• Discuss essential components of the research process.
• Differentiate application of selected research designs.
• Discuss the ethical and legal aspects of research.
• Critique selected research projects.
• Demonstrate ability to apply research findings to professional practice issues, including interdisciplinary issues.

Module 1: Welcome!

After reviewing the welcome letter, course syllabus, and after becoming familiar with the course layout, students will complete the Research Welcome Quiz. In the quiz students will acknowledge they are familiar with the layout and direction of the course by answering a few short questions. Students have unlimited attempts to take the quiz before the due date, and a minimum grade of 85% must be achieved before the remainder of the course will be available.  Students can earn higher than 85%.  It is worth 10% of the quiz average.  If a grade of at least 85% is not achieved by the due date, the student will receive a zero (0) for the Welcome Quiz.

1. Read: Welcome Letter from Professors Sedden and Onstott
2. Read: RADS 3503-Spring 2018 Syllabus 
3. Read: Feedback
4. Read: Cautionary Notes
5. Take the Research Welcome Quiz
6. Introduce yourself in the Introduction Discussion Forum

Module 2: What is Research

1. Read: What is Research-Course Notes
2. Read: Chapters 1 and 2 in the textbook Practical Research: Planning and Design
3. Take the Module 2 quiz: What is Research?
4. Obtain an Ethics Certificate from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by completing the Ethics Training Modules on the NIH website. Submit a copy of the certificate to the assignment dropbox: NIH Certificate
5. Complete the Module 2 Discussion Board: Ethics in Research

Each student is required to complete the NIH course for protecting human research participants.  The course is free and will take approximately 2 hours to complete.  Once the student has completed (and passed) the course, the certificate of completion should be saved to the student’s computer and uploaded into the appropriate assignment dropbox.

Module 3: Types of Research

This module is broken down into 5 weeks based on 5 types of research. Each type of research covered has PowerPoint presentations over the corresponding chapters in the book as well as an article for critique.

Each week, after reviewing all of the material in a weekly module, the student will complete an article critique form for the article provided (download the form in Word format).

On the last week of this module, and after all 5 types of research have been covered, a comprehensive quiz over the 5 types of research is required, and a discussion board question is required.

1. 1.Read: Types of Research-Course Notes
2. 2.Read: Chapters 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and10 in the textbook Practical Research: Planning and Design
3. 3.View the PowerPoint presentations for each type of research
4. 4.Complete the article critique form for each type of research using the supplied articles
5. 5.Take the Module 3 quiz: Types of Research
6. 6.Complete the Module 3 Discussion Board: Differences in Research Types

Module 4: APA Formatting Style

1. Read: APA Formatting Style-Course Notes
2. View the PowerPoint presentation: APA PPT
3. Visit the online tutorial: The Basics of APA Style
4. Take the Module 4 quiz: APA Quiz
5. Complete the Module 4 Discussion Board: APA Discussions

Students are highly encouraged to use their APA manual for the quiz for this module. The quiz for this module consists of 50 questions and students have two (2) hours. Please keep in mind APA is a writing style, which includes grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.  This quiz does not just cover citations and references, but all information can be found in the APA manual.

It is the goal of the instructors for students to learn APA style, not just pass a quiz without retaining any information.  APA is something students will use throughout their career.  Because of that, students will be allowed unlimited attempts on this quiz before the due date, with an average of all attempts being their final score. Students are expected to achieve a minimum average score of 85% by the due date; however, if a student does not meet this benchmark, the highest grade achieved will be the student’s final score for the APA quiz.

Modules 5 & 6: Beginning a Literature Review

Module 5: Topic, Research Question, and Article Selection

1. Read: Writing a Literature Review-Course Notes
2. View the video: Library Use Video
3. Download: Sample Outline
4. Complete the assignment: Research Question Approval Assignment
5. Complete the Module 5 Discussion Board: Searching for Literature

Module 6: APA Format Title Page & Reference Page

1. View the video: How to Create a Title Page
2. Download: APA Title Page with Instructions
3. View the video: How to Create a Reference Page
4. Complete the assignment: Title Page & Reference Page Assignment

Modules 7 & 8: Plagiarism & Synthesis

This is a 3-week module. Pay close attention to the due dates in this module. In week 1 we will cover Module 7. In weeks 2 and 3 we will cover synthesis.

Module 7:  Plagiarism

1. 1.Read: Plagiarism and Paraphrasing Course Notes
2. 2.Read: MSU Student Honor Creed
3. 3.Complete the assignment: Acknowledgement of MSU Student Honor Creed Assignment
4. 4.Read: Harvard Guide to Using Sources
5. 5.Complete the Module 8 Discussion Board: Plagiarism Discussions

Module 8:  Synthesis

1. Read: Synthesis Defined
2. Read: How to Write a Synthesized Literature Review
3. Complete the assignment: Synthesizing Articles Assignment
4. Complete the Module 8 Discussion Board: Synthesizing Discussions

Module 9: Preparing to Write a Literature Review

Students will use PowerPoint software to demonstrate their understanding of the components of a literature review. Each student will develop a presentation following the instructions provided in the course.

1. Read: Module 9-Course Notes
2. Read: Writing an Abstract-Course Notes
3. Read: Writing an Introduction-Course Notes
4. Read: Writing a Methods Section-Course Notes
5. Read: Writing the Body/Discussion-Course Notes
6. Read: Writing a Conclusion-Course Notes
7. Read: Final Project Instructions -Course Notes
8. Complete the Module 9 Assignment: Components of a Literature Review

For the final project students will use PowerPoint software to demonstrate their understanding of the components of a literature review. Each student will develop a presentation following the instructions provided in the course.

All course requirements must be completed before a grade is awarded. Students must complete the final project and all course work by the dates published in the course schedule.

Grade Distribution

•          10%     Discussion Boards (6)
•          15%     Quizzes (4)
•          55%     Assignments
•    05%     Ethics Assignment
•    20%     Article Critiques (5 at 4% each)
•    10%     Research Question Form
•    20%     Title & Reference Page
•    05%     Acknowledgement Form
•    15%     Plagiarism Evaluation
•    25%     Synthesizing Articles
•          10%     Final Project
•          10%     Participation

Grade Scale

A=100-90

B=89-80

C=79-70

D=69-60

F=59 and below

Hybrid- Attendance is required once a week in class.

Participation grades are directly tied to course meetings. Excessive absences will result in a referral to the Dean of the College of Health Sciences, and may result in your being dropped from the Program.  Excessive absences are defined as:  More than 3 absences from lecture (except medical reasons).  If a student is more than 10 minutes late to class, it will count as a tardy. 3 tardies will count as an absence.

The student should expect to log in to the online portion of this course at least 3 times per week. Regular checks will ensure that messages from the professor are received in a timely manner. This course is on a schedule that will be strictly adhered to. See the Important Dates section above for specific due dates. 

Note: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain the explicit written permission of me and the other instructor involved in advance.

Plagiarism is the use of someone else's thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")-whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.

Student Honor Creed

As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else do so."

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception.

Thus, We, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters.

We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one's own, work or ideas which are not entirely one's own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student.

We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed.

Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Support Services in Room 168 of the Clark Student Center, (940) 397-4140.

The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being - regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor's expectation that ALL students consider the classroom a safe environment.

All instructors in the Department have voicemail in their offices and MSUTexas e-mail addresses. Make sure you add your instructor's phone number and e-mail address to both email and cell phone lists of contacts.

All students seeking a Bachelor's degree from Midwestern State University must satisfy a writing proficiency requirement once they've 1) passed the 6 hours of Communication Core and 2) earned 60 hours. Students may meet this requirement in one of three ways: by passing the Writing Proficiency Exam, passing two Writing Intensive Courses (only one can be in the core), or passing English 2113. If you have any questions about the exam, visit the Writing Proficiency Office website at https://msutexas.edu/academics/wpr, or call 397-4131.

Senate Bill 11 passed by the 84th Texas Legislature allows licensed handgun holders to carry concealed handguns on campus, effective August 1, 2016. Areas excluded from concealed carry are appropriately marked, in accordance with state law. For more information regarding campus carry, please refer to the University’s webpage at https://msutexas.edu/campus-carry/rules-policies.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact MSU Chief of Police at police@msutexas.edu.