1. Final Research Project Preparation – Annotated Bibliography Review the Final Research Project instructions located in Week Five. To help with the preparation of the paper, complete the following items and submit them to your instructor as a single document. · Introduction to Topic: Refer to the Final Research Project guidelines for your topic selection. For your introduction, you should write a 150-word paragraph which clearly explains the topic, the importance of further research, ethical implications, and how the topic relates to one’s academic and professional pursuits. Make sure you effectively inform the reader of the rationale behind your topic. · Thesis statement: Write a direct and concise thesis statement, which will become the point or perspective you will argue or prove in the Final Research Project. A thesis statement should be a single declarative sentence that makes one point in 25 words or less. The thesis statement must appear within the introduction paragraph. · Annotated Bibliography: To help prepare for your Final Research Project, write an annotated bibliography to indicate the quality of the sources you have read. The bibliography must include no less than five scholarly sources that will be used to support the major points of the Final Research Project. Critical thinking skills need to be demonstrated by accurately interpreting evidence used to support various positions of the topic. Please make sure to provide full reference information in accordance with APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Write a brief paragraph (around 150 words) summarizing the source and explaining how it is pertinent and relevant to the topic of the project and how each source will support your thesis statement. See the Sample Annotated Bibliography in the Ashford Writing Center for more detailed information. Keep in mind the academic research standards for all Ashford University papers. The Final Research Project Preparation · Must be 1,000 – 1,250 words in length (excluding the title and reference pages) · Must include a separate title page · Must use at least five scholarly sources. · Must document all sources in APA style 2. RESEARCH PAPER The topic of your project needs to be a contemporary societal problem, such as legalizing drugs. The topic must focus on a single aspect, as in “How far do corporations intrude into the private lives of their employers?” or “The social costs of financing the distribution of custom-designed drugs.” The Research Project will present research relating the responsibilities of a critical thinker to contemporary society. In this assignment, you will do the following: · 3,300–3,900 words · Research one aspect of a contemporary social problem. · Define the problem. · Propose a possible solution for the problem. · Create an argument that supports your thesis position. You should take on the perspective of a critically thinking researcher. The argument must present a thesis statement and evide ...

1. 1. Final Research Project Preparation – Annotated Bibliography
Review the Final Research Project instructions located in Week
Five. To help with the preparation of the paper, complete the
following items and submit them to your instructor as a single
document.
· Introduction to Topic: Refer to the Final Research Project
guidelines for your topic selection. For your introduction, you
should write a 150-word paragraph which clearly explains the
topic, the importance of further research, ethical implications,
and how the topic relates to one’s academic and professional
pursuits. Make sure you effectively inform the reader of the
rationale behind your topic.
· Thesis statement: Write a direct and concise thesis statement,
which will become the point or perspective you will argue or
prove in the Final Research Project. A thesis statement should
be a single declarative sentence that makes one point in 25
words or less. The thesis statement must appear within the
introduction paragraph.
· Annotated Bibliography: To help prepare for your Final
Research Project, write an annotated bibliography to indicate
the quality of the sources you have read. The bibliography must
include no less than five scholarly sources that will be used to
support the major points of the Final Research Project. Critical
thinking skills need to be demonstrated by accurately
interpreting evidence used to support various positions of the
topic. Please make sure to provide full reference information in
accordance with APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing
Center. Write a brief paragraph (around 150 words)
summarizing the source and explaining how it is pertinent and
relevant to the topic of the project and how each source will
support your thesis statement. See the Sample Annotated
Bibliography in the Ashford Writing Center for more detailed
information. Keep in mind the academic research standards for
all Ashford University papers.

2. The Final Research Project Preparation
· Must be 1,000 – 1,250 words in length (excluding the title and
reference pages)
· Must include a separate title page
· Must use at least five scholarly sources.
· Must document all sources in APA style
2. RESEARCH PAPER
The topic of your project needs to be a contemporary societal
problem, such as legalizing drugs. The topic must focus on a
single aspect, as in “How far do corporations intrude into the
private lives of their employers?” or “The social costs of
financing the distribution of custom-designed drugs.”
The Research Project will present research relating the
responsibilities of a critical thinker to contemporary society. In
this assignment, you will do the following:
· 3,300–3,900 words
· Research one aspect of a contemporary social problem.
· Define the problem.
· Propose a possible solution for the problem.
· Create an argument that supports your thesis position. You
should take on the perspective of a critically thinking
researcher. The argument must present a thesis statement and
evidence to support the thesis statement.
· Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from the position you
take on the issue and explain how those outcomes would
influence society and culture.
· Interpret statistical data from at least two peer-reviewed
scholarly sources.
· Evaluate evidence using the following standards: validity,
reliability, and bias related to the chosen topic and accurately
identify strengths and weaknesses.
Research and Define the Problem
You must take on the perspective of your major field of
study(MANAGEMENT) and explain in your paper what that
perspective is and how it informs your view of the topic.
Instead, you must choose a narrowly defined thesis and

3. approach it from the perspective of your field.
Example: If you are an economics major, and you are interested
in immigration reform, you should approach a very specific
aspect of immigration reform through the lens of economic
theory and practice. A specific thesis question would not be,
“How does illegal immigration influence the U.S. economy?”
One could write thousands of pages on such a topic. Instead, a
better question would be, “How do illegal immigrant hotel
workers in Chicago impact the economy of Northern Illinois?”
You would then want to do the research and determine the
positive and negative impacts they have, ultimately trying to
conclude how illegal immigration in this area should be
approached ethically.
How to Hone Your Thesis: It is important that you start your
research early in this course. Try to find the most important
contemporary questions and theories in your field of study and
then align the most important questions with a very specific
aspect of the general topics above. For example, if you are a
psychology major, you might want to start thinking within the
realm of healthcare reform or aspects of mental health and
criminality in the prison system.
Your Argument
You must present a complete argument, including a major claim
with at least five points of evidence, information, or data that
will prove the claim.
· The thesis statement must be
· A clear, simple declarative sentence as the first or last
sentence in the opening paragraph of the essay.
· Of such a nature that it can be substantiated, corroborated,
verified, and proved through appeal to primary or secondary
academic research source materials.
· The introductory paragraph must
· Present the thesis statement, an explanation for the importance
of the topic, and its relation to the student’s field of study.
· Beliefs, opinions, and personal opinions must not be
introduced at any point in the essay.

4. · All beliefs and opinions should be supported with academic
evidence. Sweeping generalizations with no supporting
academicevidence do not reflect adequate critical thinking
skills.
· Do not include rhetorical questions in your essays. All the
questions that are pertinent to your project need to be answered
in your essay and your answers again need to be supported with
evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles and academically
published books.
Attributes of Good Critical Thinking in Papers
· Your paper should include academic sources that explain
multiple sides of the issue.
· The evidence that you use should come from high-level
researchers engaged in your field of study.
· Your interpretations of the evidence should be objective and
state the conclusions and theses presented in the evidence
clearly and fairly.
· Your paper should place the various forms of evidence in
relation to one another and demonstrate why one form or
perspective is stronger than the other positions that one could
take on the issue.
· Your paper should point out the limitations of current
evidence and attempt to indicate areas for future research.
Ethical Outcomes of the Position You Take
After you have defined the problem and created an argument
about how one ought to respond to the issue, you need to
explain the ethical outcomes of the position you have taken.
This should again be in relation to the field of study in which
you are working. There might be different ethical outcomes that
result from your analysis. For example, going back to the
example issue above, from an economic standpoint, illegal
immigrants might contribute positively to the economy of
Northern Illinois in a specific number of ways. Thus, an
economist who believes that positive impact to the economy is
the greatest good would say that one should promote the use of
illegal immigrants. However, because these workers are often

5. paid less than others and eliminate jobs that could be done by
residents of Chicago, there could be other negative ethical
outcomes that would outweigh the positive impacts to the
economy. It is your goal to draw out the ethical implications of
your thesis and explain the underlying rationale that is the
foundation for your claim that one action is better than another.
· Critical thinkers are those who can outline the positive and
negative ethical impacts of their positions. In addition, they are
able to provide a rationale for why they believe a specific
position is the right position, even when it leads to negative
outcomes.
· Critical thinkers are also able to be honest and objective about
the limitations and gray areas that pertain to their theses.
Research Project Requirements
3300-3900 WORDS
Quotations:
There must be no more than 15% quoted content in the body of
your essay. All quoted material must bear quotation marks and a
full quotation citation.
Source Documents:
· There must be 10 or more source documents used, cited, and
referenced.
· Multimedia sources (such as videos) may be used, but no more
than two such sources may be used. If multimedia sources are
used, then they must be authored and distributed by credible
sources, such as universities, law schools, medical schools, or
professors.
· Where print documents are used for source materials, those
must be peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, and
academically published books. Popular media sources (e.g.,
newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows, etc.) may
not be used. Materials from advocacy groups (e.g., Greenpeace,
Human Rights Campaign, National Organization for Women,
etc.) may not be used.
· Two of the peer-reviewed scholarly sources used must include
statistical evidence, which must be accurately interpreted.

6. · Sites such as ProCon.org and Wikipedia should not be used.
· Religious texts are neither peer-reviewed nor scholarly and so
may not be used in any way.
Summary Conclusion:
You must have a summary conclusion as the last paragraph(s) of
the project, presenting the major point of the essay and the
evidence supporting that point.
Word Count:
The content body of the project must be 3,300 words or more.
The word count does not include anything in the title page,
running header, or reference list. It is expected that you meet all
logistical requirements of this paper.
Reference List:
· The list of references must include only those source
documents that are cited within the body of the project.
· The project must fully comply with APA formatting standards
GEN499.W5A1.05.2015
Description:

7. Total Possible Score: 25.00
Introduction, Thesis Statement, and Claim
Total: 3.50
Distinguished - Provides a clear and focused introduction and
thesis statement
with claim that defines the issue or problem, addresses the
importance of the
topic, and thoroughly explains its relation to one’s field of
study. The thesis
statement is declarative and proposes an appropriate and
feasible solution to

8. the problem or issue.
Proficient - Provides a clear and focused introduction paragraph
and thesis
statement with claim that defines the issue or problem,
addresses the importance
of the topic, and explains its relation to one’s field of study.
The thesis
statement is declarative and proposes a solution to the problem
or issue. Minor
details are missing or the solution is slightly inappropriate or
not feasible.
Basic - Provides a vague introduction paragraph and a thesis
statement with
claim that minimally defines the issue or problem, partially
addresses the
importance of the topic, and partially explains its relation to
one’s field of
study. The thesis statement is somewhat declarative and
proposes a solution to

9. the problem or issue. Relevant details are missing and/or the
solution is
inappropriate and/or not feasible.
Below Expectations - Attempts to provide an introduction
paragraph and a thesis
statement with claim; however, the thesis statement is not
declarative, the
solution to the problem or issue is entirely inappropriate and not
feasible, and
significant details are missing.
Non-Performance - The introduction, thesis statement and claim
are either
nonexistent or lack the components described in the assignment
instructions.

10. Creates an Argument
Total: 7.00
Distinguished - Creates a complete argument, including claims
and evidence
without obvious logical fallacies that fully addresses one’s
major field of
study, what the perspective is, and how it informs one’s view of
the topic.
Proficient - Creates an argument including claims and evidence
without obvious
logical fallacies that addresses one’s major field of study, what
the
perspective is, and how it informs one’s view of the topic. The
argument is
slightly underdeveloped.

11. Basic - Creates a partial argument, including some claims and
evidence that
vaguely addresses one’s major field of study, what the
perspective is, and how
it informs one’s view of the topic. The argument is
underdeveloped and/or
logical fallacies are present.
Below Expectations - Attempts to create an argument; however,
does not include
claims and evidence to address one’s major field of study, what
the perspective
is, and how it informs one’s view of the topic. The argument is
significantly
underdeveloped and many logical fallacies are present.
Non-Performance - The creation of an argument is either

12. nonexistent or lacks the
components described in the assignment instructions.
Evaluates Ethical Outcomes
Total: 4.00
Distinguished - Comprehensively and effectively evaluates the
ethical outcomes
that result from the position taken on the issue and thoroughly
explains how the
outcomes influence society and culture.
Proficient - Evaluates the ethical outcomes that result from the
position taken

13. on the issue and explains how the outcomes influence society
and culture. The
evaluation is slightly underdeveloped.
Basic - Vaguely evaluates the ethical outcomes that result from
the position
taken on the issue and partially explains how the outcomes
influence society and
culture. The evaluation is underdeveloped.
Below Expectations - Attempts to evaluate the ethical outcomes
that result from
the position taken on the issue and explain how the outcomes
influence society
and culture; however, the evaluation is significantly
underdeveloped.
Non-Performance - The evaluation of ethical outcomes is either

14. nonexistent or
lacks the components described in the assignment instructions.
Interprets Statistical Evidence
Total: 3.00
Distinguished - Provides an exceptionally clear, focused, and
accurate
interpretation of statistical evidence/data from at least two
scholarly articles
on the selected topic.
Proficient - Provides a clear and focused interpretation of
statistical

15. evidence/data from at least two scholarly articles on the
selected topic. The
interpretation is slightly underdeveloped or inaccurate.
Basic - Provides a somewhat clear and focused interpretation of
statistical
evidence/data from at least two scholarly articles on the
selected topic. The
interpretation is underdeveloped and/or inaccurate.
Below Expectations - Attempts to provide an interpretation of
statistical
evidence/data from at two scholarly articles on the selected
topic; however, the
interpretation is severely underdeveloped and inaccurate.
Non-Performance - The interpretation of statistical
evidence/data from at least

16. two scholarly articles is either nonexistent or lacks the
components described
in the assignment instructions.
Evaluates Evidence Using Critical Thinking Skills
Total: 3.50
Distinguished - Comprehensively evaluates evidence using the
following
standards: validity, strength, authority, and bias related to the
chosen topic.
Accurately identifies strengths and weaknesses.

17. Proficient - Evaluates evidence using the following standards:
validity,
strength, authority, and bias related to the chosen topic.
Accurately identifies
most of the strengths and weaknesses. The evaluation is slightly
underdeveloped.
Basic - Partially evaluates evidence using some of the following
standards:
validity, strength, authority, and bias related to the chosen
topic. Identifies
some of the strengths and weaknesses. The evaluation is
underdeveloped and/or
inaccurate.
Below Expectations - Attempts to evaluate evidence using the
following
standards: validity, strength, authority, and bias related to the
chosen topic;
however, identifies few of the strengths and weaknesses, and
the evaluation is

18. significantly underdeveloped and inaccurate.
Non-Performance - The evaluation of evidence using critical
thinking skills is
either nonexistent or lacks the components described in the
assignment
instructions.
Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics
Total: 1.00
Distinguished - Displays meticulous comprehension and
organization of syntax and

19. mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work
contains no errors and is
very easy to understand.
Proficient - Displays comprehension and organization of syntax
and mechanics,
such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains only a few
minor errors and
is mostly easy to understand.
Basic - Displays basic comprehension of syntax and mechanics,
such as spelling
and grammar. Written work contains a few errors which may
slightly distract the
reader.
Below Expectations - Fails to display basic comprehension of
syntax or

20. mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work
contains major errors
which distract the reader.
Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components
described in the instructions.
Written Communication: APA Formatting
Total: 1.00
Distinguished - Accurately uses APA formatting consistently
throughout the
paper, title page, and reference page.

21. Proficient - Exhibits APA formatting throughout the paper.
However, layout
contains a few minor errors.
Basic - Exhibits limited knowledge of APA formatting
throughout the paper.
However, layout does not meet all APA requirements.
Below Expectations - Fails to exhibit basic knowledge of APA
formatting. There
are frequent errors, making the layout difficult to distinguish as
APA.
Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components

22. described in the instructions.
Written Communication: Word Requirement
Total: 1.00
Distinguished - The length of the paper is equivalent to the
required number of
words.
Proficient - The length of the paper is nearly equivalent to the
required number
of words.

23. Basic - The length of the paper is equivalent to at least three
quarters of the
required number of words.
Below Expectations - The length of the paper is equivalent to at
least one half
of the required number of words.
Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components
described in the instructions.
Written Communication: Resource Requirement

24. Total: 1.00
Distinguished - Uses more than the required number of
scholarly sources,
providing compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on
the reference
page are used and cited correctly within the body of the
assignment.
Proficient - Uses the required number of scholarly sources to
support ideas. All
sources on the reference page are used and cited correctly
within the body of
the assignment.
Basic - Uses less than the required number of sources to support
ideas. Some
sources may not be scholarly. Most sources on the reference

25. page are used within
the body of the assignment. Citations may not be formatted
correctly.
Below Expectations - Uses an inadequate number of sources
that provide little or
no support for ideas. Sources used may not be scholarly. Most
sources on the
reference page are not used within the body of the assignment.
Citations are not
formatted correctly.
Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components
described in the instructions.

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27. GEN499.W3A1.04.2015
Description:
Total Possible Score: 10.00
Introduction to Topic
Total: 2.00
Distinguished - Clearly explains the topic, the importance of
further research,

28. ethical implications, and how it clearly relates to one’s
academic and
professional pursuits. Thoroughly informs the reader of the
rationale behind the
topic.
Proficient - Explains the topic, the importance of further
research, ethical
implications, and how it relates to one’s academic and
professional pursuits.
Informs the reader of the rationale behind the topic. Minor
details are missing
or the relationship to academic and professional pursuits is
slightly unclear.
Basic - Somewhat explains the topic, the importance of further
research, ethical
implications, and how it relates to one’s academic and
professional pursuits.
Partially informs the reader of the rationale behind the topic.
Relevant details

29. are missing and/or the relationship to academic and professional
pursuits is
unclear.
Below Expectations - Attempts to explain the topic of the
research paper, the
importance of further research, ethical implications, and how it
relates to
one’s academic and professional pursuits; however, does not
inform the reader of
the rationale behind the topic, significant details are missing,
and the
relationship to academic and professional pursuits is entirely
unclear.
Non-Performance - The introduction to the research paper topic
is either
non-existent or lacks the components described in the
assignment instructions.

30. Thesis Statement
Total: 2.00
Distinguished - Provides a developed thesis statement that
thoroughly prepares
the reader for the content, direction, and purpose of the paper.
Proficient - Provides a thesis statement that prepares the reader
for the
content, direction, and purpose of the paper. The thesis
statement is slightly
underdeveloped.

31. Basic - Provides a limited thesis statement that somewhat
prepares the reader
for the content, direction, and purpose of the paper. The thesis
statement is
underdeveloped.
Below Expectations - Attempts to provide a thesis statement;
however, it does
not prepare the reader for the content, direction, and purpose of
the paper. The
thesis statement is significantly underdeveloped.
Non-Performance - The thesis statement is either non-existent
or lacks the
components described in the assignment instructions.

32. Annotated Bibliography
Total: 4.00
Distinguished - Thoroughly summarizes at least five scholarly
sources and
comprehensively explains how each is relevant to the topic of
the Final Research
Project. The sources clearly support the thesis statement. Each
annotation is at
least 150 words in length.
Proficient - Summarizes five scholarly sources and explains
how each is relevant
to the topic of the Final Research Project. The sources support
the thesis
statement, and most of the annotations meet the 150 word
requirement. Minor

33. details are missing or slightly unclear.
Basic - Summarizes at least four scholarly sources and partially
explains how
each is relevant to the topic of the Final Research Project. The
sources vaguely
support the thesis statement, and/or some of the annotations
meet the 150 word
requirement. Relevant details are missing and/or unclear.
Below Expectations - Attempts to summarize at least five
scholarly references
and explain how each source is relevant to the topic of the Final
Research
Project; however, the sources may not support the thesis
statement, the
annotations do not meet the 150 word requirement, and
significant details are
missing and entirely unclear.

34. Non-Performance - The annotated bibliography is either non-
existent or lacks the
components described in the assignment instructions.
Critical Thinking: Interpretation of Evidence
Total: 0.50
Distinguished - Interprets evidence used to support various
positions. The
interpretation is accurate, objective, clear, and thorough.

35. Proficient - Interprets evidence used to support various
positions. The
interpretation exhibits minor flaws in accuracy, objectivity,
clarity, and/or
thoroughness.
Basic - Interprets evidence used to support a tenable position.
The
interpretation lacks objectivity, clarity or thoroughness and may
have minor
flaws regarding accuracy.
Below Expectations - Attempts to interpret evidence that is used
to support a
position. The interpretation has substantial flaws regarding
accuracy,
objectivity, clarity and thoroughness and/or the position is not
plausible
within the field of study.

36. Non-Performance - Does not interpret evidence that is used to
support positions.
Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics
Total: 0.50
Distinguished - Displays meticulous comprehension and
organization of syntax and
mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work
contains no errors and is
very easy to understand.

37. Proficient - Displays comprehension and organization of syntax
and mechanics,
such as spelling and grammar. Written work contains only a few
minor errors and
is mostly easy to understand.
Basic - Displays basic comprehension of syntax and mechanics,
such as spelling
and grammar. Written work contains a few errors which may
slightly distract the
reader.
Below Expectations - Fails to display basic comprehension of
syntax or
mechanics, such as spelling and grammar. Written work
contains major errors
which distract the reader.

38. Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components
described in the instructions.
Written Communication: APA Formatting
Total: 0.50
Distinguished - Accurately uses APA formatting consistently
throughout the
paper, title page, and reference page.
Proficient - Exhibits APA formatting throughout the paper.
However, layout
contains a few minor errors.

39. Basic - Exhibits limited knowledge of APA formatting
throughout the paper.
However, layout does not meet all APA requirements.
Below Expectations - Fails to exhibit basic knowledge of APA
formatting. There
are frequent errors, making the layout difficult to distinguish as
APA.
Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components
described in the instructions.

40. Word Requirement
Total: 0.50
Distinguished - The paper is at least 1,000 words in length,
excluding the title
page and reference page(s).
Proficient - The paper closely meets the word requirement,
excluding title page
and reference page(s).
Basic - The paper meets over half of the word requirement,
excluding title page
and reference page(s).

41. Below Expectations - A fraction of the word requirement is
completed.
Non-Performance - The assignment is either nonexistent or
lacks the components
described in the assignment instructions.
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