UMUC WRTG391 2019 January All Assignments Latest

WRTG 391 7970 Advanced Research Writing
Critical Annotated Bibliography — WA#1
Writing Assignment        #1          
Critical   Annotated Bibliography                of Five Sources Summary of assignment             
• Task: In this assignment you will write a list of at least 5 sources in alphabetical order in
APA format. In addition, each reference will be followed by a short analytical summary
of 150-200 words. At the end of the short summary, you will include a sentence or two
that critically analyzes the source and that mentions distinctive features about the article
and why it may or may not be useful for you in pursuing more research.
• Length: each annotation should be 150-200 words
• Format: APA
• Sources: five sources, all of which you fill find through UMUC’s OneSearch
Strategies            in            Selecting              a              Topic     for          your       Annotated          Bibliography      
You may select a topic of your choice. However, when selecting a topic, keep in mind that it
should be a topic on which a number of studies or scholarly articles have been published.
Examples of topics students have chosen in the past or that would be workable for this
assignment are the following:
• The impact of the Internet on research methods of students and plagiarism in student
papers
• The impact of The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on primary school education
• The impact of mobile devices on cybersecurity
Overall, in considering a topic, you might consider your major, topics that will be covered in
future classes you plan to take at UMUC, and your interests.
For example, please examine the following ideas:
• If your major is criminal justice, you might consider researching criminal behavior among homeless
individuals, criminal behavior among youth, society’s perception of law enforcement, etc.
• If your major is psychology, you might consider researching counseling strategies, consumer behavior in
online shopping, decision-making in upper-management positions, etc.
• If your major is history, you might consider researching theories on the Civil War, studies on labor patterns
in the United States, an aspect of military history, etc.
• If your major is social science, you might consider researching community responses to health care threats,
co-parenting patterns after divorce, etc.
• If your major is graphic communication, you might consider researching different categories of graphic
communication technology, trends in graphic communication through the years, etc.
Whatever topic you consider, keep in mind that it should be a topic on which a number of
studies or scholarly articles have been published. You will conduct all or most of your
research using UMUC’s OneSearch function in finding scholarly articles.
Approach
This assignment will be an analytical/critical/ annotated bibliography. The difference between
the descriptive/informative annotated bibliography and the analytical/critical annotated
bibliography is explained in the following video:
http://sites.umuc.edu/library/libhow/bibliography_tutorial.cfm
The transcript is at http://sites.umuc.edu/library/libhow/bibliography_tutorial.cfm#transcript
Moreover, the following website from UMUC’s Information and Library Services provides more
information on how to complete this assignment:
http://sites.umuc.edu/library/libhow/bibliography_apa.cfm
Submitting the assignment:
You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be
graded. The instructor will provide comments to it.
After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft
will be graded.
Helpful Resources and Websites
The following are some links to sample Annotated Bibliographies. Some of them give examples
in APA format. You may want to observe these examples and perhaps model your work after
them.
• A variety of samples from The University of North Carolina Writing Center, including
these specific examples of APA-style annotations.
• Some instruction from Cornell University. The website also provides more information
on the process of writing an annotated bibliography.
• Some instruction from East Carolina University.
 
 
 
WRTG 391 7970 Advanced Research Writing
Four-Source Essay
Writing Assignment        #2          
The        Four-Source       Essay:                   
Basic      Synthesis            
Summary             of            assignment        
• Task: The four-source essay asks you to synthesize the arguments of four sources.
• Length: minimum of 1000 words. The instructor will give you comments on the first
draft and let you know if you need more development beyond 1000 words.
• Format: APA
• Sources: four sources, all of which you will find through library searches. You will
select a topic of your choice, conduct searches in the library databases, focus the topic,
and determine four sources to use in this essay.
o Please use only four sources. Please do not incorporate more than four sources
into this essay.
Articles to            Use        for          the         Essay    
For this essay, you will select four articles on a topic of your choice. The articles should be on
the same topic but feature different perspectives, opinions, or conclusions about some aspects of
the topic.
For example, if you are majoring in cybersecurity, you might locate four articles about the need
for improved training for employees on mobile security issues. The four articles might take
different angles on the topic, perhaps even disagreeing in some respects.
To use another example, if you are majoring in criminal justice, you might locate four articles on
the CSI Effect. The articles should take different perspectives on the topic. Perhaps one or two
of them say that the CSI Effect exists and one or two say that it does not exist. Or perhaps all
agree that it exists but they all take slightly different approaches to addressing the problem.
Organization for this Essay
You will write an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement. Your thesis statement will
demonstrate what the various sources say on the topic. You might use the Forrest Gump
exercise as an example, although keep in mind that that essay was written in a less formal style
than you want to use for this assignment.
You will also have various body paragraphs that show synthesis. In synthesizing sources, you
will divide your paper into themes.
For example, let us assume that you find four articles on the need for improved training for
employees on mobile security issues. In this situation, assume that the four articles emphasize
different issues. One emphasizes the costs of data breaches to companies. Another emphasizes
reasons that employees do not practice safe cybersecurity practices. Another discusses methods
for training employees. Another mentions costs of training for such initiatives.
You might divide the paper into two categories:
• Reasons for implementing a training program
• Methods of and costs involved in implementing a training program
Point of view
For this essay, you will use third-person point of view.
Please do not use first person point of view (e.g., “I,” “me,” “we”) in writing this essay.
In addition, please do not use second-person point of view (“you” or “your”) in writing this
essay. For example, instead of “Smith argues that, as a director, you have a duty to coordinate
cybersecurity efforts…” you would write, “Smith argues that directors have a duty to coordinate
cybersecurity efforts…”
APA Style
The paper should be formatted in APA style. The video How to format your paper according to
APA style might be helpful to watch. In summary, you should observe the following:
• Use one-inch margins.
• Double space.
• Use size 12 Times New Roman font.
• Include a running head.
• Include page numbers.
• Include a title page.
• Include a “References” page on which you list the four articles in APA style
• Do not include an abstract. This paper is not long enough to warrant an abstract.
Submitting the assignment:
You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be
graded. The instructor will provide comments to it.
After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft
will be graded.
Helpful Resources
• Kennedy, M.L. and Kennedy, W., “Synthesis,” from Writing in the disciplines: A reader and rhetoric for academic writers. This chapter in in the e-reserves of our class. It provides an excellent description of an exploratory synthesis essay, a literature review, and a thesis-driven synthesis essay.
• Graff, G. and Birkenstein, C., They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing with Readings. This chapter in in the e-reserves of our class. It mentions
various techniques to apply in stating what an author said and your response to the
author. It is recommended that you read through that chapter so that you might apply
these techniques to this essay.
 
WRTG 391 7970 Advanced Research Writing
Six-Source Essay
Writing Assignment        #3          
The        Six-Source           Essay:                   
Expanded            Synthesis            
Summary             of            assignment        
• Task: The six-source essay asks you to synthesize the arguments of six sources
• Length: minimum of 1300 words. The instructor will give you comments on the first
draft and let you know if you need more development beyond 1300 words.
• Format: APA
• Sources: a total of six sources, all of which you will find through library searches.
Please use the same topic that you used for writing assignment #2. It is recommended
that you expand on the essay that you wrote for writing assignment #2. You will
continue with the topic you have selected and will conduct additional searches in the
library databases, hopefully focus the topic more, and determine the six or more sources
to use in this essay.
o Please use only six sources. Please do not incorporate more than six sources into
this essay.
Articles to            Use        for          the         Essay    
For this essay, you will select at least six articles on a topic of your choice. The articles should
be on the same topic but feature different perspectives, research methods, opinions, or
conclusions about some aspects of the topic.
For example, if you are majoring in cybersecurity, you might locate six articles about the need
for improved training for employees on mobile security issues. The six articles might take
different angles on the topic. The articles might disagree on certain points, possibly disagreeing
on the need for more employee training in this area, how to train employees in this area, or when
to integrate training during an employee’s tenure.
To use another example, if you are majoring in criminal justice, you might locate six articles on
the CSI Effect. The articles should take different perspectives on the topic. Perhaps three of four
of them will say that the CSI Effect exists and one or two will argue that it does not exist. Or
perhaps all agree that it exists but they all take slightly different approaches to addressing the
problem. Perhaps some were qualitative research studies, others were quantitative research
studies, and others were mixed-methods research studies.
Overall, try to determine categories of themes into which you can divide your six articles.
You are strongly encouraged to write on the same topic on which you wrote writing assignment
#3. You can simply expand on that topic for writing assignment #4. Please communicate with
the professor if you are considering any significant changes in your topic.
Point of view
For this essay, you will use third-person point of view.
Please do not use first person point of view (e.g., “I,” “me,” “we”) in writing this essay.
In addition, please do not use second-person point of view (“you” or “your”) in writing this
essay. For example, instead of “Smith argues that, as a director, you have a duty to coordinate
cybersecurity efforts…” you would write, “Smith argues that directors have a duty to coordinate
cybersecurity efforts…”
APA Style
The paper should be formatted in APA style. The video How to format your paper according to
APA style might be helpful to watch. In summary, you should observe the following:
• Use one-inch margins.
Double space.
• Use size 12 Times New Roman font.
• Include a running head.
• Include page numbers.
• Include a title page.
• Include a “References” page on which you list the articles in APA style
• Do not include an abstract. This paper is not long enough to warrant an abstract.
Submitting the assignment:
You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be
graded. The instructor will provide comments to it.
After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft
will be graded.
Helpful Resources
• Kennedy, M.L. and Kennedy, W., “Synthesis,” from Writing in the disciplines: A reader
and rhetoric for academic writers. This chapter in in the e-reserves of our class. It
provides an excellent description of an exploratory synthesis essay, a literature review,
and a thesis-driven synthesis essay.
• Graff, G. and Birkenstein, C., They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic
Writing with Readings. This chapter in in the e-reserves of our class. It mentions
various techniques to apply in stating what an author said and your response to the
author. It is recommended that you read through that chapter so that you might apply
these techniques to this essay.
 
WRTG 391 7970 Advanced Research Writing
Multiple-Source Essay (Literature Review) — WA#4
Writing Assignment        #4          
The        Multiple-Source               Synthesis             Essay:                   
Literature            Review
Summary of assignment
• Task: The multiple-source essay asks you to synthesize the arguments of at least 10
sources
• Length: 2000-3000 words
• Format: APA
• Sources: a total of at least 10 sources, all of which you will find through library
searches. Please use the same topic that you used for writing assignment #3. It is
recommended that you focus on or expand on the essay that you wrote for writing
assignment #3. You will continue with the topic you have selected and will conduct
additional searches in the library databases, hopefully focus the topic more, and
determine the 10 or more sources to use in this essay.
Strategies in Developing the Topic for this Essay
Up to this point in the semester, you have completed an annotated bibliography. You have also
incorporated and synthesized four sources into writing assignment #2 and six sources into
writing assignment #3. The work you have completed for these assignments provides a solid
foundation for writing assignment #4. In this assignment you will synthesize the ideas of at least
10 sources in a synthesis essay, or literature review.
For your annotated bibliography, you selected a topic based on your interests and, possibly, your
major. You constructed a list of five references and summarized and critically analyzed them in
150-200 words each. You then completed the four-source essay and the six-source essay.
Through this process, you may have seen patterns in the scholarly literature in the topic on which
you conducted research. For example, consider the following examples:
•You may have researched studies in criminal justice and found that there are varying
opinions on how to respond to criminal behavior among youth.
•You may have researched studies in psychology and found that counseling strategies
for victims of domestic abuse tend to fall into four categories.
•You may have researched articles on gerontology and found studies that answered
three basic questions on how older adults respond to training for physical performance.
•You may have researched articles on environmental management and found studies
on climate change. You noticed that various demographic factors influence whether
individuals believe in climate change and, if so, whether they believe it is caused by
human activity.
In the synthesis essay, you will focus your research efforts in a particular area, perhaps as a
response to what you found while writing the annotated bibliography and in constructing the
four-source and six-source essays. You will then conduct more research and synthesize your
findings in this literature review.
Please note that the annotated bibliography, the four-source essay, and the six-source essay
represent a journey in your research.
You might decide to disregard several of the articles you analyzed in the critical annotated
bibliography or in the following two essays because they don’t speak to the specific area on
which you have decided to write your multiple-source literature review. You might select one
article that you analyzed in the critical annotated bibliography, look up the articles cited in that
article, and “snowball” your research in that way.
In other words, this process is a recursive one. You might find reasons to hone in on and narrow
your topic even further after you have written the annotated bibliography.
For these reasons, you are strongly encouraged to write on the same general topic on which you
wrote writing assignment #3. You might focus the topic more for writing assignment #4. Or you
might expand on the topic for writing assignment #4.
How to organize the multiple-source essay:
You will divide the essay into categories. Each category will be labelled with a heading.
In order for you to see this concept with a real-life example, you can access a sample synthesis
or literature review from a psychology student by clicking here. The student writes her paper
on the following topic: Emotional Eating: The Perpetual Cycle of Mood-Food Influence. She
divides her literature into the following categories, which are used as headings throughout the
paper:
•Influence of Mood on Eating Behavior
•Gender Differences
•Influence of Eating Behavior on Later Moods
•Chronic Stress Response Network
Notice how she synthesizes and integrates the research into the different categories, labelled by
headings.
Strategies in Developing Categories
When you have focused on your topic, determine how you will divide the literature. In other
words, consider the following examples we described above:
You may have researched studies in criminal justice and found that there are varying opinions
on how to respond to criminal behavior among youth.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Category 1: “A” view on responding to criminal behavior.
•Category 2: “B” view on responding to criminal behavior.
•Category 3: “C” view on responding to criminal behavior.
•Category 4: “D” view on responding to criminal behavior.
Conclusion
You may have researched studies in psychology and found that counseling strategies for
victims of domestic abuse tend to fall into four categories.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Category 1: “A” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
•Category 2: “B” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
•Category 3: “C” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
•Category 4: “D” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
Conclusion
You may have researched articles on gerontology and found studies that answered three basic
questions on how older adults respond to training for physical performance.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Question 1
•Question 2
•Question 3
Conclusion
You may have researched articles on environmental management and found studies on
climate change. You noticed that various demographic factors influence whether individuals
believe in climate change and, if so, whether they believe it is caused by human activity.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Political affiliation and its impact on belief in climate change
•Socio-economic status and its impact on belief in climate change
•Religious and other influences on belief in climate change
Conclusion
Point of view
For this essay, you will use third-person point of view.
Please do not use first person point of view (e.g., “I,” “me,” “we”) in writing this essay.
In addition, please do not use second-person point of view (“you” or “your”) in writing this
essay. For example, instead of “Smith argues that, as a director, you have a duty to coordinate
cybersecurity efforts…” you would write, “Smith argues that directors have a duty to coordinate
cybersecurity efforts…”
APA Style
The paper should be formatted in APA style. The video How to format your paper according to
APA style might be helpful to watch. In summary, you should observe the following:
• Use one-inch margins.
• Double space.
• Use size 12 Times New Roman font.
• Include a running head.
• Include page numbers.
• Include a title page.
• Include a “References” page on which you list the articles in APA style
• Do not include an abstract. This paper is not long enough to warrant an abstract.
Submitting the assignment:
You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be
graded. The instructor will provide comments to it.
After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft
will be graded.
Helpful Resources
• Graff, G. and Birkenstein, C., They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic
Writing with Readings. This chapter in in the e-reserves of our class. It mentions
various techniques to apply in stating what an author said and your response to the
author. It is recommended that you read through that chapter so that you might apply
these techniques to this essay.