In this milestone, you will work from the topic, applied setting, and research questions you identified in Module Two and start identifying relevant research to support your final proposal. Two major aspects of your final project include selecting foundational theories relevant to your topic and suggesting potential strategies or techniques that may alleviate a problem in an applied setting. To help you prepare for these aspects of the project, you will complete an annotated bibliography featuring a minimum of four research articles. Two of the articles that you find should be related to the theories you related to your topic that you intend to feature in your final proposal. The other two articles should discuss applied research related to your topic area.

For each article, include a summary that highlights how the article relates to your chosen topic and setting, and address the following questions:

• How do the research results and statistical findings in the article apply to your research question and your applied setting?
• What are the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question?
• How could you expand on available research to more specifically address your research question?

PSY 540 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric

Annotated Bibliography

Overview

When engaged in the research process, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you are taking in. Sometimes writers begin to lose track of how the content they are reading will be helpful in supporting the claims they make in their papers or in addressing their research question. A working annotated bibliography helps writers organize potentially useful resources and streamlines the process of identifying relevant research.

When drafting a proposal, it is important to make a compelling case why the proposed project can improve practice in an applied setting. As a psychologist, you do this by pulling from examples of theoretical and applied research from the field. Works of theoretical research establish foundational theories and offer insight as to why problems exist in an applied setting. Applied research studies observe practice in an applied setting and suggest strategies and techniques to improve a problem based on collected data. Together, these types of research comprise a well-balanced argument that explains why a problem exists and how it can be fixed.

In Module Four, you will submit a working annotated bibliography with at least four assignments, including scholarly books or articles, pertaining to your proposal topic, applied setting, and the research questions identified in Module Two. Two of the articles you find should be related to the theories you related to your topic that you intend to feature in your final proposal. The other two articles should discuss applied research related to your topic area.

For each article, include one paragraph summarizing how the article relates to your chosen topic and setting and a second paragraph addressing the following questions:

• How do the research results and statistical findings in the article apply to your research question and your applied setting?
• What are the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question?
• How could you expand on available research to more specifically address your research question?

Conclude each assignment with a brief critique of the article. What are the strengths or limitations of the research? How could future research build on these findings?

What to Submit

Each annotation should be 1-2 paragraphs in length, double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font, using proper APA citations.

Milestone Two Rubric

CriteriaExemplary (100%)Proficient (90%)Needs Improvement (70%)Not Evident (0%)ValueRelevance of Research to Topic and SettingMeets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific examples to illustrate the research’s relevanceDiscusses the source’s relevance to the topic and explains how it relates to the applied settingDiscusses the source’s relevance to the topic, but does not explain how it relates to the applied settingDoes not discuss the source’s relevance to the topic25Results and Statistical FindingsMeets “Proficient” criteria and compares the source’s results and statistical findings to other works of researchExplains how the source’s results and statistical findings apply to the research question and the applied settingExplains the source’s results and statistical findings, but does not connect them to the research question and applied settingDoes not explain the source’s results and statistical findings20Strengths and LimitationsMeets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific examples to illustrate how the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings support the research questionIdentifies strengths and limitations of the research results and findings and explains how they support the research questionIdentifies strengths and limitations of the research results and findings, but does not explain how they support the research questionDoes not identify strengths and limitations of the research results and findings20Expanding on ResearchMeets “Proficient” criteria and identifies specific, actionable ways the research could be extendedDiscusses potential expansions or extensions to the research as it relates to the research questionDiscusses potential expansions or extensions to the research, but does not include how it relates to the research questionDoes not discuss potential expansions or extensions of the research20Articulation of ResponseSubmission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read formatSubmission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organizationSubmission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideasSubmission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas15Total:100%

Milestone Two: Annotated Bibliography

In Module Four, you will work from the topic, applied setting, and research questions you identified in Milestone One and start identifying relevant research to support your final proposal. You will complete an annotated bibliography featuring a minimum of four research articles. In your bibliography, you will reflect on how the research applies to your topic, explore strengths and limitations of the research, and propose ways to expand on the research. This milestone will be graded using the Milestone Two Rubric.