How to Do Well on Progress Check Two

You have 7 questions/sections to answer.  These are the 3 from Progress Check One and 4 additional.  I ask that you all follow the same general outline.  This helps when I go to grade your work.

  1. Introduction
  2. Describe the issue in the social sciences that you have selected to investigate. Why is this issue significant?
  • I expect you to revise this section based upon my feedback on your first progress check.
  • This section should be a paragraph, not a sentence.
  • You should bring in information from your research to support the significance of your social science issue. You are not an expert and your opinion along will not be enough to establish significance.
  1. Describe at least three social science resources that you could use to investigate the issue you selected. Your sources must be relevant to your issue and must be of an academic nature appropriate for the issue. In your description, consider questions such as these: What are the similarities and differences in the content of your sources? What makes them appropriate and relevant for investigating your issue? What was your thought process when you were searching for sources? How did you make choices?
  • In this section, you are picking three resources from your research that you think you will use in your project. You are telling me what the resources are, citing in APA format.  Then, you are telling me about the resource and how you think you will use it in your project.  I am looking for a detailed analysis of your sources.  I want you to compare and contrast the three resources.  How do they meet the CRAAPO test?  How will you use the resource to be able to answer the questions of the assignment?
  • This section of your paper will probably be 2-3 paragraphs.
  1. Body
  2. Identify the social science principles that apply to your issue. In other words, which principles of social science apply to the issue you selected?
  • I expect you to revise this section based upon my feedback on your first progress check.
  • Most of you needed to add citation to your MindEdge textbook. I provide instructions on APA formatting for this textbook in the Announcements area of the course.  The rubric requires citations here.
  1. Explain how the principles you identified apply to your issue. In other words, how are the social science principles you identified relevant to your issue?
  • Give a specific explanation of how each principle you chose applies to your social science issue (with an examples). Again, you are not an expert, your opinion doesn’t carry much weight in your answer here.  This is supposed to be a research project.  What are you finding in your research?
  • Exemplary scoring will include evidence. What are you learning from your research that could be included here as evidence?  As you are researching, include the social science principles in your search terms.  For example, “drug use AND social norms.”  This will lead you to evidence to support your answer to this section.
  • Notice that this section of the rubric also requires citations. This section of your paper will probably be 2-3 paragraphs.

III. Conclusion

  1. Based on your investigation, develop a research question related to the issue you selected. In other words, what would you like to know more about?
  • Your research question must meet the criteria for a good research question. Please see my announcement on
  • Your research question should be clear with a clear independent variable (the variable that is manipulated for study) and dependent variable (the behavior/attitude/outcome being measured – what you expect to change when you manipulate the independent variable).
  1. Explain how a social scientist would go about investigating the research question you developed. In other words, what would the next steps be if a social scientist were to continue researching your question?
  • I am looking for you to explain how to use the scientific method to answer the research question you came up with.  Please review the scientific method from Learning Block 2-1 and include in your Project One.  Review what steps a social scientist should take after developing a research question.

IV: Reference list

Provide a reference list that includes all of the social science resources you used to investigate your issue and question. Ensure that your list is formatted according to current APA guidelines.

  • Pay close attention to capitalization and punctuation.

Other Recommendations:

  • Your submission should be a paper, not a question and answer document. You should format it as an essay.