Task 2 Guide
Here’s a template to use for this task. You can do the work in the template and submit it. It will trigger a higher similarity score, but Evaluation will ignore the score caused by the template and references when running their own similarity score report.
A1. Proposal Topic
Pick a topic from a workplace environment you’re familiar with or pick one of the topics from the “Scenarios and Topics List” found at the bottom of the directions to Task 2 on the Task Overview tab. What would you change?
Why does it need to be changed? How would you change it? Keep in mind that ideally, you’ll be able to use this same topic and the sources you find here to write your Task 3 proposal, so consider looking ahead to the Task 3 Guide.
Your proposal topic can be a phrase, a thesis sentence, or a paragraph, as long as it’s clear what your topic is and what direction you will take. It needs to be placed at the top of the document, before the four research questions.
A2. Plan for Finding Sources
Your answers to the research questions need to be specific. Answer the four questions with 2-4 examples.
Explain 2–4 criteria that should be considered when finding credible and relevant sources to support your topic. This prompt will be answered in two distinct ways. You’ll explain what would make an author or source credible in the field. Then, explain what a source should focus on for it to be helpful to your research.
Explain 2–4 reasons why the information or argument in a source would not be reliable. This prompt will explore what makes a weak source. What would make a source weak in terms of credibility and relevance? What would keep you from using a source?
Identify 2–4 specific databases, publications, or sites that are likely to yield credible and relevant sources for this topic. Will you use a scholarly database, like one from the WGU library? Will you use a Google Scholar search? Be more specific than broad search engines like Google or Bing.
The WGU library has a full list of databases that will be helpful for this question. Click the “Databases” icon below the search bar on the library homepage. You can also list the names of at least two websites, journals, or other periodicals that are credible and focused on your topic. Often, this question is easiest to answer after you’ve completed A3.
Identify 2–4 search terms or phrases that are likely to yield appropriate sources for you. List at least two and put them in quotation marks to differentiate them.
A3. Credible Sources
Locate 4-6 credible sources to help you discuss and solve the problem you’re writing about for Tasks 2 and 3.
What are Credible Sources?
Before you begin researching, think about the best types of sources for your topic. Avoid any source from a site selling products or services.
It’s important to ensure that the sources you use not only prove your points but that they’re also credible. Another way to think about credibility is the word “trustworthy.” A good question to ask yourself when looking at a source is, “Why should I believe what this writer is saying?” The answer(s) to this question should focus on the expertise of the author. If the author is not an expert, then how is the source credible? If you cannot prove that the writer is an expert, do not use the source.
Need help finding sources? Try the WGU Library. Here’s a video on how to use the library quickly and efficiently.
Reference citation:
In this course, you can simply use The Big Four to create your reference entries.
You can also use APA format. Here are examples:
Nuno, D. (n.d.). 3 Ways to Excite and Encourage Girls in STEM in Your Classroom. https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/3-ways-excite-and-encourage-girls-stem-your-classroom1803.html
Berwick, C. (March 12, 2019). Keeping Girls in STEM:3 barriers, 3 solutions. https://www.edutopia.org/article/keeping-girls-stem-3-barriers-3-solutions
The Academic Coaching Center has many excellent resources to help with referencing in this course. All six sources (the four strong sources and two weak sources) must be referenced in full.
A3a Credibility:
This section tells why the author or organization who wrote the article (if there is no author) is credible (their degrees, what research they do, what experience they have, what their job titles are). If there is more than one author for a source, you only have to write about ONE of them. Example: “Johnson is credible because he has a PhD in Education from the University of Arizona.”
Here is a video on establishing credibility.
A3b. Relevance:
This section explains how the source will be used in the proposal (Task 3).
Think about how it will be used as evidence to prove points throughout, like the need for funding, change, etc. When you write about relevance, you’re answering this question: How will this source help you in discussing your topic or solving the problem? The relevance sentence will begin like this: “This source is relevant because….” or “I plan to use this source in my proposal to…”
A4. Two weak sources
List two sources you found that are not credible or useful for your topic. These should be specific articles or pages on websites, not full websites. You need full reference citations for these sources, just like the ones you created for the strong sources.
A4a. Why are they poor sources?
Explain why the two sources are weak. Focus on credibility and relevance to your topic. Focus only on why the sources are weak. Avoid writing about them in positive ways.