Assignment Part I: Research topic and paper outline development Objective The goal of this course is to provide you with the concepts and skills necessary to acquire various sources and to organize this information to write an original research paper. This assignment is an extension of the in-class exercise completed in Module 3. In this assignment, the goal is to develop a research topic and develop a research paper outline. As you develop your research paper, think about the following questions: why is this topic important? What is your purpose or thesis statement? How do you plan to organize these concepts?  Assignment To find a research topic, start from: · Your program of studies or courses that you are taking  · Topics that you have great interests but have not yet researched academically  · A current hot topic, trend or new idea in your discipline that interests you.  You will do several in-class exercises on how to develop a concept map, a research topic, and a research paper outline. The in-class exercises will help you complete this assignment. In the assignment, you need to provide more detailed information and organize the research paper outline systematically with source information.  The research paper outline reflects the investigation of your research topic. In each heading and subheading of the outline, you need to cite your sources.  Format · 2-4 pages · 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins  · MS-Word document format  · Use the format below to assist you in organizing your research paper outline and provide a research topic · Submit your assignment via Blackboard. Citation and References References are not required in this assignment. However, you need to cite your sources. Use the  APA citation style for the citation:  · If there is author(s)’ name, use this format (Author names, year). For instance, (Doe, 2010), (Burkhardt and William 2012), (Doe et al., 2010) · If there is no author’s name, use this format (Anonymous, year) (organization name, year). For example, (Anonymous, 2014), (Old Dominion University, 2014), (The New York Times, 2015). *Although the references are not required in this assignment, make certain that you keep the references information for future assignments. The next assignments will require you to provide full reference information. Grading Rubric (10 percent of course grade) Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Approaches Standard Needs Attention Research Question Identifies a clear and concise research question  that defines the scope of the project completely and leaves little doubt concerning the information needed to complete the project. Identifies a clear research question and  defines the scope of the project completely  but leaves  doubt concerning the information needed to complete the project. Identifies a clear research question but it is incomplete as written (parts missing, too broad or too narrow  does not clearly define the scope of the project and/or leaves ...

1. Assignment Part I:
Research topic and paper outline development
Objective
The goal of this course is to provide you with the concepts and
skills necessary to acquire various sources and to organize this
information to write an original research paper. This assignment
is an extension of the in-class exercise completed in Module 3.
In this assignment, the goal is to develop a research topic and
develop a research paper outline. As you develop your research
paper, think about the following questions: why is this topic
important? What is your purpose or thesis statement?
How do you plan to organize these concepts?
Assignment
To find a research topic, start from:
·
Your program of studies or courses that you are taking
·
Topics that you have great interests but have not yet researched
academically
·
A current hot topic, trend or new idea in your discipline that
interests you.
You will do several in-class exercises on how to develop a
concept map, a research topic, and a research paper outline. The
in-class exercises will help you complete this assignment. In the
assignment, you need to provide more detailed information and
organize the research paper outline systematically with source
information.
The research paper outline reflects the investigation of your

2. research topic. In each heading and subheading of the outline,
you need to cite your sources.
Format
·
2-4 pages
·
12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins
·
MS-Word document format
·
Use the format below to assist you in organizing your research
paper outline and provide a research topic
·
Submit your assignment via Blackboard.
Citation and References
References are not required in this assignment. However, you
need to cite your sources. Use the
APA citation style for the citation:
·
If there is author(s)’ name, use this format (Author names,
year). For instance, (Doe, 2010), (Burkhardt and William 2012),
(Doe et al., 2010)
·
If there is no author’s name, use this format (Anonymous, year)
(organization name, year). For example, (Anonymous, 2014),
(Old Dominion University, 2014), (The New York Times,
2015).

3. *Although the references are not required in this assignment,
make certain that you keep the references information for future
assignments. The next assignments will require you to provide
full reference information.
Grading Rubric (10 percent of course grade)
Exceeds Standard
Meets Standard
Approaches Standard
Needs Attention
Research Question
Identifies a clear and concise research question
that defines the scope of the project completely and leaves
little doubt concerning the information needed to complete the
project.
Identifies a clear research question and
defines the scope of the project completely
but leaves
doubt concerning the information needed to complete the
project.
Identifies a clear research question but it is incomplete as
written (parts missing, too broad or too narrow
does not clearly define the scope of the project and/or leaves
some ambiguity concerning the information needed to complete
the project.
).
Does not identify a research question.
Research Question
All key words and/or subject terms are concise and clearly
stated.
Most key words and/or subject terms are concise and clearly

4. stated.
Some key words are not stated and are not defined.
No key words and/or subject terms are concise and clearly
stated.
Information Sources
Types of information (sources) selected directly relate to
concepts of interest expressed and/or address research question.
Types of information (sources) selected relate to concepts of
interest expressed and/or address research question.
Types of information (sources) selected partially relate to
concepts of interest expressed and/or address research question.
Types of information (sources) either not provided or those
provided are completely unrelated to concepts of interest
expressed and/or research question stated.
Organization
Outline is complete with all necessary information
Outline is complete with most necessary information
Outline contains vague ideas and less that 5 sections are
missing.
Outline contains vague ideas and more than 6 sections are
missing.
Use the following format and headings/sub-headings to write
your research paper outline
*****************************************************
************************
Assignment Part I:
Research topic and paper outline development
[Research Paper Title]
[1]
[Student Name]
[Course Number, CRN; Class Time; Instructor’s Name;
Submission Date]
I.

5. Introduction (required section)
A.
Motivation of this research (required)
Describe why you choose this topic and why this topic is
important (e.g.,
the role and importance of this topic
in a particular field or discipline). Make certain you identify
the discipline in this paragraph. Provide a good introductory
paragraph that should be about at least
5 sentences
.
B.
Definition of your own main concepts (required)
Provide brief definition on your main concept(s) with at 1
sentence using the definition correctly. Use citations to
reference your definition. Example from an article: (
Venkatesh & Morris 2000, p. 116)
:
Perceived usefulness is defined as the extent to which a person
believes that using a particular technology will enhance her/his
job performance. (Davis 1989) I selected the IPad to help me
organize my reports at work because it allows me to use the
Idea Sketch app correctly.
C.
Research question and objectives (required)
Present your research question (1 sentence) and describe your
research objectives with

6. at least 2 sentences
. No partial sentence is acceptable.
II.
Overview (required section)
A.
History of your research idea(required)
Provide a brief description on the history of the main concepts
in your research topic with at
least 2 sentences with citations
. No partial sentence is acceptable.
B.
Concept map (required)
Display and describe your concept map. Along with your map,
provide a brief description about your map
with at least 2 sentences containing citations.
No partial sentence is acceptable.
III.
Conclusion (required section)
Provide a brief summary on your proposed research,
including a stated conclusion on the importance of research
topic in a particular field or discipline
with
at least 3 sentences.
No partial sentence is acceptable.
[1]

7. [ ] - means that you need to replace it with your own contents.
Assignment: Part II
Research paper draft
Objective
Use your outline developed in ‘Assignment I’ to guide you on
how to organize the contents of your First Draft. Your draft
should support your arguments and points, creating a reasonable
discussion. In this assignment, the goal is to present your ideas
and demonstrate your ability to organize ideas:
·
to search supportive sources for your research topic
development by using various searching tools
·
to evaluate the sources and select appropriate ones
·
to properly cite your sources and develop references
·
to avoid plagiarism by properly paraphrasing, summarizing or
quoting sources
·
to properly organize the search results into a draft
Assignment
Based on your research paper outline developed in ‘Assignment
I’, you need to:
·
develop your discussion on your research topic further based on
your searches
·

8. properly quote, paraphrase, and summarize original sources
·
properly cite your sources in text and create references at the
end of your draft
·
include various types of sources (
required types of sources: scholarly journal articles, web
articles, books
)
You can change heading and subheading of the outline and
develop them if it is necessary. However, the required heading
and subheading should not be changed.
Submit your assignment to Blackboard.
Format
·
Develop a draft with
at least 6 pages (excluding references).
·
Use 12 point font, Times New Roman, double space
·
Create MS-Word document file.
·
Use the format below to organize your paper draft.
Citation and References
In-text citation and references are required in this assignment.
You should properly cite sources based on the American

9. Psychological Association (APA) style. EndNote is one program
that will support you to organize your citation and references.
Grading Rubric (10% of course grade
Exceeds Standard
Meets Standard
Approaches Standard
Needs attention
Information Sources
Accesses information using a sophisticated mix of search
strategies, demonstrating high awareness and aptitude in
research tool literacy
Accesses information using appropriate mix of search strategies
and information sources (i.e. delving beyond common search
engines to acquire data);
Accesses information using
rudimentary
search strategies and information sources; data is derived
largely from common search engines
Accesses information
randomly
;
lacks a clear search
strategy for information access
Relevant information sources
Information sources highly relevant to the project or paper’s
scope.
Information sources appear to be mostly relevant to the project
or paper’s scope.
Information sources appear to be of limited relevance to the
project or paper’s scope.
Information sources do not appear to be relevant to the project
or paper’s scope.

10. Citation/ Reference
Includes at least 5 required types of sources: (1) scholarly
journal articles, (2) web articles, and (3) books
Includes at least 4 required types of sources: (1) scholarly
journal articles, (2) web articles, and (3) books
Includes at least 3 required types of sources: (1) scholarly
journal articles, (2) web articles, and (3) books
Includes at least 2 required types of sources: (1) scholarly
journal articles, (2) web articles, and (3) books
Citation Format
At least 90% of cited sources in text and references at the end
of the draft are APA style.
At least 80% of cited sources in text and references at the end
of the draft are APA style.
At least 70% of cited sources in text and references at the end
of the draft are APA style.
Less than 70% of cited sources in text and references at the end
of the draft are APA style.
Evaluate information
Demonstrates an ability to critically evaluate information and
information sources, such as library databases, collections, or
websites appropriate to the field of research with 90% accuracy.
Demonstrates an ability to critically evaluate information and
information sources, such as library databases, collections, or
websites appropriate to the field of research with 80% accuracy.
Demonstrates an ability to critically evaluate information and
information sources, such as library databases, collections, or
websites appropriate to the field of research with 70% accuracy.
Lacks an ability to critically evaluate information and
information sources, such as library databases, collections, or
websites appropriate to the field of research.
Discussion
Developed discussion on research topic by fully organizing,
synthesizing and communicating data from information sources,
which addresses the stated question or purpose with clarity and
depth.

11. Developed discussion on research topic by fully organizing,
synthesizing and communicating data from information sources,
which addresses the stated question or purpose with but lacks
clarity and depth.
Developed discussion on research topic by attempting to
organize, synthesize and communicate data from information
sources, which addresses the stated question or purpose with
clarity and depth
Discussion not on topic and randomly written on research topic
Written paper
All required sections in the paper draft are addressed with
accuracy and sufficient detail.
Most required sections in the paper draft are addressed with
accuracy and sufficient detail
Some required sections in the paper draft are addressed with
accuracy and sufficient detail
Random required sections in the paper draft are addressed.
Use the following format and headings/sub-headings to write
your paper draft.
*****************************************************
************************
Assignment: Part II
Research paper draft
[Research Paper Title]
[1]
[Student Name]
[Course Number, CRN]
I.
Introduction (required section)

12. A.
Motivation of this research (required)
Describe why you choose this topic and why this topic is
important (e.g.,
the role and importance of this topic
in a particular field or discipline). Make certain you identify
the discipline in this paragraph. Provide a good introductory
paragraph that should be about at least
5 sentences
.
B.
Definition of [your own main concepts] (required)
Provide brief definition on your main concept(s) with at 1
sentence using the definition correctly. Use citations to
reference your definition.
Make sure properly quote, paraphrase, and summarize original
sources with a proper citation style of yours.
C.
Research question and objectives (required)
Present your research question (1 sentence) and describe your
research objectives with
at least 2 sentences
. No partial sentence is acceptable
II.
Overview (required section)
A.

13. History of your research project (required)
Develop your essay further on
the history of the main concepts in your research topic. Search
supportive sources and include them into your discussion. Make
sure properly quote, paraphrase, and summarize original sources
with a proper citation style of yours.
B.
[Sub-heading from your research outline]
Develop your essay further on
the sub-heading. Search supportive sources and include them
into your discussion. Make sure properly quote, paraphrase, and
summarize original sources with a proper citation style of
yours.
C.
[Sub-heading from your research outline]
The same as above. If you have further sub-headings in your
outline, include them below and develop them further.
III.
Conclusion (required section)
Develop one paragraph summary of your
research,
including a stated conclusion on the importance of research
topic in a particular field. You may want to include implications
from your findings for future research.
IV.

14. References (required section)
Create references on a separate page.
See the module 7 and ODU Library page for formatting of
references:
http://guides.lib.odu.edu/cite
[1]
[ ] - means that you need to replace it with your own contents.
this is what i did
Assignment Part I:
Research topic and paper outline development
[Narcotics]
[1]
[]
[Course Number, CRN; Class Time; Instructor’s Name;
Submission Date]
I.
Introduction (required section)
A.
The reason why I chose narcotics as my research topic is
because I am a business major and criminal justice minor.
Today I wish to discuss why the legalization of marijuana would
be beneficial to the United States of America and its general
public. I also wish to provide some information on how to run a
healthy, legal and taxable marijuana business. Marijuana is a
continued “problem” to the United States Government and for
years billions of Americans have been incarcerated due to the
strict laws on the drug. Yes, I do believe that there should be
some restrictions on the drug just like or similar to alcohol.
However, I do not think that the sentencing for this crime is any
way fair due to multiple factors like safety, health benefits and
etc.

15. B. According to Merriam Webster Narcotics is
a drug (as opium or morphine) that in moderate doses dulls the
senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in
excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions .a drug (as
marijuana or LSD) subject to restriction similar to that of
addictive narcotics whether physiologically addictive and
narcotic or not
2 : something that soothes, relieves, or lulls
C.
My research question is if it is possible for multiple states such
as Colorado and California to legally regulate marijuana why
can’t this be done federally statewide? My first objective is to
identify any and all benefits of legalizing marijuana. My second
objective is to show how profitable marijuana can be and how it
may stimulate our economy.
II.
Overview (required section)
According to pbs.org Marijuana basically became illegal
through a fear of immigrant expansion, the fear was that if we
prohibit marijuana in the United States then that will prevent
the expansion of illegal immigrants.
Also according to pbs.org a first offense of possession of
marijuana is 2-10 years jail time and a 20k fine. This shows that
the strict laws enforced for marijuana.
III.
Conclusion (required section)
[1]
[ ] - means that you need to replace it with your own contents.