the creation of a formal research report
PSY 444 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview The final project for this course is the creation of a formal research report. Because of the course’s structure and provided resources, only quantitative research methods are permitted. As the final step in your journey toward your degree in psychology, you will complete a capstone that integrates the knowledge and skills you have developed in previous coursework by creating a research paper appropriate for an undergraduate research conference. Through this capstone, you will demonstrate your grasp of important concepts in psychology and how to appropriately conduct research. The skills used in reviewing and conducting research will be invaluable in your future pursuits. This capstone will be assessed somewhat differently than other courses you have taken online at SNHU. You will be evaluated on your overall project in determining whether you have demonstrated proficiency in each outcome. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, and Six. The final project will be submitted in Module Eight. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Assimilate classic and current research within the field of psychology by developing detailed literature reviews and presentations
Gather, organize, and analyze acquired knowledge within the field of psychology as evidenced in an e-compendium
Develop a conference-level deliverable depicting theoretical or empirical research and how it fits a larger body of knowledge in the research literature of psychology
Evaluate the appropriate research method(s) to use for the problem examined in a theoretical or empirical research project
Describe informed conclusions that align with selected research designs and statistical analyses used in an original research project
Analyze multifaceted ethical issues associated with the core content areas of psychology as evidenced through the creation of informed consent forms and the use of ethical reasoning
The final project is meant for you to propose a hypothetical study. You are not and should not be conducting human-subject research for this project. It is not necessary for the purposes of this assignment. All human-subject research requires written approval from the SNHU COCE Institutional Review Board in order to protect the welfare and ensure ethical treatment of the subjects.
Prompt The final project for this course is a formal research project based on one of the psychological topics listed below, or a topic of your choice (to be approved by your instructor) and it will include the following components: abstract, introduction, methods and results, discussion, and references. As the base of your research project, you will locate data sets and .you will use Microsoft Excel for your data analysis. Your report should be developed as if it were being presented at an undergraduate research conference. For your research project, select one of the following topics:
Internet Gaming Disorder: Addictions concentration
Autism: Child and adolescent development concentration
Substance Abuse and Crime: Forensic psychology concentration
Treatment Effectiveness for Veterans with PTSD: Mental health concentration
Cyberbullying: Social psychology concentration If you would like to research a topic not listed here, you will need instructor approval. In the Module One discussion forum you will identify which of the topics above you will research, or you will need to propose a topic of your choice for instructor approval. The purpose of this assignment is for you to explore one topic area in depth and demonstrate how you have developed the professional skills and dispositions critical to the field of psychology over your academic career. Your research report must follow proper APA formatting. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Abstract: For the first section of your research report, you will create an abstract that is a concise summary of your research study. Include information on your research question, subjects (if applicable), methods, results, and discussion.
II. Introduction: In this section, you will create an introduction that includes a literature review of research pertinent to the topic area you have chosen. This section should contain the following elements, which will demonstrate your ability to interpret psychological research and develop research questions regarding unexplored topic areas:
A. Prepare a literature review B. Determine testable research questions with hypotheses
III. Methods and Results: For the next section of your research report, you will develop methods and results sections that inform potential readers of how
you conducted your study and what the statistical results of the study were. These sections should contain the following elements, which will demonstrate your ability to detail the process of conducting research and to appropriately convey your results:
A. Explain the methods of how you conducted your study B. Conduct statistical analyses as appropriate
IV. Discussion: For the last section of your research report, you will write your discussion section, which describes your interpretation of your results and
speaks to how future researchers can expound on your work. This piece should contain the following elements, which will demonstrate your ability to detail the process of conducting research and to appropriately convey your results:
A. Interpret your results B. Discuss any limitations or ethical issues
Your research report should be appropriately formatted following the latest guidelines for APA formatting, using in-text citations when necessary. You will be expected to use at least 10 research articles in the topic area to support your review of the literature.
Milestones Milestone One: Draft of Introduction In Module Two, you will submit a draft of your introduction (including the literature review of your first five sources). This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Draft of Methods and Results Sections In Module Four, you will submit a draft of your methods and results sections. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Draft of Discussion In Module Six, you will submit a draft of your discussion section. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Submission: Research Report In Module Eight, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product and should include at least 10 scholarly sources. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.
Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading
One Draft of Introduction Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric
Two Draft of Methods and Results Section Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric
Three Draft of Discussion Six Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric
Final Submission: Research Report Eight Graded comprehensively; Final Project Rubric
Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your research report should be at least 15 pages in length (plus a cover page and references) and written in APA format. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. The paper will utilize at least 10 scholarly sources. Any references should be cited in APA format. 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. The “Possible Indicators of Success” are examples for you and the instructor of the types of concepts to look for to demonstrate proficiency. They are neither exhaustive nor proscriptive and should be used as guides for illustrating how your capstone embodies the outcome.
PSY-444-01: Assimilate classic and current research within the field of psychology by developing detailed literature reviews and presentations
Proficient 100%
Not Proficient 0%
Possible Indicators of Success
Does student demonstrate his or her ability to utilize benchmark studies with current peer-reviewed studies? Does he or she demonstrate the ability to support the literature review with appropriate seminal work in the field?
Does student demonstrate his or her ability to concisely synthesize supporting literature in a focused direction?
Does student demonstrate his or her ability to evaluate how current and future research is informed by classic research? Does he or she demonstrate the ability to holistically analyze the literature in the field?
Does student demonstrate his or her ability to professionally articulate how classic and current research support his or her research and claims made?
PSY-444-02: Gather, organize, and analyze acquired knowledge within the field of psychology as evidenced in an e-compendium
Proficient 100%
Not Proficient 0%
Possible Indicators of Success
Does student demonstrate his or her ability to select relevant empirically driven research that encompasses a variety of research designs for literature support? Does he or she demonstrate the ability to select supporting research that incorporates the perspectives of different subject areas in psychology?
Does student demonstrate his or her ability to present the findings of other peer-reviewed research publications in a logical and unique manner?
Does the student demonstrate his or her ability to incorporate his or her personal perspective in his or her interpretation of the findings of other empirically driven publications? Does he or she demonstrate the ability to articulate his or her unique but research-supported perspective on the topic…
