DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in BusinessModule 1 Discussion
Strategies
for Time Management
Pursuing a
doctoral program requires commitment.
Identify
one challenge doctoral students have while purposing this advanced degree and
how do you plan to overcome it.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 2 Discussion
Finding
Reliable Sources
First,
watch this video about Credible Sources:
https://youtu.be/PLTOVoHbH5c
After
watching the video tutorials on how to use the Trident Online Library, identify
ONE empirical study related to your topic of interest and share the reference
using APA style.
In
addition, provide ONE example of a software tool that can help using APA style
appropriately. Example: Refworks (please use other examples).
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 3 Discussion
Research
Questions and Triangulation
How can a
research question in business research be better formulated?
Provide an
example of a research question.
Comment on
the popularity and relevancy of the research questions of your classmates.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 4 Discussion
Primary and
Secondary Data
Review the
presentation on Primary vs. Secondary data:
https://www.slideshare.net/parabprathamesh/primary-sec
Provide one
example of primary data and one example of secondary data.
Briefly
describe where can this data be found and how it can be used. For example:
Primary data could be a survey about job satisfaction collected by the
researcher using SurveyMonkey.
Examples of
secondary data can be found in this website:
http://www.secondarydata.com/secdata/gov.asp
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 5 Discussion
Ethical
Considerations Conducting Applied Research
Share the
link to your video recorded in SLP 5.
Discuss an
ethical consideration for the data collection procedure and how you will
address this issue.
Comment on
the videos of at least two classmates by adding additional questions that could
be answered in their proposals.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 6 Discussion
Integration
and Reflection
Reflect on
the concepts covered in the course. Discuss and explain how they could serve
your journey in the D.B.A. program and the completion of your Doctoral Study
Project.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 1 Case
D.B.A. PROGRAM
STRUCTURE AND RESOURCES
Assignment
Overview
In this
assignment we will discuss the similarities and differences between Doctor of
Philosophy program in Business Administration and the Doctor of Business
Administration (D.B.A.) which is the program you are pursuing.
In order to
complete this assignment review this video on comparing and contrasting.
Here you
have an example adapted from Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2012)
“Research Methods for Business Students” 6th edition, Pearson Education
Limited.
Fundamental/Theoretical research Applied research
Purpose
Expand
knowledge of phenomena related to business and management.
Results in
universal principles relating to the process and its relationship to outcomes.
Findings of
significance and value to society in general.
Improve
understanding of particular business or management problem.
Results in
solution to problem.
New
knowledge limited to problem.
Findings of
practical relevance and value to manager(s) in organization(s).
Context
Undertaken
by people based in universities.
Choice of
topic and objectives determined by the researcher.
Flexible
time scales.
Undertaken
by people based in a variety of settings including organizations and
universities.
Objectives
negotiated with originator.
Tight time
scales.
Sample
table: Differences between fundamental and applied research
Case
Assignment
After
reading the required background material and finding at least two other
resources on your own, write a 5-7 page paper discussing the topic:
Applied
Research in Business
In your
paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and
critical thinking.
Compare and
contrast theoretical (fundamental) research and applied research.
Discuss in
more detail the characteristics of Applied Research in the context of a D.B.A.
program.
Assignment
Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
When you
write your paper, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 1 SLP
D.B.A.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND RESOURCES
In the
Module 1 SLP, we will discuss the characteristics of well written papers at the
doctoral level.
Review the
required readings listed in the Background material. You have three resources
developed for Trident University students at different levels (undergraduate
and graduate). You have probably seen some of these resources in the Doctoral
Student Orientation course.
Make sure
you review the material developed at Trident as well as the Videos in the
section Tips and Tools from http://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/.
For
example, the following video covers the topic of Understanding Assignments
https://youtu.be/Oc6kyGkMVzY
After
reading the required background material and finding at least two other
resources on your own, write a 3-4 page paper (without counting the cover page
and the page with references) discussing the topic:
The
characteristics of academic writing at the doctoral level.
In your
paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and
critical thinking.
What are 10
steps you think students should follow to write a paper at doctoral level at
Trident University?
How do you
plan to ensure your papers are well written?
What kind
of tools or resources will you use to improve academic writing?
What are
the characteristics of a well written paper at the doctoral level?
SLP
Assignment Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 3-4 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 2 Case
BUSINESS
RESEARCH PROCESS
Assignment
Overview
In this
Case Assignment, we will begin exploring empirical research in its basic form.
The purpose of this assignment is to get you acquainted with what empirical
research is and what it looks like.
An
empirical research article is an article which reports research based on actual
observations or experiments. The researcher may have used quantitative methods,
which generate numerical data and seek to establish causal relationships
between two or more variables, or the researcher may have used qualitative
methods, which objectively and critically analyze behaviors, beliefs, feelings,
or values with few or no numerical data available for analysis.
You will
also discuss the process of identification of a research topic and use this
knowledge to practice this important task. This module will give you the
opportunity to explore potential topics of study.
Case
Assignment
After
reading the required background material and finding at least two other
resources on your own, write a paper discussing the topic:
Selecting a
Suitable Topic in Business Research
In your
paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and
critical thinking.
What is
empirical research and how it is related to applied research?
Describe
two topics of your interest and using the information of the book chapter,
justify why those two topics could be suitable for your own research. (Remember
that this is just an exercise and you do not have to use these topics for your
DSP at the end of the program).
Using the
material from Bhattacherjee (2012), describe in detail the sources you are
using to identify these two topics and also the criteria for topic selection
that you are considering.
Assignment
Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 2 SLP
BUSINESS
RESEARCH PROCESS
To complete
this SLP, review the following material:
Murray, N.
(2008). Writing up your university assignments and research projects: A
practical handbook Open University Press. Chapter 6: What are the different
components of a research project?
Ong, W.,
Lee, D., Ye, A., Wu, C. and Liao, S. (2015). IKEA Case Study. Created with
Wix.com http://wjong7.wixsite.com/ikeacasestudies
Chapter 6
of Murray (2008) book provides a description of what a research project should
look like with a list of each of the components. This structure is very similar
to the structure of the Doctoral Study Project required at the end of this
program. For this exercise, review this chapter as an illustration.
Next,
review the IKEA case study presented in a website (not a paper) with a nice
description of the organizational case study.
After
reading the required background material and finding at least two other
resources on your own, write a 3-4 page paper (without counting the cover page
and the page with references) discussing the topic:
Compare and
contrast business report and academic research project writing
In your
paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and
critical thinking.
How can the
IKEA Case Study become an academic research project report?
What did
you like/dislike from the IKEA Case Study?
What are
the pros and cons of using the traditional academic research project structure?
SLP
Assignment Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 3-4 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 3 Case
OVERVIEW OF
THEORY IN BUSINESS RESEARCH
Case
Assignment
After
reading the required background material and finding at least two other resources
on your own, write a 5- to 7-page paper discussing the topic:
Qualitative
vs. Quantitative Research
In your
paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and
critical thinking.
Compare and
contrast qualitative and quantitative research in business research.
Discuss
three examples of quantitative data sets used in business research.
Evaluate
three examples of quantitative data collection tools and data analysis tools
used in business research.
Evaluate
three examples of qualitative data collection tools and data analysis tools
used in business research.
Explain the
pros and cons of mixed methods.
Discuss in
more detail the characteristics of qualitative research.
Assignment
Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 3 SLP
OVERVIEW OF
THEORY IN BUSINESS RESEARCH
The
background material for this module introduced you to some journals where
scholars and practitioners share their insights. For this assignment we will
test our ability to understand and differentiate between scholarly and
practitioner journals.
Examples of
scholarly/academic journals would be the Academy of Management Journal,
Management Science, and Academy of Management Review.
Examples of
a practitioner journals would be Academy of Management Perspectives, Sloan
Management Review, and Harvard Business Review.
You are
expected to know how to use both types of materials as references for your
future efforts. This initial learning task should be the beginning of an effort
to increase your ability to search for information sources for whatever topics
you are pursuing toward your doctoral research.
In this assignment
you are expected to:
Discuss 5
best practices for conducting a literature review.
Find two
theoretical studies as well as two applied research studies related to your
area of research interest and include an annotated bibliography of these
articles in APA style
(http://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/annotated-bibliographies/).
Discuss how
you might use both as part of background material.
Make sure
you use reliable and updated material.
SLP
Assignment Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 3-4 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 4 Case
OVERVIEW OF
METHODS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH
Assignment
Overview
In this
assignment we will evaluate qualitative research methods in more depth. In the
previous case assignment, you were expected to compare and contrast qualitative
and quantitative methodologies, as well as mixed method. In this Case
Assignment, you will evaluate in more detail the purpose, distinctive features,
advantages, and disadvantages of two out of the four qualitative research
methods in business research and sample populations described in the Module
Overview.
Case
Assignment
After
reading the required background material and finding at least two other
resources on your own, write a 5- to 7-page paper discussing the topic:
Qualitative
Research Methods and Data Collection Techniques
In your
paper, you should answer the following questions using your own evaluation and
critical thinking.
Explain the
purpose, features, advantages, disadvantages, sample populations, and examples
in business research of TWO of the four qualitative research methods used in
business research.
Explain TWO
data collection techniques of your choice. Examples of data collection techniques
or source of evidence are interviews, participant observation and fieldwork,
direct observations, using documents or archival records.
If you were
to conduct research, which qualitative research method and which data
collection technique would you prefer to use and why?
Assignment
Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 4 SLP
OVERVIEW OF
METHODS IN BUSINESS RESEARCH
As you
address the components of the mini-proposal outlined below, pretend you are
writing this document for committee members of your doctoral project. Provide
enough detail to indicate that you have given each step of the research process
serious consideration. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation of your mini-proposal
with the following components:
Title:
Provide a title for your proposal.
Rationale:
Identify the topic and describe why this study is needed for a given
organization (include a justification of the importance of your topic either
from empirical evidence or literature).
Research
Question(s): Identify one or two research questions based on the rationale.
Literature
Review: What topics would have to be covered in your literature review? (Just
list the topics.) List business theories that would be relevant to this study.
Explain why they would be relevant.
Methodology:
Discuss the research design (e.g., qualitative case study, quantitative survey,
action/evaluation research) that would be appropriate to answer your research
question(s). Who would be the participants? What would be the procedures for
data collection and analysis?
Significance:
Discuss how your research would help the organization and who would benefit.
Reference
list
Upload your
presentation into the SLP4 dropbox.
Please note
that for SLP 5 you will be asked to record a 5- to 8-minute (no more than 8
minutes) video presentation using these slides with Blackboard Collaborate.
Then you will share the link to your presentation in the Module 5 Discussion.
SLP
Assignment Expectations
Length: The
PowerPoint presentation should have 7 to 12 slides.
Organization:
Slide titles should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity.
We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your paper
before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 5 Case
ETHICS AND
IRB
Assignment
Overview
In this
assignment you will discuss Research Ethics, the ethical principles of
scientific research, the purpose of the institutional review board and
professional code of ethics.
Read carefully
Chapter 16 of this book:
Bhattacherjee,
Anol, "Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices"
(2012). Textbooks Collection. 3. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/oa_textbooks/3.
Chapter 16. pp. 137-142
Case
Assignment
Use the
information provided in the readings to write a 5- to 7-page paper that
discusses the ethical considerations for quantitative, qualitative, and action/evaluation
research designs.
Explain the
purpose of an Institutional Review Board (IRB). In your own words, describe the
steps of the IRB process at Trident and provide a summary of the components
required in the IRB application at Trident.
Finally,
describe one professional code of ethics from an area of your choice.
Assignment
Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
When you
write your paper make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or
devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.
DOC600 Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research Methods in Business
Module 5 SLP
ETHICS AND
IRB
As
discussed in SLP 4, you were asked to prepare a PowerPoint presentation of your
mini-proposal with the following components:
Title:
Provide a title for your proposal.
Rationale:
Identify the topic and describe why this study is needed for a given
organization (include a justification of the importance of your topic either
from empirical evidence or literature)
Research
Question(s): Identify one or two research questions based on the rationale
Literature
Review: What topics would have to be covered in your literature review? (Just
list the topics.) List business theories that would be relevant to this study.
Explain why they would be relevant.
Methodology:
Discuss the research design (e.g., qualitative case study, quantitative survey,
action/evaluation research) that would be appropriate to answer your research
question(s). Who would be the participants? What would be the procedures for
data collection and analysis?
Significance:
Discuss how your research would help the organization and who would benefit.
Reference
list
In this SLP
5 you will record a short 5-minute video where YOU briefly discuss your
potential area of research and share the link to your presentation in the
Module 5 Discussion. You can use any technology you feel comfortable with as
long as you share only the LINK to your video with your class and we can hear
you and see you talking about your research.
You can use
an improved version of the PowerPoint slides you created for SLP4 or any other
material you find useful for this assignment. You are welcome to use any
material as long as you record yourself talking about your potential research
topic. We encourage you to use any creative approach. The only conditions are
that you should share a LINK only with the class that is no longer than five
minutes and that we can hear you (better if we can also see you) talking about
your research ideas.
Note that
your research discussion is NOT a formal commitment to the topic because this
is just your first class in the DBA program. In this class, we want you to
discuss potential areas of research to brainstorm and locate yourself within a
specific area. You will also start using your research skills which will continue
to improve as you continue taking courses in the program.
This is a
nice opportunity for you to verbally discuss your research interest, reflect on
that, then receive and provide feedback during the discussion.
Below is a
list of potential ways to record your presentation but you are welcome to use
others:
Screencast-O-Matic
(recommended): a fast recording app to create a video file and then share on
YouTube. Easy to use. Use your screen and camera from your computer to record
you and your screen at the same time.
Blackboard
collaborate in MyTLC.
Use your
cellphone and upload your recording into YouTube or any other social network.
Products
similar to Screencast-O-Matic such as SimpleScreenRecorder, Jing, or others
described at the following website: https://alternativeto.net/software/screencast-o-matic/
After you
record the video share the link in the discussion, watch your own video and
write a short paper telling us the following:
What tool
did you use to record your video? Include the link to your video.
What was
the most difficult task to accomplish this assignment?
What can
you do to improve future short research presentations?
SLP
Assignment Expectations
Length: The
written component of this assignment should be 2-3 pages long (double-spaced)
without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization:
Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and
Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are
expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation,
and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact
clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your
paper before submission.
As you
complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the
assignment questions directly.
Stay
focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote
a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use
evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Be sure to
cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure
to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text
citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper,
including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the “Writing
Style Guide,” which is found under “My Resources” in the TLC Portal.