Final Paper Outline and Annotated Bibliography

Your summative assignment for this course is a Final Paper, which is due in Week Five.  To ensure that you have time to process the material and produce a strong paper, you will create an outline your Final Paper and an annotated bibliography for submission this week. You will receive feedback on your outline and annotated bibliography to help you make your Final Paper more effective.  To begin, review the instructions for your Final Paper, which are listed in Week Five of your course or in the “Components of Course Evaluation” section of this guide.  

Next, select one of the following research topics for your Final Paper:
Is corporal punishment needed to discipline children?
Does violence in the media contribute to violent behavior in children?
What techniques have professionals used to treat insomnia and how effective are those treatments?
What does research show about the effectiveness of the major techniques for promoting weight loss?
Are intelligence and personality stable across adulthood and into old age?

Then, review the PSY101 Outline and Annotated Bibliography Template, which contains the layout for this week’s assignment.  Your outline must be one to two pages in length.  Clearly identify the topic selected, and include major headings for the areas to be considered.  The major areas include:

• A well-written introduction and conclusion with a succinct thesis statement.
• Summarize your sources and analyze the findings from your research.   
• Discuss the key issues and controversies surrounding your selected topic.
• Identify a variety of perspectives on the selected topic, so that the discussion is balanced and not one-sided.
• Distinguish how cognitive and behavioral implications might play a role in your selected topic.  What learning principles could factor in with the topic?  What theories of motivation and personality could influence your insights into the topic?  
• Analyze any additional research that could be done in the future and provide solutions that could be implemented in the present regarding your selected topic.  

Under each major heading, summarize your point about that heading.  Subheadings should briefly summarize research that may both support and disagree with each viewpoint, if applicable.  This outline will form your roadmap for creating your Final Paper.

In addition to your outline, submit a one- to two- page annotated bibliography of your scholarly sources for your Final Paper.  Each source must include the APA formatted citation as well as a summary paragraph.  The summary paragraph should contain four to five well-developed sentences in your own words (do not use the abstract included with journal articles) summarizing the source and describing its applicability to your selected topic.  You are required to use a minimum of five scholarly sources that were published within the last five years and are cited according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.  Examples of scholarly sources include: peer-reviewed journal articles, research studies, professional websites with authored material, and government websites.  Popular internet sites (Wikipedia, Newsweek, New York Times, etc.) are not considered scholarly sources. These sources will also be used for writing your Final Paper.

Does violence in the media contribute to violent behavior in children?