In this milestone, you will work from the topic, applied setting, and research questions you identified in Module Two and start identifying relevant research to support your final proposal.

PSY 540 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric: Annotated Bibliography Overview When engaged in the research process, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you are taking in. Sometimes writers begin to lose track of how the content they are reading will be helpful in supporting the claims they make in their papers or in addressing their research question. A working annotated bibliography helps writers organize potentially useful resources and streamlines the process of identifying relevant research. When drafting a proposal, it is important to make a compelling case why the proposed project can improve practice in an applied setting. As a psychologist, you do this by pulling from examples of theoretical and applied research from the field. Works of theoretical research establish foundational theories and offer insight as to why problems exist in an applied setting. Applied research studies observe practice in an applied setting and suggest strategies and techniques to improve a problem based on collected data. Together, these types of research comprise a well-balanced argument that explains why a problem exists and how it can be fixed. In Module Four, you will submit a working annotated bibliography with at least four entries, including scholarly books or articles, pertaining to your proposal topic, applied setting, and the research questions identified in Module Two. Two of the articles you find should be related to the theories you related to your topic that you intend to feature in your final proposal. The other two articles should discuss applied research related to your topic area. For each article, include one paragraph summarizing how the article relates to your chosen topic and setting and a second paragraph addressing the following questions:

• How do the research results and statistical findings in the article apply to your research question and your applied setting? • What are the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question? • How could you expand on available research to more specifically address your research question?

Conclude each entry with a brief critique of the article. What are the strengths or limitations of the research? How could future research build on these findings?

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Each annotation should be 1-2 paragraphs in length, double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font, using proper APA citations.

Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Relevance of Research to Topic

and Setting

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific examples to illustrate the research’s relevance

Discusses the source’s relevance to the topic and explains how it relates to the applied setting

Discusses the source’s relevance to the topic, but does not explain how it relates to the applied setting

Does not discuss the source’s relevance to the topic

25

Results and Statistical Findings

Meets “Proficient” criteria and compares the source’s results and statistical findings to other works of research

Explains how the source’s results and statistical findings apply to the research question and the applied setting

Explains the source’s results and statistical findings, but does not connect them to the research question and applied setting

Does not explain the source’s results and statistical findings

20

Strengths and Limitations

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific examples to illustrate how the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings support the research question

Identifies strengths and limitations of the research results and findings and explains how they support the research question

Identifies strengths and limitations of the research results and findings, but does not explain how they support the research question

Does not identify strengths and limitations of the research results and findings

20

Expanding on Research

Meets “Proficient” criteria and identifies specific, actionable ways the research could be extended

Discusses potential expansions or extensions to the research as it relates to the research question

Discusses potential expansions or extensions to the research, but does not include how it relates to the research question

Does not discuss potential expansions or extensions of the research

20

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

15

Earned Total 100%