This 10- to 16-page research brief will enable you to pursue a specific topic related to the digital age in which you have personal interest. It may be some aspect we have studied in class or one we have not studied. Your assignment is to write research brief on the topic. This assignment is worth 80 points.
A research brief summarizes the state of the current research on a given topic and also provides some recommendations about what actions might be beneficial for your target audience. You can choose your target audience for this paper – it might be your current employer, in which case you would summarize the topic and make specific recommendations to improve practices. If the topic does not apply to your current employer, consider writing for the public and making recommendations that are beneficial for society. The sections of this paper (at a minimum) are as follows:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature review
Analysis
Conclusion
Reference page
All sections are cited using APA form.
Your paper should begin with an introduction that explains why the topic you have chosen is important and interesting and forecasts the main argument of the paper. Your introduction should also provide a clear roadmap of what you will present in your paper.
The main body of your paper, the literature review, should be organized conceptually using APA heading styles. In your review of the literature, include at least three sections with three or four studies in each section. Each section should have a key point, argument, or finding that is supported by the studies you choose. Refer back to your final paper outline to keep your ideas organized. Make sure each section has a brief introduction and conclusion that summarizes the main findings in that section.
For each study that you include, say a few words about how the study was conducted and then give the results of the study. Be sure to link the main finding to the key point of that section. Make sure you use transitions between studies to show how they relate to each other.
The analysis section of your paper should include a brief summary and analysis of the state of the literature and suggestions for how communication practitioners can use this information. What do we know about your topic based on the literature taken as a whole? This summary is the main argument of your paper. It is a statement about what is known based on the literature. Review the main points in a few paragraphs. You may also want to consider pointing out any shortcomings of the studies.
Following this very brief overview of the literature, you should include a few paragraphs about the implications of the research and findings for communication practitioners working in this topic area. Based on what we know, what would you recommend as action steps that communication practitioners can use to improve the situation? What would you say to someone who is working in this area?
Then, include a conclusion paragraph where you restate the main points of your paper but communicate them in a way that is not repetitious or redundant to the content in the body of the paper. Make sure your paper makes a clear argument, one that you forecast in the introduction and revisit and expand upon in the conclusion.
See the Canvas assignment page for guidelines on how to write a final paper and the final paper rubric to learn how you will be graded on your assignment. The writing style for this assignment should be less technical and academic and more general, but it should still be formal. Keep it in third person.
Think about your target audience. The key skill you should have from this is being able to apply empirical research findings to a situation or problem you might encounter at work. You must learn how to translate these findings into language that is understandable for your target audience, which may very well be others who are not well versed in research.
Your final project assignment should also include:
APA style title page
Abstract
Main body of the text
Reference list
