Instruction
The Topic of Interest and Research Focus paper
Must be at least 1,000 words in length (not including title, abstract and reference pages) and must be formatted according to the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) (Access the resource How to Check a Word Count in Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.) for help in determining total word count.)
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Date
For further assistance with formatting your paper, including the title page, refer to the APA Template (Links to an external site.) from the Ashford Writing Center.
Must be double-spaced, formatted in Times New Roman 12-point type font, and aligned to the left margin.
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least two sources.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for an assignment.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.)
Must include separate abstract and references pages that are formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Writing an Abstract (Links to an external site.) and Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resources in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.