Research Question, Approach, and Annotated Bibliography
[WLOs: 3, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 3, 4]
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the instructor guidance, the mixed methods section of Chapter 7 and all of Chapter 10 in the Creswell and Creswell text and Chapter 2: Formulating Questions, Conducting a Literature Review, Sampling Design, and the Centrality of Ethics in Mixed Methods Research of the Hesse-Biber ebook.

Begin your assignment by briefly describing the topic you selected in Week 1. Narrow your topic down to a precise focus. Apply the scientific method by developing a specific research question. Determine which approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) is called for by the wording of the question. If a quantitative or mixed methods approach will be used, also formulate a testable hypothesis that addresses the research question. Identify the philosophical paradigm or worldview that underlies your research approach.

The second part of the assignment is the annotated bibliography. Refer to the Writing Center’s Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) resource for formatting details, a sample, and an optional template. Your bibliography must contain peer-reviewed journal articles, including one literature review article on your topic, at least one quantitative research study on your topic, at least one qualitative study on your topic, one mixed methods study relevant to your topic (if available), and at least two articles about the research design and methods you would use. These sources should be obtained from the UAGC Library. Refer to the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) and the Library OneSearch (Links to an external site.) tip sheets for help in finding appropriate sources. Google Scholar may be used, but only if the articles are available in full text at no cost. For assistance researching on this platform, refer to the Library’s Google Scholar (Links to an external site.) tip sheet. A minimum of six peer-reviewed journal articles are required for the assignment.

Write two paragraphs about each source in the bibliography. In the first paragraph, summarize the main points of the article in your own words. In the second paragraph, explain how this article can be used in your final research proposal. For instance, research studies will be included in the Literature Review section of the proposal; articles about methods will be used to support your research plans in the Methods section of the proposal. You may cite the course text, but it does not count as one of the six required bibliography sources.

In your paper,

Describe your narrowly defined research topic.
Develop a specific research question. If the research will have a quantitative component, also develop a testable hypothesis.
Determine which approach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) best aligns with the research question.
Identify the philosophical paradigm underlying the research approach.
Create an annotated bibliography of at least six peer-reviewed journal articles including both research studies on your topic and articles about how to use selected research methods.
Sources for the bibliography must include the following:
one literature review article on your topic
at least one quantitative research study on your topic
at least one qualitative research study on your topic
one mixed methods study relevant to your topic (if available)
at least two articles about the research design and methods you would use
Summarize the main points of the sources in one paragraph for each article
Explain how the articles will be used to inform and support your final research proposal with one paragraph per article.
The Research Question, Approach, and Annotated Bibliography paper

Must be six to seven double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Writing Center’s Annotated Bibliography (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper in bold font
Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.