PSYC 4510: Community Psychology

Purpose

The initial phase of the Research-to-Action Project is designed to deepen your understanding of a social issue that personally resonates with you. By the end of Part 1, you should be able to describe the issue, outline its broader implications, and identify existing strategies for addressing it.

1. Identify Your Social Issue

• Task: Choose a social issue that interests you and write a concise statement (1-2 sentences) identifying it. 
  • Click here to explore social issues through CQ Researcher using keywords that you would naturally use.
  • Example: If your chosen issue is homelessness, relevant key terms might include "housing instability," "affordable housing," and "poverty." 

2. Define the Social Issue and Scope of Your Project. 

• Task: Provide a definition of the issue based on scholarly literature. Discuss any specific aspects or sub-populations you wish to focus on in 2-3 paragraphs. 
  • Example: If defining homelessness as seen in scholarly work, you might decide to focus on homeless families, explaining why this subgroup is critical for your study.
• Click here to learn how to craft a Boolean search string and enter it into APA PsycInfo to look for scholarly literature.
  • Look up your chosen social issue in the MeSH Database and the APA PsycInfo Thesaurus to help you align your definition with standardized terminology and construct a search strategy.
    • Example: Example: If your chosen issue is homelessness, relevant key terms might include "housing instability," "affordable housing," and "poverty." However, in MeSH, the standardized term for homelessness is "ill-housed persons."

TIP: Contact Librarian Charlene at cmartoni@gsu.edu to set up a research consultation to learn more about searching literature.

3. Prepare an Annotated Bibliography 

• Objective: Compile a bibliography of at least 3 sources that delve into your chosen issue. An annotated bibliography is a list of sources on a research topic, which includes a summary and/or evaluation of each source.
  • Click here to learn about annotated bibliographies.
• This must include:
  • At least two peer-reviewed journal articles detailing empirical research.
    • Click here to search the library's psychology databases.
    • Click here to search the library's sociology databases.
  • Up to two other sources, which could be books, book chapters, or reports from reputable organizations (e.g., CDC, RAND Corporation).
    • Click here to search the library's book collection.
  • Optional: Supplement with articles from newspapers or magazines.
    • Click here to search the library's news databases.
• Instructions for Each Source:
  • Citation: Format using APA Style. Click here to learn more about APA Style.
  • Content Summary:
    1. Research Question: What key question does this source address?
    2. Methodology: How was the study or analysis conducted?
       • Click here to learn more about research methodologies through SAGE Research Methods.
    3. Main Findings: Summarize the crucial results in bullet points, written in full sentences.
       • Click here to learn how to avoid plagiarism.
    4. Implications: Discuss the significance of the findings for the social issue, integrating the authors' views with your insights.
    5. Future Directions: Outline remaining questions and potential areas for further research, considering both the authors' suggestions and your perspective on what should come next.
    6. Relevance: Explain how this source informs your project and contributes to understanding your chosen issue.