Research Data Analysis Portfolio Piece AFor this assignment, you will select a quantitative research study and write a paper in which you summarize the research study, synthesize the information, draw inferences, and communicate results in a manner that can be easily understood by a nonacademic or nonscientific audience. If you have had the opportunity to assist with formal quantitative research, you may use the study in which you have been academically or professionally involved.After you select a quantitative research study and complete a first draft of your assignment, post it to the discussion area for feedback from your fellow learners. The feedback you gather should be substantive and beneficial to your submission. However, it is up to you whether to integrate the feedback you receive into your analysis.Assignment InstructionsFor this assignment, write a 5–6 page paper in which you complete the following:Summarize the research data.Summarize and interpret the data (statistics).Analyze the results.Explain the findings and implications of the study in a manner that can be easily understood by a nonacademic or nonscientific audience.Critique the research methods, particularly for their impact on results.Make suggestions for further research in this area.Integrate information from one or more other scholarly sources to support your analysis.Integrate information from one or more other scholarly sources to support or challenge the methods or findings of the study you presented.Submission RequirementsYour paper should meet the following requirements:Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA sixth edition style and formatting.Number of resources: Paper uses a minimum of three academic resources.Length of paper: Submission includes 5–6 typed, double-spaced pages.Font and font size: Paper uses Times New Roman, 12 point.My notes to you:* Attached is the article that I would like the paper to be about*If you have any questions please feel free to let me know or if for some reason you can access the attached article please let me know* ABSOLUTLEY NO PLAGARISM*APA SIXTH EDITION HAS TO BE DONE FOR THIS PAPER, NO OTHER FORMAT PLEASE. *Attached will also be the template on how APA sixth format is suppose to look like, you are more than welcome to use that for this paper.Running head: ABBREVIATED TITLE OF YOUR PAPER
Your Full Title of Your Paper
Learner’s Full Name
Course Title
Assignment Title
Capella University
Month, Year
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APA STYLE PAPER TEMPLATE
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APA Style Paper Template: A Resource for Academic Writing
Please change the titles in this document to fit your paper.
APA (American Psychological Association) Style is most commonly used to cite sources
within the social sciences. APA Style is used when writing papers in the psychology programs
offered at Capella University. This document serves as an APA Style template for learners to use
when writing their own papers, as well as a resource containing valuable information that can
be used when writing academic papers. For more information on APA Style, learners can refer
to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (American Psychological
Association, 2010a).
The author demonstrates in the first section of this paper, how an introduction effectively
introduces the reader to the topic of the paper. In APA Style, an introduction never gets a
heading. For example, this section did not begin with a heading titled “introduction”, similar to
the following section, which is titled “writing an effective introduction”. The following section
will explain in greater detail a model that can be used to effectively write an introduction in an
academic paper. The remaining sections of the paper will continue to address APA Style and
effective writing concepts including section headings, organizing information, the MEAL plan,
the conclusion, and the reference list.
Writing an Effective Introduction
An effective introduction often consists of four main components including: (a) the
position statement, thesis, or hypothesis, which describes the author’s main position; (b) the
purpose, which outlines the objective of the paper; (c) the background, which is general
information that is needed to understand the content of the paper; and (d) the approach, which is
the process or methodology the author uses to achieve the purpose of the paper. This information
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will help readers understand what will be discussed in the paper. It can also serve as a tool to
grab the reader’s attention. Authors may choose to briefly reference sources that will be
identified later on in the paper as in this example (American Psychological Association, 2010a;
American Psychological Association, 2010b; Walker, 2008).
In an introduction, the writer will often present something of interest to capture the
reader’s attention and introduce the issue. Adding an obvious statement of purpose helps the
reader know what to expect, while helping the writer to focus and stay on task. For example, this
paper will address several components necessary to effectively write an academic paper
including (a) how to write an introduction, (b) how to write effective paragraphs using the
MEAL plan, and (c) how to properly use APA style.
Level One Section Heading is Centered, Bold, Upper and Lowercase
Using section headings can be an effective method of organizing an academic paper. The
section headings should not be confused with the “running head”, which is a different concept
described in the cover page of this document. Section headings are not required according to
APA Style, however, they can significantly improve the quality of a paper. This is accomplished
because section headings help both the reader and the author as will soon be discussed.
Level Two Section Heading is Flush Left, Bold, Upper and Lowercase
The heading style recommended by APA consists of five levels (American Psychological
Association, 2010a, p. 62). This document contains two levels to demonstrate how headings are
structured according to APA Style. Immediately before the previous paragraph, a Level 1
Section Heading was used. That section heading describes how a Level 1 Heading should be
written, which is centered, bold, and using upper and lowercase letters. For another example,
see the section heading “Writing an Effective Introduction” on page 3 of this document. The
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heading is centered, bold, and uses upper and lowercase letters (compared to all uppercase in
the running head at the top of each page). If used properly, section headings can significantly
contribute to the quality of a paper by helping the reader who wants to understand the
information in the document, and the author who desires to effectively describe the information
in the document.
Section Headings Help the Reader
Section headings serve multiple purposes including (a) helping the reader understand
what is being addressed in each section, (b) readers may be more likely to maintain an interest
in the paper, and (c) they can help readers choose what they want to read. For example, if the
reader of this document wants to learn more about writing an effective introduction, the previous
section heading clearly states that is where information can be found. When subtopics are
needed to explain concepts in greater detail, different levels of headings are used according to
APA Style.
Section Headings Help the Author
Section headings do not only help the reader, they help the author organize the document
during the writing process. Section headings can be used to arrange topics in a logical order,
and they can help an author manage the length of the paper. In addition to an effective
introduction and the use of section headings, each paragraph of an academic paper can be
written in a manner that helps the reader stay engaged. Capella University promotes the use of
the MEAL plan to serve this purpose.
The MEAL Plan
The MEAL plan is a model used by Capella University to help learners effectively
compose academic discussions and papers. Each component of the MEAL plan is critical to
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writing an effective paragraph. The acronym “MEAL” is based on four components of a
paragraph (M = Main point, E = Evidence or Example, A = Analysis, and L = Link). The
following section includes a detailed description and examples of each component of the MEAL
plan.
When writing the content sections of an academic paper (as opposed to the introduction
or conclusion sections), the MEAL plan can be an effective model for designing each paragraph.
A paragraph begins with a description of the main point, which is represented by the letter “M”
of the MEAL plan. For example, the first sentence of this paragraph clearly states the main point
is a discussion of the MEAL plan. Once the main point has been made, evidence and examples
can be provided.
The second component of a paragraph contains evidence or examples, which is
represented by the letter “E” in the MEAL plan. An example of this component of the MEAL plan
is actually (and ironically) this sentence, which provides an example of an example. Evidence
can be in the form of expert opinion examples from research. For example, evidence shows that
plagiarism can occur even when it is not intended if sources are not properly cited (Marsh,
Landau, & Hicks, 1997; Walker, 2008). The previous sentence provided evidence supported why
evidence is used in a paragraph.
Analysis, which is represented by the letter “A” of the MEAL plan, should be based on the
author’s interpretation of the evidence. An effective analysis might include a discussion of the
strengths and weaknesses of the arguments, as well as the author’s interpretations of the
evidence and examples. If a quote is used, the author will likely provide an analysis of the quote
and the specific point it makes for the author’s position. Without an analysis, the reader might
not understand why the author discussed the information that the reader just read. For example,
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the previous sentence was an analysis by the author of why an analysis is performed when
writing paragraphs in academic papers. Even with the first three elements of the MEAL plan, it
would not be complete without the final component.
The letter “L” of the MEAL plan refers to information that “links” the current and the
subsequent paragraphs. The link helps the reader understand what will be discussed in the next
paragraph. It summarizes the author’s reasoning and shows how the paragraph fits together and
leads (i.e., links) into the next section of the paper. For example, this sentence might explain that
once the MEAL plan has been effectively used when writing the body of an academic paper, the
final section is the summary and conclusion section.
Summary and Conclusion
A summary and conclusion section, which can also be the discussion section of an APA
Style paper, is the final opportunity for the author to make a lasting impression on the reader.
The author can begin by restating opinions or positions, and summarizing the most important
points that have been presented in the paper. For example, this paper was written to demonstrate
to readers how to effectively use APA Style when writing academic papers. Various components
of an APA Style paper that were discussed or displayed in the form of examples include a
running head, title page, introduction section, levels of section headings and their use, in-text
citations, the MEAL plan, a conclusion, and the reference list.
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References
American Psychological Association. (2010a). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
American Psychological Association. (2010b). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of
conduct. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Marsh, R. L., Landau, J. D., & Hicks, J. L. (1997). Contributions of inadequate source
monitoring to unconscious plagiarism during idea generation. Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 23(4), 886-897. doi: 10.1037/02787393.23.4.886
Walker, A. L. (2008). Preventing unintentional plagiarism: A method for strengthening
paraphrasing skills. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 35(4), 387-395. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/213904438?accountid=27965
Always begin a reference list on a new page. Use a hanging indent after the first line of each
reference. The reference list is in alphabetical by first author’s last name. A reference list only
contains sources that are cited in the body of the paper, and all sources cited in the body of the
paper must be contained in the reference list.
The reference list above contains an example of how to cite a source when two documents are
written in the same year by the same author. The year is also displayed using this method for the
corresponding in-text citations as in the next sentence. The author of the first citation (American
Psychological Association, 2010a) is also the publisher, therefore, the word “Author” is used in
place of the publisher’s name.
When a digital object identifier (DOI) is available for a journal article, it should be placed at the
end of the citation. If a DOI is not available, a uniform resource locator (URL) should be used.
The Marsh, Landau, and Hicks (1997) reference is an example of how to cite a source using a
DOI. The Walker (2008) reference is an example of how to cite a source using a URL. Please
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