BUSAD 274 - Human Resource Management - Akiona

Research does not have to be an odious task. Think of it as an opportunity to explore ideas that you've been wondering about. In fact, according to the APA (American Psychological Association), research is defined as "the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings." 

For your final project, you'll explore an HR topic that interests you by reading what experts and scholars have to say about it, then you'll decide what you want to say about it and you'll tell your story within your paper.

Research is a process that has steps you can follow to get your work done!

For most BUSAD 274 classes, you will be writing a research paper that will be due in Week 16 of your class. Your teacher lets you chose a topic.

The paper is to be written using APA (American Psychological Association) Style. 

General Project Requirements are as follows. For specifics, see your Final Project instructions in Week 16 of your class.

• Written in APA format – Title page , double space, 1” margins, Times Roman 12 font, References page
• Minimum of 3 pages of content  (not including title page, abstract or reference page)
• Title Page Required.  Abstract Page Required.  Reference Page Required.
• In addition to your textbook, use at least three additional sources to support the paper.  Sources should be correctly cited in the paper and listed on your references. References should be from professional and academic sources.
• Your writing should reflect your thoughts and opinions and what you discovered through your research (MJC takes a very dim view of plagiarism and it will not be tolerated)
• Be sure to cite your sources in the body of your text as well as on your reference page. Cites should meet APA requirements.
• Your paper should be well organized, and professionally written.  An introduction and conclusions should be included.  Your introduction should outline the issue(s), the body of the paper should discuss and support the opening statements and end with a conclusion.  A reference page should be last, and should correctly cite all the sources used.

If you do not understand any aspect of your assignment, ask your teacher. They are here to help you!

You want to choose a topic that interests you. What topics have you talked about in class that sound interesting? What have you heard about in the news that puzzles or excites you? If necessary, do some basic web searches or use the databases below to learn a little more about potential topics before you select one. Librarians are happy to help you brainstorm potential topics. Have your assignment description ready when you meet with a librarian to facilitate the experience.

Databases to Help You Explore Topics

You can use the databases below to begin learning a little about your topic options if that will help you select one.

Once you've decided on a topic option, do some background reading to get better acquainted with it. How are other researchers and writers discussing your topic? What seems to be the most important and/or controversial aspects of your topic? What arguments are being presented?

Preliminary reading is a great help in developing your main points (definitions, background, causes, effects, etc.). It will also help you identify useful search terms for future database searching.

The point is not necessarily to start gathering your actual sources -- though you may very well find some along the way -- but to get comfortable with your topic by consulting engaging, easy to understand sources.

Here are some great databases for background readng:

Create some basic questions to guide your inquiry and get you to start thinking about the structure of your paper. As you start to answer basic questions like "How have Gen Z employees impacted the workplace?" or "How will artificial intelligence affect the workplace?" You'll likely revise or add questions. This is a normal part of the research process.

The MJC Library & Learning Center subscribes to roughly 100 databases. Listed below are some of our most popular databases; an MJC research librarian will be happy to point you toward the best database(s) for your given topic. You can see a complete list of MJC Databases under Articles and Databases on the MJC Library & Learning Center home page. 

I've listed some databases below that I've found particularly useful for this assignment.

Best Bets for Business Research

Databases Covering Many Subjects

What if MJC Doesn't Have What I Need?

If you need materials (books, articles, recordings, videos, etc.) that you cannot find either in OneSearch or in our databases, we can get it for you. Check out our Interlibrary Loan page below.

Not every source you find is trustworthy or useful. Before incorporating a source into your work, it’s essential to pause and evaluate it carefully. There are many evaluation methods—ABCs, the SIFT method, the 5 Ws, CARS, and the CRAAP Test. All serve the same purpose: guiding you through the process of deciding whether a source is reliable. Choose one you can remember, and apply it consistently to every potential source.

When you encounter any kind of source, consider... (CRAAP Test)

1. Currency - When was it written? Has it been updated?
2. Relevance - How is it relevant to your research? What is its scope?
3. Authority - Who is the author? What is their point of view? 
4. Accuracy - Has the source been reviewed? Did they cite their sources? Who did they cite?
5. Purpose - Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience? Where was it published? In what medium?

Evaluating AI Content:

• Verify everything: AI output can sound confident, but these tools can make up (“hallucinate”) or misrepresent information, draw false conclusions, make major mistakes and generate fake sources 
• AI doesn’t “understand” the way humans do; these models lack real-world experience and context, so they don’t easily handle irony, humor and complex metaphors 
• Don’t just read AI-generated summaries; take time to read original articles and understand detailed points and context 
• Be aware that many of today’s AI tools are trained on information up to a certain date and may not have access to recent events or new discoveries 
• Challenge AI responses and require the AI to justify its output by citing sources and data 
• Beware of biased AI output 
• Guard against overreliance on AI; challenge yourself to learn and exercise your mental muscles

Finding Information to Help You Evaluate

To find out more about an author: 

Google the author's name or dig deeper in the library's biographical databases.

To find scholarly sources: 

When searching library article databases, look for a checkbox to narrow your results to Scholarly, Peer Reviewed or Peer Refereed publications.

To evaluate a source's critical reception: 

Check in the library's article databases to find reviews of the source in order to get a sense of how it was received in the popular and scholarly press.

To evaluate web sources: 

The internet is a great place to find both scholarly and popular sources, but it's especially important to ask questions about authorship and publication when you're evaluating online resources. If it's unclear who exactly created or published certain works online, look for About pages on the site for more information about the authorship, or search for exact quotations from the text in Google (using quotation marks) to see if you can find other places where the work has been published.

Use lateral reading to see what others say about your source:

The CRAAP Test is a solid starting point, but the site you’re evaluating isn’t always the best place to verify authority, accuracy, or point of view. Authors and organizations can misrepresent themselves, and sites that look professional may be promoting an agenda.

Lateral reading means stepping outside the source. Open a new tab and search for information about the author, organization, or publication. By reading across multiple sources—not just down the page in front of you—you can see what others are saying and gather outside evidence.

This practice strengthens your evaluation, helps confirm credibility, and gives you a clearer sense of whether a source deserves a place in your research.

For more information on lateral reading, check out our Web Source Evaluation page.

For most BUSAD 218 classes, you will be using APA Style to format your paper and cite your sources. APA style is a set of rules created by the American Psychological Association. 

APA style was created by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. APA style is most often used in psychology, social sciences (sociology, business), and nursing.

Use the pages below to learn APA Style.