Overview: In Milestone Three, you will submit an outline of your final project. The outline should contain descriptions of the critical elements that you will include in the final paper and should be supported by at least six references.

References should be listed to illustrate the literature you reviewed in Section I of the paper. Additionally, you should use references to support your hypothesis and design selection.

The outline should be 3-4 pages long and contain all critical elements of the final paper. You should use the template provided in the

Prompt section of this document to prepare the outline (see below). This template will also help you set up your paper for the final submission. Prompt: The following template lists each of the sections for the final paper.

As you create your outline, you should include each of these sections. However, since this is an outline, you do not need to include all the specific information. Instead, you should provide an overview of the main ideas that you intend to cover for each section of the paper.

For example, for an outline of the introduction, you might describe your topic and its importance and then move on to your articles. Rather than provide a complete analysis of the articles, you would summarize the main points of the articles and discuss a few points you will touch on in your critique of the articles.

Another example might be looking at the protection of participants. Here, rather than detailing your plan for participants, you might say something like "APA ethical standards for protecting participants will be followed." Then, mention one or two things that this plan would include.

You should be sure to have a clear thesis for the paper and a clear hypothesis, and you should have begun to develop a conclusion that summarizes what you would expect to find by completing this experiment. You should also be sure to include in-text citations and a reference page for the outline. Please remember that the outline should be 3-4 pages long.

I. Introduction (See section 2.05, page 27 in the APA Manual)

A. Identify the topic and discuss its importance.

B. Summarize and critique articles for their appropriateness to your topic. You should include as many articles as you have for the paper and begin to provide an analysis of those articles that examines how they can support your research project, or any potential problems with those articles. (See the Final Project Guidelines and Rubric for specific details including bias and limitations and other factors.)

C. Hypothesis

1. State your hypothesis Be specific and clear.

2. Context Discuss how the hypothesis is related to the literature you have reviewed. Is it the same? Different? Or logically derived from research you have presented? Be sure to discuss how you have come to the hypothesis based on research.

II. Methods (See section 2.06 on page 29 of the APA Manual)

A. Methodology Here you should describe your research method and explain why you have chosen this method. Please refer to page 29 in the APA Manual to learn how to properly divide the methods section into subsections.

This section can be a work in progress for the outline, but you should have the method you will use nailed down and include a brief description of how this method will be carried out.

B. Data Collection

1. Sampling Frame The sampling frame is a list of all the members of the population you wish to examine. For example, you might wish to examine single moms between the ages of 18 and 24 who make less than $40,000 a year.

2. Instrument Identify the instrument you will use to gather data. You might use a standardized test to gather information on personality, or you might use a survey, or you might use a physiological recording device (like an EEG) to record brain activity. Also discuss how the data collected will address your hypothesis.

3. Protection of Participants Explain the steps you will take to protect the participants. For example, who will have access to the data? Where/how will the data be stored? Will the participants suffer any adverse effects from the procedures of the experiment? Will they be anonymous?

III. Discussion (See section 2.08 on page 35 of the APA Manual)

A. Supports You should begin to describe what kind of data will support your hypothesis. B. Research Findings What findings do you expect, and how can you clearly communicate them to your audience?

C. Further Research For the outline, you should begin to look at areas where future research on this topic can be directed.

Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction

A. Identify and briefly summarize the topic related to psychology, which you will study.

B. Summarize articles relevant to the topic you want to research (see the Final Project Guidelines and Rubric for specific details).

C. Hypothesis

1. State your hypothesis. The hypothesis should be logical and appropriate to the topic you want to research.

2. Explain where your hypothesis fits in the context of the literature reviewed.

3. Discuss specific examples from relevant literature that support your hypothesis.

II. Methods

A. Methodology

1. Explain the research design and method you selected, and justify why they are appropriate for your research.

2. Discuss the research participants who will be involved in your study, including how they will be selected and how many will be used.

B. Data Collection

1. Describe your sampling frame.

2. Discuss the data collection instrument you will use and how the data collected will address your hypothesis.

3. Explain how you will ensure the protection of participants in your study and adherence to the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists.

III. Discussion

A. Using the articles you previously evaluated, explain how the evidence presented by the authors of the articles supports your research proposal.

B. Explain how you would appropriately convey your research findings to your audience. How would this be written? What aspects of the research would be referenced?

C. Explain what further research could be conducted that goes beyond or in a different direction than your research proposal.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: The outline must be submitted as a 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word document supported by at least six sources cited in APA format.

You should use the template provided in the prompt area of this document to prepare the outline.