Before you begin, carefully read the course overview and syllabus as well as chapters 1-3 of the APA manual. Review the Chapters 1–5 Integrated Project Overview document under Required Resources and the Research Proposal Development Resources under Suggested Resources. These tools are fundamental to your understanding of how to approach the first stage of research.
The introductory section of your Integrative Project (Research Proposal): Chapters 1–5 will include two significant descriptions:
For Assessment 1, you will submit a draft of CHAPTER 1 for feedback and grading. To complete this assessment, you need to do the following:
Walkthrough: You may view the following walkthrough video to help you complete the Draft of CHAPTER 1 assessment:
Use the appropriate template (qualitative or quantitative) that is located in the resource section CHAPTER 1.
Please refer to the APA manual, pages 27–28, for detailed instructions on how to complete this assignment. You must use the required subheadings that are listed in the templates provided.
OVERVIEW:
Develop a draft of CHAPTER 1. While you will have the opportunity to revisit and finalize Chapter 1 in Assessment 4, this submission should be fully developed.
Note: Developing a research proposal requires specific steps that need to be executed in a sequence. The assessments in this course are presented in sequence and must be completed in order. Only one assessment can be submitted at a time. Subsequent submissions should include highlighted changes.
For your first project assessment, you will draft CHAPTER 1, using the appropriate guide that is located in the resource section of this assessment. This outline will provide you with an opportunity to make a case as to why this research should be explored. Make sure that your rationale is evidence based.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
· Competency 1: Determine the scientific merit of the professional literature.
. Background of the study: Summarize briefly what is known so far about the phenomena under investigation.
. Statement of the problem: Present the description of the research problem and an explanation that describes how the research problem led to the current research question.
. Purpose of the study: Describe what information is needed in order to advance the knowledge base.
. Research design: Summarize the design approach by identifying whether it is qualitative or quantitative.
· Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological profession.
. Adhere to APA style and formatting guidelines; writing is concise and well organized.
RESOURCES
APA Resources
Because this is a psychology course, you must format this assessment according to APA guidelines, since it is the writing style of the profession. Use the following resources to guide your work. Additional resources about APA can be found in the Research Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
· American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
. Chapter 1, “Writing for the Behavioral and Social Sciences.”
. Chapter 2, “Manuscript Structure and Content.”
. Chapter 3, “Writing Clearly and Concisely.”
Required Resources
The following resources are required to complete the assessment.
· Qualitative Integrative Project Template [DOCX].
· Quantitative Integrative Project Template [DOCX].
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid.
Organizing Your Research
· Database Research Log.
. This will help you in recording search terms and databases.
· RefWorks.
. This will be helpful in tracking articles.
· Scholarly Research Log [XLS].
. This will help you organize the articles read according to theory, methods, and findings.
· PSY-FP5201 – Integrative Project for Master’s Degree in Psychology Library Guide.
· Capella Library: More Services and Tools.
Research Proposal Development Resources
· Topic Selection:
. Purdue OWL. (2017). Choosing a topic. Retrieved from https://www.owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/03
. Bui, Y. N. (2014). How to write a master’s thesis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.
. Chapter 2, “Selecting a Research Topic.”
· Galvan, J. L., & Galvan, M. C. (2017). Writing literature reviews: A guide for students of the social and behavioral sciences (7th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
. Chapter 3, “Selecting a Topic and Identifying Literature for Review.”
. Chapter 10, “Guidelines for Writing a First Draft.”
· Title and Abstract Creation:
· Rodrigues, V. (2013). How to write an effective title and abstract and choose appropriate keywords. Retrieved from https://www.editage.com/insights/how-to-write-an-effective-title-and-abstract-and-choose-appropriate-keywords
· Research Question:
· Peoples, G. (2013). Writing research questions [Video]. | Transcript. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqJkMZXsbeY
. This video explains how to identify sub-topics and turn them into a good research question.
· Literature Review:
· Literature Review Process .
· We recommend scheduling a free, personalized Capstone Literature Review Consultation with a Capella University librarian as your first course of action. This is a scheduled, one-hour, one-on-one telephone consultation with a Capella University librarian to help you find the most relevant research articles for your literature review.
Writing Resources
· APA Tutorial.
· APA Module.
· Use the free Smarthinking tutoring service to receive feedback on your writing.