Locate the search terms you developed in Week 3. Use them and a search engine (like Google or Bing) to find two non-scholarly sources that address your research question. In order to be appropriate, these sources must pass the CRAAP test.

The non-scholarly source may be any of these types of sources:

A newspaper or magazine article (not an editorial).

An article from a professional organization website or trade journal (e.g., science, medical, etc.).

An article or report from a .gov website.

A blog post written by an expert on the topic.

The non-scholarly source may not be

A book or book chapter.

A scholarly article.

A reference source (e.g., encyclopedia, almanac, dictionary).

Be sure to copy and record the URL (web address) of the non-scholarly sources that you choose so you can include it in your reference.

Create APA References for the Two Non-Scholarly Sources

Remember what you learned about how to format references in the APA Skill Check (Links to an external site.) on creating references. Then, create the APA references for both sources in the All Sources Annotated Bibliography template. Check your references using the Ashford Writing Center’s Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) to ensure they are correct. Also, you may view the Week 5 Annotated Bibliography Example to review correct format.

Write Annotations for the Two Non-Scholarly Sources

Now, you will write annotation for the two sources. The annotations must be in your own words, two paragraphs long, and address the points below. Provide brief descriptions, explanations or examples to support your answers.

Paragraph 1:

What kind of source is this?

What is the thesis or main claim of the source?

What evidence or claims does the source present in support of the thesis? Present at least two examples of support the source uses.

What other important claims does the source make?

Paragraph 2: Evaluate

How adequately does the source support its thesis?

How current is the information in the source relative to your research question?

How credible and authoritative is the source for your research question?

What limitations, if any, did you note in the source?

How does the source help answer your research question?

Include references and annotations for sources from Week 3

Review the feedback from your instructor on your Week 3 Assignment.  Make any revisions or corrections you think will improve your submission.  Insert the revised references and annotations into the appropriate sections of your All Sources Annotated Bibliography template.

Develop a Thesis Statement Based on Your Research Question

Use the Turning Your Research Question into a Thesis Statement worksheet to help create your thesis statement. Your thesis statement should summarize the conclusions you came to after researching your topic and be no more than two sentences long. Note: you will not submit this worksheet for grading but will paste the thesis you develop at the beginning of your bibliography.

To make sure your submission is as strong as it can be it is recommended you:

Use Grammarly (Links to an external site.) to assist in locating and correcting grammar and punctuation errors

Submit your bibliography to Turnitin to make sure you did not accidently copy another’s work.

You may review the resource Understanding Turnitin (Links to an external site.) for more information.

Submit your work to the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.) for feedback. The Ashford Writing Center staff can help you identify formatting, grammar, and other common writing issues in your work and give you ideas for ways to fix them. The Ashford Writing Center staff is available by email or by chat.

The Final Annotated Bibliography

Must be double-spaced, include a title page and be formatted according to APA style as outlined on the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.) APA Formatting page. It should not include a References page.

Must use the All Sources Annotated Bibliography template provided in the assignment instructions.

Must use two scholarly articles, one e-book, and two non-scholarly sources.

The Source Types handout offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

Week 1 – Assignment

Research Topic and Question

Prior to beginning this assignment,

· Read Module 1 in your course textbook.

· Watch the

GEN103 Annotated Bibliography

and

Picking Your Topic IS Research

videos.

· Review the

Week 5 Annotated Bibliography Example

, and the

4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research

,

Possible Topics for Research

, and

How to Ask an Open-Ended Question  handouts

.

· Download and review the

Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet

that you will complete and turn in for this assignment.

This week, you will develop a research question for your annotated bibliography:

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Use this topic.

1. What evidence is there that America needs a “Space Force” as part of our national armed services?

2. Explore your topic.

3. Write your research question.

Choose a Research Topic

Choose a research topic related to your program or major. This topic will be used for all five weeks so choose one that interests you and for which two scholarly articles, one e-book , and two non-scholarly sources are available. Review the

Possible Topics for Research handout if you need ideas. It is recommended that you review the

GEN103 Week 1 Assignment example

.

Provide a two to three sentence explanation of the research topic and how it is related to your major on the Week 1 Research Topic and Question worksheet.

Explore your Topic

On the Week 1 Assignment worksheet, fill in the KWHL chart to explore the research topic. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions on the worksheet. The

4 Easy Steps to Using the Ashford Library for Background Research

is a helpful resource at this point.

Write Your Research Question

Write the first draft of your research question in the table at the bottom of the Week 1 Assignment worksheet. Your research question will help you focus your research by defining the information you are looking for as you research your topic.

Your research question must be:

· Open-ended (should begin with “how,” “why” or “what”)

· Clear

· Concise

· Detailed

The

How to Ask an Open-Ended Question

handout can help you formulate an open-ended question.