Proposed Organizational Setting: State of Ohio Corrections/ Corrections Reception Center
General Problem of Concern:
Retention and Hiring is at an all time low. How does the government solve this problem and what safety concerns could be present in this problem? Also for what mental and Physical problems occur during a staff shortage for staff and inmates how to solve this
Purpose
This assignment is intended to help you learn to do the following:
Research and evaluate scholarly and professional resources.
Analyze information gained through research to inform decisions, conclusions, and recommendations for strategic problem solving, and to address organizational or policy challenges.
Overview
For your capstone paper you are to complete a review of scholarly and professional resources to inform your analysis, conclusion, and recommendations. The literature review will be submitted in the form of an annotated bibliography similar to an assignment from PUAD 701. A literature review requires you to research and read current academic and professional literature and sources (journal articles, books, professional websites and studies, etc.) in the field of public administration. Because of the practical nature of the capstone, professional resources are likely to be a significant part of your literature review.
Your annotated bibliography is to provide a survey of the scholarly and professional work that has been done about key concepts, frameworks, best practices, theories, or other information and data related to your selected topic or project. The most important aspect of reviewing scholarly and professional resources is to demonstrate that you have done your due diligence in researching and analyzing resources relevant for your study. Conducting a review of relevant scholarly and professional resources should help you to complete a high-quality and credible study. For example, a review of the scholarly and professional resources can help you to:
Identify appropriate frameworks and techniques of analysis for you study.
Discover what is already known and unknown about a topic, program, policy, etc.
Learn how scholars and professionals have approached a similar study or problem.
Locate best practices relevant for your study.
Avoid making recommendations that have already been shown as ineffective by others.
The purpose of the literature review for the annotated bibliography is NOT to show that you have read a lot of material. In fact, while you may end up exceeding the minimum required resources for your annotated bibliography, it will not enhance your grade. Instead, conducting a thorough literature review for your annotated bibliography should make it easier for you to complete your study or project and provide credibility to your analysis and recommendations. You likely will not end up citing all the sources from your annotated bibliography in your final paper (and likely WILL cite additional sources that were not in the annotated bibliography), but you should explain in your annotation how the resource is relevant or applicable for your problem or project.
The first place to start in selecting a research topic and writing a suitable dissertation research question is to focus on what you really care about and are interested in. You will be spending lots of time and energy on this research, so choose a topic that you are excited and care about – even love (Burton, 2014).
Another key issue to consider when selecting a topic and formulating your research question is to consider the professional relevance and application. Choose a topic and question that will have you contributing to key issues or questions in the field. This will help you advance, and lead, in the field and will enhance your ability to advance in your profession.
Once you have a topic, start reading the academic and professional literature on this topic. Try to find a relatively recent article that sounds interesting to you and read it. The advantage of a newer article is you will find references to other studies and articles that will direct you to more literature to read!
Being widely and well-read in the literature is critical to developing a good research question and plan to answer it, as you will have a strong understanding of key concepts, studies, questions, and debates in the literature, including (Burton, 2014):
Predominate theories and frameworks that have been used to explain and structure thinking about key topics and phenomena and to answer research questions: Typically, you will want to apply an accepted theory or framework into your study unless your research is focused on theory building.
What we already “know” or questions that have been examined: Typically, you should not ask a question we know the answer to, though it is rarely the case that there is a definitive answer. Often you can focus on a question that has been studied if you plan to shed some new light or add value in terms of looking at a different context or applying a better method, measurement, or research design.
What we do not know or key questions others think need to be addressed: Oftentimes it is fruitful to have your research focus on a question of interest in the literature that has been minimally addressed, considered primarily theoretically, or for which there are conflicting answers.
How others have answered questions in this area in terms of data, concept measurement, research design, and method. If there are widely accepted and validated approaches in the literature – apply them. Do not reinvent the wheel. A common example is when students want to write and conduct an original survey. It is very difficult to craft valid surveys. It is a much better idea, when possible, to use or draw from surveys that have been conducted and validated already. This has many benefits in terms of time efficiency, validity of the questions, and comparing your results to the results of other studies. On the other hand, if you can improve upon what has been done in any of these areas, do so. You will have a higher-quality study to contribute.
What journals typically publish articles on this topic and how they are presented? If you have any interest in publishing your research, pay attention to what journals want in the articles they publish and the differences between articles including expectations for length and content. For example, some journals emphasize novel or sophisticated methods and expect a large share of the article to be devoted to explanation of methods. Some journals are focused on practitioners’ and want the academic and technical stuff presented simply and concisely with most space spent on the practical application and/or insights of the study.
In summary, a detailed, broad, and thoughtful reading of the literature should go a long way toward crafting a good research question and how to answer it. It will also enable you to answer critical questions you are likely to get regarding your research such as: have you thought about applying this other theory from the literature, why did you measure your concept in this manner, why did you choose this method, have you read so and so’s seminal article on this topic, how does your research build upon and add value to the existing literature etc.?
References
Burton, L. (2014). Doing research (Part 1): Finding a problem to investigate.Journal of Research on Christian Education, 23(1), 1-4.
Action Items
Research the academic and professional resources relevant to your project. Outline your search parameters, list appropriate keywords, and identify appropriate databases. Access the databases on theFranklin University Library website. Determine which databases are most appropriate for your research. If you have a question about the databases, contact a librarian. Narrow your search by using more precise keywords and limiters. A librarian can assist you with this. As you locate information, you should critically evaluate the quality of the resources you find. As previously discussed in MPA courses, it is not acceptable to use Wikipedia or an encyclopedia for research at the graduate level. As background information, you may include newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. It is strongly recommended that you contact a Franklin University Library librarian. The librarian is a research expert. You want your searching to be as profitable and efficient as possible. Spending 1 hour with a librarian may save you 10 hours of fruitless searching. It is strongly recommended that you set up aresearch consultation with a librarian. The librarians at the Franklin University Library are prepared to assist you. TheLearning Commons Passportshould also be beneficial to you.
Be organized. Record/document information you are researching about your topic. Write up a draft annotation for each resource as you read it or immediately after. Don’t procrastinate. As you read, you will begin to see patterns and find some things that relate closely and other things that are tangential. Organize your findings. Stay focused. Continue to discuss your resources or organizational methods with your faculty advisor and a librarian. Organize your literature according to your subtopics.
Write your Annotated Bibliography. In PUAD 701, one of your assignments included creating an annotated bibliography (Each Teach Module 1). Franklin University Library has created aresource guideabout what an annotated bibliography is and it should include:
A summary that explains the key points, concepts, conclusions, or other important information from the resource and how it relates to your topic or project
An explanation of how the resource or article is relevant to or will be applied in your project
You must have at least 10 annotations (maximum 15) in your bibliography with at least 5 scholarly/academic sources and at least 3 professional sources professional articles or resources (websites, reports, etc.)
Submit your assignment. Your work will automatically be checked by Turnitin.
Review your Submission Details and access your Turnitin report. Revise your work as needed based on the feedback.
By the due date indicated, re-submit the final version of your work.
Grading Criteria
Read the assignment rubric to understand how your work will be assessed.
Rubric
Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
CriteriaRatingsPtsThis criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Conduct Research for Analysis100to >89.0pts
Exceeds Proficiency Standards
Bibliography includes at least 10 and no more than 15 annotations with at least the minimum number from each source type as Required in the Action Items. Annotations concisely and comprehensively summarize key points of the article and provide thoughtful and in-depth discussion of the relevance of the articles to the proposal problem. Annotations are very well written in that they concise, coherent, and comprehensive in their presentation.
89to >83.0pts
Meets Proficiency Standards
Bibliography includes 10 annotations and annotations are from a diversity of sources as Required in the Action Items. Nearly all annotations accurately summarize key points of the article and provide sufficient discussion of the relevance of the articles to the proposal problem. Nearly all annotations are well written in that they are coherent in their presentation.
83to >0pts
Does Not Meet Proficiency Standards
Bibliography includes fewer than 10 annotations and/or annotations are not from a diversity of sources as Required in the Action Items. Most annotations do not accurately summarize key points of the article and/or provide little or no discussion of the relevance of the articles to the proposal problem. Most annotations are not well written in that they are significantly lacking in coherent presentation.
100pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome
Communicate Effectively50to >44.0pts
Exceeds Proficiency Standards
Bibliography is exceptionally well done in terms of its readability and presentation. Bibliography makes effective use of formatting, visuals, tables, graphics, etc. to make the document very reader friendly, intuitive, and easy to reference back to. Bibliography follows APA guidelines for formatting and, particularly, for citing and referencing sources. Bibliography is exceptionally well written in that it is very clear, coherent, well-structured, uses professional language; and contains no notable spelling, grammatical or other errors.
44to >41.0pts
Meets Proficiency Standards
The bibliography is formatted in a manner that is reader friendly (for example, makes use of headings, subheadings, and other formatting techniques) and makes good use of visual representations (for example graphs, charts, etc.) to illustrate key information in a clear and intuitive fashion. Proposal consistently follows APA guidelines for formatting and particularly for citing sources. Bibliography is well written in that is clear; coherent; well structured; has few spelling, grammatical, or other errors; and uses professionally appropriate language.
41to >0pts
Does Not Meet Proficiency Standards
Bibliography is not well written in that is significantly lacking in clarity, coherence, and/or has many spelling, grammatical or other errors; and/or uses professionally inappropriate language.
Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeConduct Research for Analysis
100 to >89.0 pts
Exceeds Proficiency Standards
Bibliography includes at least 10 and no more than 15 annotations with at least the minimum number from each source type as Required in the Action Items. Annotations concisely and comprehensively summarize key points of the article and provide thoughtful and in-depth discussion of the relevance of the articles to the proposal problem. Annotations are very well written in that they concise, coherent, and comprehensive in their presentation.
89 to >83.0 pts
Meets Proficiency Standards
Bibliography includes 10 annotations and annotations are from a diversity of sources as Required in the Action Items. Nearly all annotations accurately summarize key points of the article and provide sufficient discussion of the relevance of the articles to the proposal problem. Nearly all annotations are well written in that they are coherent in their presentation.
83 to >0 pts
Does Not Meet Proficiency Standards
Bibliography includes fewer than 10 annotations and/or annotations are not from a diversity of sources as Required in the Action Items. Most annotations do not accurately summarize key points of the article and/or provide little or no discussion of the relevance of the articles to the proposal problem. Most annotations are not well written in that they are significantly lacking in coherent presentation.
100 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCommunicate Effectively
50 to >44.0 pts
Exceeds Proficiency Standards
Bibliography is exceptionally well done in terms of its readability and presentation. Bibliography makes effective use of formatting, visuals, tables, graphics, etc. to make the document very reader friendly, intuitive, and easy to reference back to. Bibliography follows APA guidelines for formatting and, particularly, for citing and referencing sources. Bibliography is exceptionally well written in that it is very clear, coherent, well-structured, uses professional language; and contains no notable spelling, grammatical or other errors.
44 to >41.0 pts
Meets Proficiency Standards
The bibliography is formatted in a manner that is reader friendly (for example, makes use of headings, subheadings, and other formatting techniques) and makes good use of visual representations (for example graphs, charts, etc.) to illustrate key information in a clear and intuitive fashion. Proposal consistently follows APA guidelines for formatting and particularly for citing sources. Bibliography is well written in that is clear; coherent; well structured; has few spelling, grammatical, or other errors; and uses professionally appropriate language.
41 to >0 pts
Does Not Meet Proficiency Standards
Bibliography is not well written in that is significantly lacking in clarity, coherence, and/or has many spelling, grammatical or other errors; and/or uses professionally inappropriate language.
50 pts
Total Points: 150