Question: Read the information and instructions for the research paper carefully. If you need help with topics, notify your instructor as soon as possible. You are not required to select a topic from the Topic Suggestions list but should have your topic approved by the instruction by the end of week 4. The paper is shorter than a typical graduate school paper specifically because of the annotated bibliography. Please read these instructions to understand how to do an annotated bibliography as it is a part of the grade.

Current Events Paper: Your research assignment for this class will be to choose a staffing current events topic to research. There are three parts to the assignment:

PART 1: The paper itself (not including the bibliography) should be 4-6, double-spaced pages, prepared in Word.

- The topic must be directly related to a specific issue covered in the course material or related to selection or recruitment.

- A list of suggested topics are provided but you may choose another topic PROVIDED YOU GET APPROVAL NO LATER THAN WEEK 4 OF THE COURSE.

- In addition to usual requirements for academic grammar and format, including use of the APA 6th edition, students will use appropriate terminology and syntax to produce work rivaling professional quality.

PART 2: The paper will include an annotated bibliography with a minimum of 10 books, magazines and/or journal references on their topic.

- At least half of the sources are to be no more than two years old. Emphasis must be placed on current events topics that directly the human resource staffing and recruiting function, so several references used should be dated within the last 18 months.

- At least one reference must provide a theoretical framework to support key points made in the body of the paper.

- Not more than two academic textbooks will be counted in the total number of references for credit. In addition to writing style, intellectual rigor will be assessed by the variety, depth and professional nature of the sources cited (i.e. professional magazines and journals will score higher than general interest sources and unsupported Internet items.

YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOSE ONE LETTER GRADE FOR FAILING TO SUBMIT AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY.

PART 3: The cover of the research paper should include a one page Executive Summary of your research that will not be included in the page number count for the paper.

- The Executive Summary should assume that you are presenting your work to the CEO of your company and should be written with that level of professional quality.

- The summary should not just define what your topic is but should clearly state a synopsis of what you found and your own analysis of the research.

- You should assume that the CEO would not want to read the entire paper and will instead want a summary of your research along with your recommendations for your organization based on what you found.

- The rubric for Written Assignments is available in the Course Content area for this assignment.

Directions: Use the UMUC Information and Library Services online database collections to search for relevant articles related to your position using the edu-library.

- Your final paper should be 4 - 6 double-spaced pages, prepared in Word, along with an additional Executive Summary as your cover page.

- You must have a minimum of 10 sources no less than two scholarly journals included. Sources should not be more than 10 years old and at least half should be not more than 2 years old. All citations and references should be formatted in accordance with APA 6th edition guidelines.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

- Should be at least 1 page but no more than 2 pages, double-spaced (in addition to the 4-6 pages of your research).

- Should be directed at the CEO - THIS IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIENCE!!

- Grammar and writing count!!

- Accuracy is essential because decisions will be made based on your summary by a CEO who may not have read your original paper.

- The summary should include a concise statement of the conclusion you reached after conducting your analysis and/or research. For example, if you are conducting research on the impact of social media on recruiting, you may conclude to the CEO that several forms of social media you found in your research are used in your industry and should be used at your company to remain competitive in your recruiting efforts.