Week 1 – Assignment 2

Topic for the Final Research Proposal

For this assignment you will apply the first step of the scientific method by identifying a topic and explaining its importance in the field of psychology. Choose a topic of interest to you in psychology that is relevant to your current or future career, and search the databases in the Ashford University Library for a published peer-reviewed literature review on the topic. Evaluate the literature review and describe whether or not it provides multiple perspectives and or results on the topic, or if the author is including only those studies that prove his or her original hypothesis. Using the literature review as a reference, compare the characteristics of the different research methods that have been used to study this topic. Summarize what is known about the topic based on the evidence presented in the literature review.

The paper

Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper

Students name

Course name and number

Instructors name

Date submitted

Must use at least one peer-reviewed source.

Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

CITI Social Behavioral Educational Research Training and Certificate

Certification in human subjects protection is required for anyone who wishes to work on research studies at an institution with an Institutional Review Board. This includes any institution or organization which receives federal funding. The Social Behavioral Educational Research Investigators (SBER) Basic Course from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (Links to an external site.) (CITI) will teach you how to apply ethical principles to psychological research involving human subjects according to professional and legal standards. The CITI program estimates this training course will take approximately three to six hours to complete. Upon completion of each module of the training, you will be assessed on your knowledge. You must successfully complete each assessment in order to receive your certificate from CITI. This will not only be uploaded to satisfy the requirements for this assignment, but will also be an important professional component for your future career. After successful completion of the training and receipt of your certificate as a PDF, you must upload the PDF of the certificate as your submission for this assignment.

After submitting the certificate to this assignment, go to Pathbrite  (Links to an external site.)and upload your certificate to your professional portfolio.