Step 1: Choose a general topic When choosing a topic for a paper, begin with a general topic that is relevant to your professional life, or perhaps a topic relevant to your thesis topic. A paper on a relevant topic will not only help keep you interested, but the research you perform on such topics may also be useful to you in your career or later when preparing your thesis. To choose a topic for your final paper, browse the table of contents, chapter summaries, and reflect on your own interests and questions regarding the field of human development. Step 2: Begin your research Once you have a general topic in mind, begin to research this topic in the NCU library. Keep a record of the key words, Boolean operators, and search limits you employed. Remember, you will want to search for peer-reviewed research articles published in the past 5 years. Locate at least seven research articles that might be appropriate for your research topic (you will not necessarily use all of these in your paper). As you continue your research, you will be able to choose a specific topic of research for the focus of your paper. Step 3: Reading the research Now that you have found some articles that may be applicable to your research, the next challenge is to read them! Wading through research articles, with their particular structure and specialized vocabulary is an acquired skill. No one is born being able to read research articles, so if you find them a bit daunting, you are not alone! The NCU Academic Success Center (ASC) supports your efforts to read research articles. Step 4: Taking Notes Taking careful notes of what you read is an essential and time-saving habit to develop. When you locate an article of interest, note the full bibliographical information and at least one topic line to help you remember what about the article interested you. When conducting initial research, determining which article will actually be of use to you in your paper or research can be nearly impossible. Too often, we get to the middle of our paper, remember a great idea or research result, and then have to wonder, Now where did I read that. Keeping careful notes of the location and topic of what you read can help you do a good search without having to re-search to find material you read once but do not remember where you found it. You may want to use hand written notes in a special notebook or on notecards; or, you may want to use an electronic note keeping application. Step 5: Narrow the Topic and Develop a Question After searching, reading, and taking notes, you are ready to narrow the topic and form a question or specific topic for your research. Warm-Up Activity 1.2: Types of Psychological Research Articles Throughout your graduate studies, you will be asked to locate and review research in psychology. Beyond the sheer volume of research available, it is important that you understand the types of articles that you will encounter. Review the PowerPoint presentation located under your weekly resources titled, The Body of Psychological Research, which explains the different types of scholarly literature you will find. Warm-Up Activity 1.3: How to Synthesize Research Your courses will require you to locate and synthesize research to support your assignments. Synthesis takes practice. Review the PowerPoint presentation, How to Synthesize Research, located under your weekly resources. Spotlight on Skills: APA Form and Style Throughout this course and other courses here at Northcentral University, you are required to follow APA form and style when preparing assignments. If you are unfamiliar with APA form and style, take this tutorial located under your weekly resources: The Basics of APA Style. Are you already familiar with APA form and style? Check out this blog for deeper discussions and examples: APA Style Blog. You can also visit: Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style. Skills Builder: Northcentral Information Literacy Tutorial This week, you will evaluate information sources and resources for your Signature Assignment on an aspect of human development. To prepare for this, first take the Northcentral Information Literacy Tutorial, located under your weekly resources. Assignment Your main task for Week 1 is to submit a summary of the proposed topic for your Signature Assignment, and a summary of five articles you might like to use in your signature paper for this course. (NOTE: You will collect a total of 10 articles throughout this course that you will use in your signature assignment, which his due in week 8). For each research article due this week, including the proper bibliographical information for each article, the research questions and findings. Analyze each article according to the following criteria:1.What topic in lifespan psychology was investigated in this research? 2.What theoretical framework was used to understand the topic? 3.What methods were used for collecting the data? 4.What was the research design? 5.What was the time span of the research? 6.Were any specific generational cohorts involved in the study? 7.What ethical safeguards were applied to the research? 8.What steps were taken to avoid cultural and ethnic bias in the research? Be sure to use the academic integrity checklist, located under your weekly resources, when preparing your assignments to assist you in keeping track of your research information. Upload a copy of the academic checklist with your assignment. This checklist is not graded but will help your faculty in providing you additional direction and information on your writing and research skills. Length: 5-7 pages Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral Universitys Academic Integrity Policy
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