advisable to include discussion based on previously published information. Published information will generally provide a foundation for authors of business topics to elaborate on and provide insight. An example might be office correspondence or a presentation summarizing principles of strategic management competitors rely on to gain competitive advantage. Whether one is interested in purely academic pursuits or in a practical application of the principle of strategic management, literature is a good place to begin gathering data and information for inclusion in studies, proposals, and presentations.
This course will be helpful for gaining insight on various literature review techniques.
Two types of degrees offered at NCU are the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (PhD). Both degrees require successful completion of a dissertation. NCU offers insight on differences between the degrees. In choosing your topics, be sure to keep in mind whether you are seeking a research degree (PhD) or a professional degree (DBA). Review the Dissertation Center document entitled “Differentiating PhD and Applied Doctorates” for a discussion regarding the differences between PhD and DBA. The tab is located in the Doctoral Resources section on the left side of the page.
Introduction to BUS-7300
Many forms of business literature appear in libraries, blogs, company internal reports, and in general literature. Some of the more frequent sources are professional organization publications. Each type of literature has a purpose, and each type has its place for publication in the professional sector as well as the academic sector.
In this section, you will review and analyze various types of published material and determine which type of literature is best for various purposes. However, academic publications such as peer-reviewed journals and articles on research are essential for doctoral students in your doctoral journey. As you review various types of publications, keep in mind the importance of researching topics in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. You will begin by using publication types generally used by professionals. Later in the course, peer-reviewed journal articles are introduced. Peer-reviewed journals will be the primary source information in the dissertation literature review section.
Week 1: Evaluate Two Types of Articles from Business Literature (10 Points)
Various types of writing are useful for professional communication. For doctoral students, peer-reviewed journal publications are essential. These publications contain research reports vital for developing dissertations. However, in the workplace, trade journals and popular press are often more familiar sources.
This week, two forms of professional literature are reviewed: trade journals and popular press. Later in the course, we will add academic resources to the professional resources.
Trade Journals
Many trade journals, such as the AICPA's Journal of Accountancy, provide reviews of applications or best practices in an industry related to practical research useful for daily operations. Expert practitioners frequently write these articles and focus more on the application of knowledge than the creation of it. These articles may also focus on applying theories from other areas to a specific industry problem; for example, using forest conservation principles in organizational development. Editors review these article submissions, but because they are more often editorial in nature, they are not subject to the same rigorous scrutiny as original research journal articles.
Popular Press
The popular press is yet another source of information. Books such as Blue Ocean Strategy or The World Is Flat are based in research, but are presented in a more practical light and do not necessarily make clear distinctions between the facts and opinions they present. News sources, such as Business Week or Fast Company, also fall into this category where the line between knowledge and editorial is blurred. Again, editors often review these solely to avoid factual misstatement, but not to establish validity or reliability of the opinions expressed.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Heads-Up to the Signature Assignment
Your culminating Signature Assignment (due in Week 8) will be a reflection of all that you have learned within the course, and it may require that you complete some work ahead of time. To ensure you are prepared and have adequate time to complete this assignment, please review the instructions by looking ahead to Week 8. You can contact your professor if you have questions.
Weekly Resources:
Brown, K. G., & Barton, D. J. (2016). Brief guide to business writing. University of Iowa.
http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/faculty/kbrown/writing.html
Engle, M. (2016). Distinguishing scholarly from non-scholarly periodicals: A checklist of criteria: Introductions and Definitions. Cornell University Library.
http://guides.library.cornell.edu/scholarlyjournals
Academic and popular resources. (n.d.). Nortncentral University.
http://library.ncu.edu/dw/index/238
Scholarly vs. peer-reviewed: What is the difference between scholarly and peer-reviewed journals? (n.d). Northcentral University.
https://library.ncu.edu/faq/faqview/14864
Assignment 1: Evaluate Two Types of Articles from Business Literature (10 Points)
For this assignment, you will reflect on what you have learned about the differences between professional publications and popular press publications. After reviewing the Engle website information located within your weekly resources, read an article from a professional trade publication and an article from a popular press publication. Fortune Magazine and Psychology Today are examples of popular press publications.
Then, write an essay analyzing the content and format of the two types of articles. Discuss the type of material presented in each article. Evaluate the articles in light of information you acquired in the resources this week. Remember to consider that there are differences in content and format between professional trade publications and popular press publications.
Be sure to address the following in your essay:
· Analyze and compare your findings from the viewpoint of accuracy and suitability to use as a professional research reference.
· Explain whether you believe one form of publication is more reliable than the others.
· Assess your own fact-finding methods, and compare how your opinion of using these two types of resources has changed.
Use the library to acquire resources in support of assertions. Cite and reference. The two articles reviewed count toward the citation requirement.
Length: 3-5 pages
References: Include a minimum of five library references. The two articles count toward the citation requirement.
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 1, 2
Week 2: Evaluate Internet Sources using a Structured Approach to Research
Searching for information on a subject is a skill one develops with practice. The University Library or the E-Book Collection are appropriate, but searching these resources takes practice. The Internet has made it much easier to search for information, and search providers such as Google have created the ability to find large amounts of information with little effort.
The challenge is in evaluating that information. When information is located on the Internet and seems to be professionally presented, the content may contain false, misleading, or biased information. Using sources that have not been checked for accuracy and credibility can lead professional and academic researchers to present bad information to audiences. However, that is not to say that Internet resources are not appropriate in some circumstances. To assist in literature review topic selection, it is helpful to use the power of the Internet to explore up-to-date information on business topics. Generally not considered scholarly, Internet searches can provide valuable insight on current topics of interest in the business community.
You might even locate important information in Internet searches. If the resource is robust enough for dissertation work, it might be helpful. To include information from non-scholarly resources, one can validate the reliability of information and authors of information with techniques examined in this week's material. This week, the assignment involves using a structured approach. A structured approach is a standardized method for evaluating and justifying resources.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Weekly Resources:
Scholarly vs. peer-reviewed: What is the difference between scholarly and peer-reviewed journals? (n.d.). Northcentral University.
https://library.ncu.edu/faq/faqview/14864
Packard, N. (Producer). (2010). Computer skills: Internet search.[Video file].
http://search.alexanderstreet.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/avon/view/work/1782322
Scutt, D. (2008). How to review literature. Radiologic Technology, 79(4), 306-308.
Assignment 2: Evaluate Internet Sources Using a Structured Approach to Research and Communication Process to Doctoral Students (10 points)
During Week 1, we examined two types of publications. This week, we turn our focus toward how to examine resources located on the Internet. Internet searches are much easier than electronic library searches, but Internet searches present challenges. For example, many people are not qualified to present objective information, and they post inaccurate or biased information. The locations can be informal, such as personal blogs; or they can be more formal, such as on professional organization websites. The challenge for professional and academic researchers is to ensure the information retrieved and relied on is accurate and free from excessive bias. This week, you will practice locating resources on the Internet and analyzing information for credibility, and creating a presentation to help other doctoral students evaluate Internet sources.
For this task, begin by locating at least three sources of information from Internet resources on a business topic of interest to you. The information should be from a professional organization website or from a website specializing in a particular subject. Ensure there is an author identified and be sure the qualifications of the author are presented in the website information.
Next, imagine that you will be creating a PowerPoint Presentation to doctoral students to help them evaluate sources. Create a visual diagram that reflects the process steps students need to go through to evaluate Internet sources. Explain each of the steps in the process in detail and use the three sources you identified as examples. Be sure to consider the following questions to help your doctoral student audience understand the validity of the authors you researched.
· Who is the author?
· What are the main points the author is presenting?
· What are the author's educational and experience credentials? In what way do they support the author’s ability to express an opinion on the subject?
· Has the research been peer-reviewed or gone through an editorial process?
· What types of bias may be present?
· Who has a contrary opinion on the subject, and what are their credentials?
· How old is the material, and is it still relevant?
End your PowerPoint presentation by providing a real-life example from a specific business context where you could apply the Internet source evaluation process you just developed to promote a specific business improvement idea to your management team. How might the source evaluation process help you build credibility in a business setting? How is the source evaluation process different in academia verses a business context?
Incorporate appropriate animations, transitions, and graphics as well as speaker notes for each slide. The speaker notes may be comprised of brief paragraphs or bulleted lists.
Support your presentation with at least 3 scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.
Length: 9-12 slides (with a separate reference slide)
Notes Length: speaker notes of 200-350 words per slide.
Be sure to include citations for quotations and paraphrases with references in APA format and style where appropriate. Save the file as PPT with the correct course code information.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 4, 5, 6
Week 3: Analyze Scholarly References for Professional and Academic Reviews (10 Points)
Professional and academic research is a discipline. As with any discipline, fundamentals learned and practiced help researchers in the application of research methods. Research projects should be objective and free of author bias. Similarly, conducting literature reviews requires discipline and practice.
Academic and professional researchers have vast resources
a variety of sources. Some resources are unscholarly (non-academic), and some resources are considered scholarly (academic). The first two activities introduced resources in professional publications and discussed the use of the Internet. The topic this week focuses on scholarly resources useful for developing literature reviews for both professional and academic applications. Utilizing scholarly publications strengthens the credibility of authors.
Unscholarly resources might be tempting to use in acquiring written evidence of points to be made. As seen in earlier activities, unscholarly resources are easy to locate, generally brief, and give general ideas on topics in their titles. Scholarly resources, on the other hand, can present challenges. Often the electronic library search terms are not included directly in titles of articles, and the articles can be comprehensive and therefore contain several pages.
Scholarly publications are examined in this activity. Methods to identify scholarly publications and why they are useful in dissertation literature reviews are in the assigned reading. This week's activity includes practice searching for and identifying articles published in scholarly peer-reviewed journals.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Weekly Resources:
Comeradsamy, H. (2012, May 10). Literature based research methodology. University of Brighton.
http://www.slideshare.net/huguette_comerasamy/literature-based-research-methodology
Distinguishing scholarly from non-scholarly periodicals: A checklist of criteria: Introduction. (2016). Cornell University Library.
http://guides.library.cornell.edu/scholarlyjournals
Northcentral University. (n.d.). Evaluating Information. http://library.ncu.edu/dw/index/344
Jaidka, K., Khoo, C., & Na, J.-C. (2013). Literature review writing: How information is selected and transformed. Emerald, 65(3), 303-325. doi: 10.1108/00012531311330665
http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1354332341?pq-origsite=360link
Park, J., & Brenza, A. (2015). Evaluation of semi-automatic metadata generation tools: A survey of the current state of the art. Information Technology & Libraries, 34(3), 22-42.
Saan, M. C., Boeije, H. R., Sattoe, J. N. T., Bal, M. I., Missler, M., & Wesel, F. (2015). Recording and accounting for stakeholder involvement in systematic reviews. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 32(2), 95-106. doi:10.1111/hir.12099
Assignment 3: Analyze Scholarly References for Professional and Academic Reviews
Up to this point in the course, activities in this course have centered on unscholarly resources for acquiring information useful for professional and academic research. In this assignment, you will learn the difference between unscholarly and scholarly resources. The assignment this week includes practice searching the library for topics and locating relevant articles related to a search topic.
This week, you will identify scholarly resources. To do this, check the box in the library aggregator for peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. Retrieve articles from the library. Make sure the articles are peer-reviewed. This can be done by locating the publication webpage, locating the publication submission instructions, and locating the publication statement that article submissions will be peer-reviewed. If you do not find this statement, assume the publication is not peer-reviewed and move on to another article search. Consider the degree to which the articles meet the criteria for scholarly publications.
Begin by reading all resources listed for this week. Create an outline of elements identified in the assigned reading that describe elements typically contained in peer-reviewed articles. The outline will be a guide for you to create an essay where you discuss how the selected articles meet the criteria from the list of elements in the reading material.
Next, select a business topic related to your area of interest. Search the library for scholarly peer-reviewed articles. Entering a search on scholarly peer-reviewed articles will result in many articles. Review abstracts to screen articles.
Then, select three journal articles and evaluate the degree they conform to criteria in the assigned reading. Write an essay where each of the elements of the articles is evaluated. Analyze the content of the journal articles and discuss how each criterion in the assigned reading is present or not present in the selected articles.
Finally, organize your essay with first and second level section titles. The second level titles can be each of the criteria.
Length: 3-5 pages, not including title page and reference page
References: Support your work with a minimum of 5 scholarly resources
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 2, 3, 4
Section 2: Planning and Creating Dissertation Literature Reviews
In the previous section, you learned how to identify resource types, which included professional trade journals, popular press publications, business literature, and Internet-based search resources. You performed an evaluation of business literature, and you were introduced to scholarly resources for professional and academic research projects. You also practiced evaluating differences between business literature in trade journals and popular press. You reviewed the increased use of searches involving Internet resources and examined the criteria for establishing authors' credibility.
In this section, you will investigate literature reviews. Literature reviews are helpful in both professional and academic research. Literature reviews allow you to become acquainted with previous work of other authors. Literature reviews also are useful in developing topics and problem statements for dissertations.
Dissertation topics are important. Often, students come up with an idea for a topic based on experience or because they are passionate about a topic. Caution should be taken in selecting the topic for your dissertation. The topic should be justified. Completing a dissertation takes multiple people’s time and effort. It is important that topics are worthy of the effort. Literature reviews offer support for topic selection as they often have "gaps in the literature" where topics worthy of further study are presented.
The assignments in this section provide practical application of techniques useful in the creation of literature reviews. The reasons for literature reviews, various types of literature reviews, and practice conducting literature review techniques will be examined in the upcoming weeks.
Week 4: Examine and Manage Library Resources (10 Points)
Literature reviews are an essential part of dissertation development. The literature review is the foundation supporting researchers in the creation of topics, problem statements, and research questions. Literature reviews guide researchers in the development of the research methods section, depending on the research method selected. For quantitative methods, the literature review helps determine what types of statistical tests are appropriate for research techniques employed in the study. For qualitative methods, the literature review provides insight on various types of devices for data collection deemed appropriate for inquiry. As already mentioned, be cautious in selecting the topic for your dissertation. Make sure your topic can be justified.
Once you start the literature search process, organizing your resources is important. As your list of resources increases, effective methods of locating and retrieving information are vita for a successful literature review presentation. This is typically done by managing resources in a reference management tool.
Review the information in the Phelps, Fisher, & Ellis, (2007) text. Decide which method is best for your needs.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Weekly Resources:
Northcentral University. (n.d.). Organizing research. http://library.ncu.edu/dw/index/302
Baker, J. D. (2016). The purpose, process, and methods of writing a literature review. AORN Journal, 103(3), 265-269. doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2016.01.016
http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1769402749?pq-origsite=360link
Williams, A.E. (2017). Promoting meaningfulness by coupling Bloom’s Taxonomy with adult education theory: Introducting an applied and interdisciplinary student writing exercise. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning, Journal, 10(3), 1-11
Jaffe, R., & Cowell, J. M. (2014). Approaches for improving literature review methods. The Journal of Nursing, 30(4), 236-239. doi: 10.1177/1059840514540427
http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1552653073?pq-origsite=360link
O'Mara Eves, A., Thomas, J., McNaught, J., Miwa, M., & Analadou, S. (2015). Using text mining for study identification in systematic reviews: A systematic review of current approaches. Systematic Reviews, 4(1), 1-22. doi: 10.1186/2046-4053-4-5
http://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2046-4053-4-5
Phelps, R., Fisher, K., & Ellis, A. (2007). Managing yourself, your ideas, and your support structures. In Organizing and Managing Your Research (). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
http://site.ebrary.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/lib/ncent/reader.action?docID=10256852&ppg=18
Read Chapter 9
<Week 4 Excel Spreadsheet>
Assignment 4 : Examine Library Resources and Select a Reference Management Tool
The first step in literature reviews is to establish a general, not specific, search topic based on reading from various resources. Review abstracts of articles to get an idea of general topics previously researched by authorities in the discipline of interest. The purpose of the review at this point is to simply narrow the broad topic to a more specific topic. The resulting topic selection can serve as the dissertation topic. From the topic, a problem statement or a specific set of research questions are developed.
The topic in this assignment will be used for subsequent assignments. Rely on the assigned reading and any additional resources from the library that help in completing the assignment. For example, a broad topic might be leadership styles among various corporate CEOs; while a specific research focus or question might be what the most effective leadership style for obtaining operational performance in an organization is. However, the literature needs to support the need for further inquiry into a topic vs. just basing it on your interests.
In choosing your topics, be sure to keep in mind whether you are seeking a research degree (PhD) or a professional degree (DBA). Review the Dissertation Center document entitled Differentiating PhD and Applied Doctorates for a discussion regarding the differences between PhD and DBA. The topic selected this week will be used in remaining assignments for the course.
Begin this assignment with a search on the general topic. The first step in the process is to create the search results. There will be a large number of articles showing in the library aggregator. The library aggregator is the tool that results in the output list of articles. Aggregators include ProQuest and ESBCOhost. Enter the search terms and see the results.
The next step is to consider how you will manage your articles and searches. You will have to keep track of what search items and keywords you used on which data, using which databases/aggregators. Very quickly, you will collect a large number of articles and will likely not remember how you found them, or which set of authors concluded what. Hence, you will need to keep track of articles in a manner that enables you to find citations, articles on specific topics, research conclusions, and other relevant pieces of information, without having to re-read articles. A good way to start is to review abstracts and identify a subtopics and keywords that may be of interest to you.
Third, review the MS Excel spreadsheet provided in this week’s materials, including the example provided. Identify five (5) recent (published within the last five years) research articles related to your topic of interest. The articles should result from a library search, using relevant keyword or search terms. Read the articles and extract relevant information, then add this content to the spreadsheet provided.
Finally, write a summary paper in which you explain the reference management process and how you might use a reference management tool to organize and find your sources later. Using this week’s readings as a guide, compare and contrast the different reference and citation management tools you could use for your searches. Include 3-4 tools in your analysis, including the Excel spreadsheet used for this assignment, EndNotes and RefWorks (the two latter tools are available to you for free through NCU). Optional: You may include one other software tool with which you are familiar in your analysis. Your compare and contrast analysis should cover advantages and disadvantages of each tool.
Based on your analysis of these systems, which do you think will be the nest fit for you as you begin to review the literature and why?
Length: 3-4 pages, not including the references pages
References: Include a minimum of five scholarly resources, and include an APA formatted reference list.
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 2, 3, 4
Week 5: Create an Annotated Bibliography (10 Points)
Previous activities’ assignments included identifying various types of publications, when and how they are used for professional and academic research, differences between professional and academic reference resources, problem identification and summarizing of "gaps in the literature," designing presentations for diverse audiences, and validation of authors of Internet publications. Then an assignment practicing locating general topics and narrowing the focus to more specific topics was accomplished.
This week, you will focus on creating an annotated bibliography.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Spotlight on Skills: Annotated Bibliography
For information on annotated bibliographies, visit the “Conducting Research” and “Forms of Writing” sections in the Northcentral University Writing Center (click the links in the left side navigation area of the Writing Center screen). The APA Manual also has examples of an annotated bibliography.
Weekly Resources:
Nathir Darwazeh, A. (2017). A New Revision of the [Revised] Bloom’s Taxonomy. Distance Learning, 14(3), 13-28.
Review Article
Mongan-Rallis, H. (2014). Guidelines for writing a literature review. University of Minnesota Duluth.
http://www.duluth.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/researching/litreview.html
Annotated Bibliography Samples. (2016). OWL Online Writing Lab. Purdue University.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/03/
Organizing your social sciences research paper: 5. The literature review. (2016). USC Libraries.
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview
Assignment 5: Create an Annotated Bibliography
For this assignment, develop an annotated bibliography using the articles selected in week four. Use the Purdue University resource link for locating the examples. The link is located in this week’s books and resources area.
Note there are four sections to the entry: hypothesis, methodology, conclusion, and evaluation. Be sure to include each of these sections in your annotated bibliography entries. For information on annotated bibliographies, you may also visit the “Conducting Research” and “Forms of Writing” sections in the Northcentral University Writing Center (click the links in the left side navigation area of the Writing Center screen).
Please note the same rules for citation applied to other documents (such as proper paraphrasing and the use of quotation marks where necessary) apply to Annotated Bibliographies as well. It is not acceptable to cut and paste from the abstract or the body of an article. Rather, you are expected to read the article completely and appropriately paraphrase the necessary material. For those few situations where paraphrasing is not acceptable, then material that has not been paraphrased needs to be placed in quotation marks. Please refer to the Northcentral University Integrity Policy and tutorial for more information.
Length: 5-7 pages of annotated text analyzing five articles.
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 3, 4, 5, 6
Week 6: Create a Discursive Literature Review Plan (10 Points)
Last week, you completed an annotated bibliography. This week, we will examine discursive prose-style literature reviews.
Discursive prose reviews' topics or themes replace the bibliographic review form of descriptive, "stand-alone" article-by-article organization. Discursive prose literature reviews rely on sections organized by topic or theme. This aspect is what makes discursive prose reviews different from bibliographic reviews.
In last week’s assignment, your organization was by work and the discussion was descriptive. Discursive prose reviews are different from bibliographic reviews. In bibliographic literature reviews, each article's reference information is presented at the beginning of each section. Then, paragraphs describing the material in the work referenced are presented in paragraph form.
Discursive prose literature reviews are organized by topic or theme from which an integrated discussion of multiple authors' ideas are examined, contrasted, analyzed, and summarized. The organization is in paragraph style with section titles identifying the theme or topic of the section. Researchers present discursive literature review formats in chapter two of the dissertation. Researchers organize their reviews by topic to allow analysis and evaluation. Literature reviews in dissertations are lengthy. They are forty to fifty pages in length and must be written concisely yet comprehensively. The economy of expression is explained in the APA manual. Reading the manual for information on writing with the economy of expression will be helpful.
This week, you will review and evaluate various methods of planning, organizing, and constructing a discursive prose-style literature review. Discursive prose is the dissertation style required in chapter two of the dissertation.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Weekly Resources:
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Leech, N. L., & Collins, K. M. T. (2012). Qualitative analysis techniques for the review of the literature. Qualitative Report, 17(56), 1-28.
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ981457
Randolph, J. J. (2009). A guide to writing the dissertation literature review. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 14(13).
http://pareonline.net/pdf/v14n13.pdf
Salcido, R. (2012). The literature review: Discursive prose. Advances in Skin Care, 25(4), 150. doi:10.1097/01.AWS.0000413595.12814.04.
Assignment 6: Create a Discursive Literature Review Plan (10 points)
Discursive literature reviews require careful planning and thought for topic selection, organization, content, and methods of analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information from multiple authors. When synthesizing information, it is useful to follow a structure and develop a road map of how the literature review will be performed.
For this assignment, you will practice planning, organizing, and synthesizing information from a few authors. The purpose of the exercise is for practice.
Begin the assignment by reviewing comments from faculty on the annotated bibliography feedback. Then rearrange the content of the annotated bibliography into a discursive style literature review. Create section titles for each topic. Integrate information from multiple authors under each topic, identified by the section titles. The purpose of this exercise is to practice for the final assignment due in Week 8. In Week 8, you will apply all topics from the course in the creation of a literature review in the form and style necessary for dissertations.
Below is a process that will be helpful for guiding this effort:
· List concepts from the content of the annotated bibliographic assignment.
· Create an outline using concepts as top-level subjects.
· Create subtopics for each top-level.
When the outline is complete, create a rough draft of the discursive literature review. Include the following:
· Create first- and second-level APA formatted section titles as appropriate.
· Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize material for each topic.
· Cite multiple authors for each topic section.
· After the draft is completed, review and adjust your writing. Comprehensive and concise writing is required in the dissertation process.
· Pay attention to the APA manual for the economy of expression required.
Length: 5-7 pages
References: a minimum of 5 resources
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 2, 3, 4
Section 3: Creating Final Assignments
During the past several weeks, you were introduced to many forms of communication and resources for creating presentations. This section reviews two aspects of this class. One is presenting information to audiences in the business community. The other is how to create an academic literature review. In Section 3, you will demonstrate understanding by creating a PowerPoint presentation and by developing a literature review suitable for a dissertation.
Week 7: Create a Business Communication Presentation (20 Points)
Using various sources of information is vital to developing business presentations in the modern age. Multimedia and instant access to information create the need for business people to be agile and combine many resources in presentations.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Spotlight on Skills: Finding a Research Problem
Articulating a research-worthy problem is difficult before you have completed a thorough review of existing literature in your area of study. Hence, doctoral students may have difficultly expressing an appropriate topic and area of inquiry before they have a solid understanding of what has already been written about a given topic. Such understanding comes from reading many articles and identifying patterns, issues, and gaps in the body of knowledge. Not all problems are research-worthy. A proper research problem for a paper or dissertation meets all these criteria:
1. It is a real-life problem experienced by a particular group of people or organizatons;
2. Its existence and magnitude are well documented by recent and credible sources, preferably statistics and research findings from peer-reviewed literature
3. It is significant in the sense that it reflects a need for an importance of the study.
A research problem is “a statement about an area of concern, a condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or in practice that points to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation” (Bryman, 2007, p. 5). Hence, the reader will know why a particular study is important after reading the problem statement. Note that the lack of research is not an adequate problem. The problem must exist in real life, in some specific context, to be a valid problem for research. Some examples of research-worthy problems are; inequalities/inequities, discrimination, unhealthy conditions, waste of resources, lack of access to education, healthcare, housing, or other basic human needs; or a problematic phenomenon that exists but lacks a theoretical explanation. Examples of non-suitable problems for research might include; lack of research on effective methods, lack of knowledge about financial optimization algorithms, or researcher disagreement over best leadership practices. These types of issues may reflect underlying problems that can be researched.
Reference
Bryman, A. (2007). The research question in social research: What is its role? International Journal of social Research Methodology, 10, 5-20.
Weekly Resources:
Brown, K. G., & Barton, D. J. (n.d.). Brief guide to business writing. University of Iowa.
http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/faculty/kbrown/writing.html
Packard, N. (Producer). (2010). Computer skills: Internet search [Video file].
http://search.alexanderstreet.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/avon/view/work/1782322
Wood, E., Pasquale, D., Mueller, J. M., Archer, K., Zivcakova, L., Walkey, K., & Willoughby, T. (2016). Exploration of the relative contributions of domain knowledge and search expertise for conducting Internet searches. The Reference Librarian, 57(3), 182-204. doi: 10.1080/02763877.2015.1122559
http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.ncu.edu/10.1080/02763877.2015.1122559
Assignment 7: Create a Business Communication Presentation
Business organizations often rely on formal presentations to consult, sell ideas, inform stakeholders, and communicate to groups. To accomplish the goal of communicating and selling ideas, research helps presenters develop presentations useful to others. This assignment is in two parts. The first part is an essay and the second part is a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the content of the essay.
Week 7 Assignment 1: Create a Research Paper (10 Points)
An important skill in doctoral writing is the ability to reflect on reading material and provide an integrated report providing information from multiple authors. For Part I, develop a research paper that demonstrates synthesis of 15-20 scholarly articles on the topic selected in Week 4. You should start your paper by identifying a research problem that you have identified in your readings.
Your paper should reflect critical synthesis of:
1) What researchers have concluded regarding the problem, related issues, and potential resolutions, and
2) What is still not known about the problem and its potential resolution.
The latter reflect gaps in the literature, such as understudied populations, missing theoretical foundations, contributing factors that have not been explored well, or other unknowns that could help shed more light on the topic. Such gaps are important to identify because they are used as a starting point for new research.
Note that an outline of the material will make it easier to develop the essay. From the outline, a draft can be developed and reviewed. During the review, you can ensure all elements of the topic are covered. The essay should be comprehensive and concise. Be sure to have citations for all assertions.
Length: 5-7 pages
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Week 7 Assignment2: Create a Video Presentation (10 Points)
Imagine you have been asked to present the topic you covered in the week 7, part 1 paper above, to your dissertation committee, in preparation for your dissertation work. Your committee have given you 3-5 minutes to explain the following:
1. The research problem and its significance
2. Key conclusions from the literature, including disagreements or controversies identified
3. Knowledge gaps in the literature
4. 1-2 ideas for how to address identified gaps with new research
You have two options for the deliverable: A video that you record on your computer using your webcam; or a transcript for a video you can record at a later time. The required length of the video option for this assignment is 3-5 minutes. If you do not have video software or are unable to create a video please choose the transcript option. The length of the transcript should be 1-2 pages.
When you create your video presentation, be mindful of your audience and expressing yourself succinctly, and preferably in an engaging manner. You may refer to specific research by citing authors’ last names and year of publication when you talk.
To create a video note, select the Record video option in the assignment submission area. You will need your webcam to complete this assignment. Press the New Recording button when you are ready yo record your video note and Stop Recording when finished. Click the Add button to include the video in your assignment submission.
Video Length: 3-5 minutes or 1-2 page transcript
Your transcript submission should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6
Week 8: Signature Assignment: Create Final Literature Review (20 Points)
Doctoral students are required to complete a dissertation. The foundation for the first sections of the dissertation are grounded in the literature review. A strong literature review will allow creation of a topic and problem statement. DBA as well as PhD students will benefit by completing this assignment.
This week, you will complete a Signature Assignment in which you apply knowledge gained from previous weeks to develop a literature review. To accomplish this task, use the topic selected in Week 4.
Be sure to review this week's resources carefully. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.
Books and Resources for this Week:
Throne, R. (2015, June 27). Beyond Summary: The three-step dissertation literature review [PowerPoint Presentation].
http://www.viddler.com/v/5ffd0700
Grant, C., & Osanloo, A. (2014). Understanding, selecting, and integrating a theoretical framework in dissertation research: Creating the blueprint for your "house." Administrative Issues Journal, 4(2), 12-26. doi: 10.5929/2014.4.2.9
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1058505
Jaffe, R., & Cowell, J. M. (2014). Approaches for improving literature review methods. The Journal of Nursing, 30(4), 236-239. doi: 10.1177/1059840514540427
http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1552653073?pq-origsite=360link
Review Article
Sandelowski, M., Leeman, J., Knafl, K., & Crandell, J. L. (2013). Text-in-context: A method for extracting findings in mixed-methods mixed research synthesis studies. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(6), 1428-1437. doi: 10.1111/jan.12000
Organizing your social sciences research paper: 5. The literature review. (2016). USC Libraries.
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview
Wolfswinkel, J. F., Furtmueller, E., & Wilderrom, C. (2013). Using grounded theory as a method for rigorously reviewing literature. European Journal of Information Systems, 22(1), 45-55. doi: 10.1057/ejis.2011.51
http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1197331578?pq-origsite=360link
Jaeger, A. J., Tuchmayer, J. B., & Morin, S. M. (2014). The engaged dissertation: Exploring trends in doctoral student research. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 18(4), 71-96.
Assignment 8: Academic Literature Review (20 points)
For your Signature Assignment, you will review several scholarly, peer-reviewed, business-related research articles located in the library and select five for inclusion in the final assignment. (Reviewing does not necessarily require reading each article in the general topic area. The abstracts can be used to select the five most appropriate articles for inclusion in the assignment.)
Based on your review, for each of the five articles you selected, describe the type of study: quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. Then, elaborate on elements presented in each study. Evaluate the differences in methods. For instance, you might find quantitative methods in some studies and qualitative methods in other studies. Once the method is identified, explain how the author designed the study. This should be a discursive-style literature review.
For qualitative methods studies, include the following:
· What were the questions asked?
· Describe, analyze, and evaluate the type inquiry method. These might be interviews, observations, and essay questions for participants to write on.
· Describe, analyze, and evaluate the aggregation method of narrowing answers to categories or subject topics.
· Describe, analyze, and evaluate the results obtained by the researcher.
For quantitative methods studies, respond to the following questions:
· Describe the theory the researchers explore. What are the constructs in the theory? How are they related? Identify which ones are cause, effect, mediating, or moderating constructs. How are the constructs operationalized?
· Briefly describe the study, including the number of participants and research methods.
· Briefly describe, analyze, and evaluate the statistical analyses used.
· Briefly described the findings and how the researchers interpreted them and their contribution to theory.
Length: 5-7 pages not including title and reference pages
References: Minimum of 5 scholarly peer reviewed resources.
(Beyond the five scholarly resources - peer-reviewed journal articles - additional resource types from earlier assignments can be included for elaboration.)
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect doctoral-level writing and APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.
Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 1, 3, 4, 5
