For this assignment, you will present a draft of your signature assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to gather feedback so that you can make improvements for your final submission, which is due in Week 8. You are expected to present a complete paper that meets all of the original assignment criteria.

For this assignment, choose a news story from the APA at http://www.apa.org/news/psycport/, or search the Internet to select a credible news article that reports on a specific topic or issue from the field of psychology. The article must have been published in the past year.

In your critique explain the conclusions, implications and/or consequences of the information presented in the article. Speculate on the effect this information could have on real-world situations such as health care, political movements, economics, lifestyle, moral attitudes, and social belief systems, and support these assertions with specific evidence and detail from the article and what you learned in class.

Do not:

Do not merely summarize or quote the article. Be sure to select an article with some depth and substance so that you have enough material to evaluate.

Do:

Read, analyze, and synthesize with objectivity and focus.

Write a critical consideration of the current information available about the subject matter presented in the article. Briefly and purposefully, summarize and analyze the article to create a unique and valuable piece of writing that evaluates current theories or work in the field of psychology.

Review the literature with a focus on the hypothesis or main idea, address any scientific research mentioned, and analyze the results or premises presented.

Include the following in your critique:

1. Identify and articulate the key issue(s) in the article in a brief and pointed summary.
2. Identify information/evidence in the article that supports the point of view and conclusions presented in the article. Quote and paraphrase with internal APA citations.
3. Identify background information relevant to the point of view and conclusions presented in the article. Use prior knowledge and you may use your course materials.
4. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the findings and conclusions presented.
5. Explore and evaluate the issue(s) relevance to real-world problems and solutions.
6. Clarify your own position, perspective, or hypothesis on the ideas presented in the article.
7. Explain the conclusions, implications, and consequences of the article as it pertains to the field of psychology or the subject being addressed.

Your critique should be between 5-7 pages long, in addition to a title page and reference page.

Additional sources are not required, but you may choose to include them. You may reference your text.

Use APA format to style your paper and to cite your sources. Your source(s) should be integrated into the paragraphs. Use internal citations pointing to evidence in the literature and supporting your ideas. You will need to include a reference page listing those sources.