Annotated Bibliography and Final Paper Pre-Planning

This week, you will determine a policy for your Final Paper and begin your research regarding the policy of your choosing. It is important to remember that your paper should focus on a specific policy and that your paper will need to address the following components:

· Historical and constitutional basis for the American government’s structure

· The system of checks and balances

· The various roles (e.g., public opinion, media, special interest groups, etc.) concerning public policy and elections

· The voting system and election process

Please watch this video that walks through the steps of the paper development and expands on the four required sections of the paper.

Prepare: Since this is the first step in developing your Final Paper, it is recommended that you review 
POL201 Assignment Guide


 
 Download POL201 Assignment Guidebefore beginning this assignment. A model 
POL201 Final Paper template 


 Download POL201 Final Paper templateand the 
POL201 Research Guide
 are both provided for you within the online classroom to utilize when completing your Final Paper. You should also review the Week 2 Policy and Your Life discussion and the list of some possible policies found in the 
Week 2 DQ and Final Paper Policy Examples


 
 Download Week 2 DQ and Final Paper Policy Examplesin your online classroom, before completing this assignment.

The first step to researching your Final Paper is selecting a specific policy for your paper, which was part of the Week 2 Policy and Your Life discussion. Your paper must focus on a specific policy that focuses on an aspect of the United States government and ideally, that relates to your major and future career. You should be able to find research that will allow you to support your ideas. If you have questions or would like your instructor to approve your policy, please email them directly and/or discuss with your instructor and colleagues in the Week 2 Policy and Your Life discussion forum.

Reflect: Once you have found a topic that interests you, you will begin the research for your Final Paper this week. In addition to establishing your topic and the thesis for your paper, you will also provide an 
Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.)
 for four of the sources you intend to utilize to support your Final Paper. Each annotation should be a minimum of one full paragraph (five sentences) in length and should explain what the source discusses and how this links to your Final Paper topic. While your textbook can be utilized as a source, it does not count towards your four sources for this assignment. As your paper progresses, it is expected that you will find more sources to support your ideas for a minimum of eight sources are required for the final, with a minimum of five of those sources from the University of Arizona Global Campus Library databases. This research is necessary to develop a strong Final Paper. The following resources will help you to use the library effectively to find sources for your paper:

For guidance on using library databases to locate scholarly, peer-reviewed articles click on 
Help! Need Article (Links to an external site.)
 and then click the “How Do I Search for Articles” button from the Main Menu.

For guidance on identifying the types of sources you can use for academic research, watch this interactive tutorial on 
Evaluating Sources (Links to an external site.)
.

The 
Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.)
 table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. Additionally, the 
POL201 Research Guide
, located within the online classroom, is designed to help you find sources for your paper. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Be sure that the sources you are utilizing to support your ideas are valid, reliable, and not overly bias. For information on identifying information bias, watch this interactive tutorial on 
Subjective and Objective Statements (Links to an external site.)
.

Write: To complete the assignment, download the 
Week 2 Annotated Bibliography Worksheet


 
 Download Week 2 Annotated Bibliography Worksheetfrom the online classroom to your computer, fill it out, and submit it via Waypoint. Within the worksheet, you will address your policy, find four scholarly sources to support your policy, and explain the significance of each of your four sources. Please be sure that each section is at least a full paragraph (minimum of five sentences) in length and fully addresses the questions presented. All references should be listed in full APA format and cited appropriately.

Week Two Annotated Bibliography Worksheet

Reminders: Each of the four sources here, will need to be peer-reviewed scholarly sources obtained through the AU Library Databases. Before you begin, be sure you have critically read ALL of the instructions and that you have watched the video tutorial for creating an APA formatted Annotated Bibliography and reviewed the Model APA formatted Annotated Bibliography example .

A. Topic: Enter the overall topic and/or policy of your Week 5 Final Research Paper Here

1. In a minimum of 5 sentences, write a paragraph here that explains the topic and/or policy you will focus on in the final research paper, AND directly address why it is important. Be sure to utilize the Week 2 Discussion Question and Final Paper Policy Examples.

B. Annotated Bibliography Sources (Title of Source 1 goes here):

1. Source 1 Related to the Historical and Constitutional Basis of the American Government’s Structure (enter full APA citation here).

2. In a minimum of 5 sentences, write a paragraph that explains what the source is about AND detail how and why this source is important and how it will be used to support the argument you are making for this first main point of the final research paper.

C. Annotated Bibliography Sources (Title of Source 2 goes here):

1. Source 2 Related to how Checks and Balances will directly come into play in relation to your overall topic and/or policy (enter full APA citation here).

2. In a minimum of 5 sentences, write a paragraph that explains what the source is about AND detail how and why this source is important and how it will be used to support the argument you are making for this first main point of the final research paper.

D. Annotated Bibliography Sources (Title of Source 3 goes here):

1. Source 3 Related to how public policy, elections AND the media impact your overall topic and/or policy (enter full APA citation here).

2. In a minimum of 5 sentences, write a paragraph that explains what the source is about AND detail how and why this source is important and how it will be used to support the argument you are making for this first main point of the final research paper.

E. Annotated Bibliography Sources (Title of Source 4 goes here):

1. Source 4 Related to how voting and the election process impacts your overall topic and/or policy (enter full APA citation here).

2. In a minimum of 5 sentences, write a paragraph that explains what the source is about AND detail how and why this source is important and how it will be used to support the argument you are making for this first main point of the final research paper.

Annotated Bibliography Example: This is an example of how your annotations should look on the Week 2 Annotated Bibliography Worksheet once completed. Please note this is an actual source, but NOT one applicable for your final research paper.

Source:

Brown, K., Royer, S., Waterhouse, J., & Ridge, S. (2005). Virtual workforces and the shifting frontier of control. The Journal of Industrial Relations, 47(3), 310-325. Retrieved from EbscoHost database.

Paragraph:

The political process has a significant impact on virtual workforces. Brown, Royer, Waterhouse, and Ridge (2005) studied how organizations innovate and create new technology to allow remote employees to communicate virtually. This has changed a great deal since 2005, but the important aspect of rethinking how employees and managers do business and manage assignments within the virtual workplace is discussed. As online education continues to evolve, more changes will be necessary within online colleges and universities to keep up with the changing technology and to restructure their workforce to meet the needs of students. These changes can result in new organizational structures that lead to the need for less hierarchy within an organization (Brown, Royer, Waterhouse, & Ridge, 2005).