Statistics CAAP #2 Instructions

Select two different journal article readings from Modules 7 – 12 in Canvas. Articles are found in each Module. Provide a critical summary of BOTH readings (discuss them separately). What did you learn? What did you find interesting? Did the author(s) introduce any new or specialized terminology? Is it clear the author is in favor or against a particular topic? What kind of statistics are presented (descriptive or inferential or both)? What kinds of variables are used? What measures of central tendency and/or variability are used and how? How was it beneficial to the study of statistics? Do not include the actual questions in your paper or as section headings. You can incorporate your answers into your writing, but the questions are merely suggestions. Each critical summary should be at least two pages, so at least four pages total for both readings. If it is a little longer, that is fine. For my classes, it is better to go slightly over than slightly under the two pages. Be sure to apply terms/concept(s) from the textbook, and/or the slide presentations. The assignment is called Critical Analysis APPLICATION Paper; therefore, you should identify, apply, and connect terms/concepts/methods from the course.

Use at least two direct quotes with citations (ASA style) from an academic source (such the articles, textbook, module slides, or professor) per response to support your points. In your discussion, you may relate the articles to your personal lives, current events, and/or class material. Write one summary, then the next, and then include your ONE reference page. It is all one paper, but the discussions are separate. No late work is accepted. You will upload the entire paper as ONE attachment file under ASSIGNMENTS in the online classroom. The attachment must be Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, PDF, or Word Pad (RTF) format. I cannot open Mac files (Pages), so you will have to convert it. TurnItIn will check for plagiarism, so DO NOT COPY FROM THE INTERNET OR OTHER SOURCES! Any direct info from any source needs to be in quotations with a citation provided.

Papers must be typed. Use a standard 12 size font in either: Tahoma, Times New Roman, Courier New, Calibri, or Arial. The paper must be double spaced with one-inch margins.

Put your heading (name and such) in the header of the paper – you do not need a cover page or abstract. Put page numbers at the footer of the paper. Before each summary, write the title of the article and the author’s name/authors’ names.

Be sure to reference the author you directly quoted, even if it is from the textbook or lectures. You should have a page at the very end called “References”. Feel free to quote things I have said as well. You only need one reference page. Wikipedia and Dictionary.com are not academic sources – you do not need to use them. The only sources you need for this assignment are the articles, your class notes, slides, and/or textbook. Follow the American Sociological Association format for “Citations in Text” and the reference page. See the attached file for examples. You only need to use ASA style for quotes, citations, and the reference page.

When writing formally, avoid using contractions (can’t, don’t, won’t). Use the full versions (can not, do not, will not). Do not use slang such as “cool”. Spell out smaller numbers (twenty instead of 20). Do not end sentences in prepositions (with, for, by, along, in, out).

Make sure you break your work up into paragraphs. Do not submit one long paragraph for each summary.