Week 7 literature review – Description
Do you believe everything you read? Is something true simply because it was printed in a book or journal? How do you determine what is credible and what is not? As you work on your Final Project, how do you know which sources you should or should not use? An important aspect of being a scholar-practitioner is understanding the importance of being a critical reader of scholarly research. This week, you examine the importance of being a critical reader of scholarly research. You also begin reviewing the literature related to your Final Project topic.
This week’s assignments revolve around the empirical side of forensic psychology. As you will remember from previous courses, empirical research is integral to the role of forensic psychology professionals. Although you may never conduct research, it is imperative to understand and be able to evaluate research in your area of practice. This week’s assignments will help you to find and evaluate research most relevant to your current field placement and your Final Project.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this week, you will be able to:
Analyze importance of being a critical reader of scholarly research
Analyze personal strengths and limitations related to being a critical reader of scholarly research
Retrieve articles for a literature review related to the Final Project
Cite and annotate articles for literature review
Critical Reading
In Week 2, you selected a practical or scientific topic related to forensic psychology that is relevant to your field experience setting for your Final Project. As you research your topic, you must critically evaluate each resource. Sometimes, even credible sources contain errors, biases, or inadequate evidence to support findings. Using a critical eye allows you to judge the article’s validity so you can decide whether to reference it in your own research. Look for weaknesses in articles by asking questions, such as the following (Walden University Writing Center, 2009, p.1):
Were the author’s interpretations and conclusions supported by the evidence he or she presented?
Was there any apparent bias?
Were there other ways that specific data could be interpreted other than how the author approached it?
Were there any important variables that were left out of the study?
Was every assertion supported by fact?
Did the text use reliable resources?
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
By Day 4
Post by Day 4 an explanation of the importance of being a critical reader of scholarly research. Then describe one strength and one limitation related to being a critical reader of scholarly research, including strategies to improve your limitations.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
By Day 6
Respond by Day 6 to at least one of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Make a suggestion.
Expand on your colleague’s posting.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.
Reference
Walden University Writing Center (2009). From research to writing: An exercise in synthesis. Retrieved from http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/Critical_Reading.pdf
Rubric
To access your rubric:
Week 7 Discussion Rubric
Annotating Scholarly Resources
There are two main types of research, primary and secondary. In primary research, the researcher collects his/her own data to analyze a topic of interest. As part of your Final Project, you are conducting secondary research. In secondary research, you are not actually collecting data. Instead, you research information that has already been collected by a primary researcher on your topic. Performing secondary research includes reviewing existing literature, which is a critical step in writing research papers. Before you begin writing, you should conduct a literature review and annotate scholarly resources related to your topic. Annotations provide a summary or explanation of why an article is important to your research. Reviewing the literature and annotating relevant resources allows you to examine information that already exists about your topic. The articles you select should be from peer-reviewed journals. As you review and annotate each article, pay particular attention to:
Patterns
Trends
Gaps in the literature
Suggestions for future research
The assignment (1–2 pages):
Use the Walden Library, Internet, and other sources to research the practical or scientific topic you selected for your Final Project (Note: This topic was submitted to your Instructor in Week 2 and you should have already received approval).
Cite and annotate two articles from peer-reviewed journals that you will use for your Final Project.
Support your Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
By Day 7
Submit your assignment by Day 7.
submission information
Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area.
1. To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK7Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
2. Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
3. Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.
Rubric
To access your rubric:
Week 7 Assignment Rubric
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Walden University Writing Center. (n.d.). Common assignments: Annotated bibliographies. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies
Walden University Writing Center (n.d.). Components of an annotated entry. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/annotatedbibliographies#s-lg-box-4863537
Walden University Writing Center (n.d.). Common assignments: Literature reviews. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/literaturereview
Walden University Writing Center (n.d.). Critical Reading. http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/454.htm
Required Media
Walden University, LLC. (n.d.). Webinars by center/department. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/webinararchives
Walden University Library (n.d.). Library help videos and interactive tutorials: Identify and evaluate sources. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/helpvideos/evaluatesources
Optional Resources
Walden University Writing Center (n.d.). Common assignments: Synthesizing your sources. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/literaturereview/synthesizing
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