Portfolio Assignment 2 GEY 4612 Psychology of Aging

Please select one of the questions below as the focus of your assignment.

1. What factors predict whether older people who die from cancer have a
   “good death”, e.g. being relatively free from pain and having their
   wishes met? Is hospice use associated with having a “good death”?

Using the topic you selected, identify a peer reviewed research
article that is relevant to your topic. The article you identify might
not address all of the questions included in the question but should be
relevant. This should be an empirical article that reports on data collected from participants. It should NOT
be a review article, systematic review, or meta-analysis, all of which
do not include data collection from participants, and instead summarize
research on a topic by reviewing multiple articles.

In order to provide some assurance that this is actually a peer
reviewed article, and to set a somewhat arbitrary quality threshold, the
article should be included in the listing of ISI Web of Science
journals, and should have been published in a journal with an Impact Factor of at least 2.0. The article should have been published in 2013 or later.

Your assignment should include:

1. A cover page, stating the research question that
   you are addressing (from the list of five possible topics), the
   reference in APA format, and a link to the online source (be sure that
   the web link works), and the Impact Factor of the journal (state your
   source for this Impact Factor). We will review the use of Impact Factors
   and how to find them during class, but in brief, there are three ways
   to identify Impact Factors: a. Using the Web of Science page, b. Finding
   it on the journal web page, or 3. Doing a google search for “impact
   factor” and the name of the journal.

Then, in an essay of at least three full additional pages (no more than 5!), please

1. Summarize the methodology and results of the article (each should be about ¾ a page, or 1.5 pages total)
2. a) Discuss how highly you would rate the article on each
   element of the TRAAP Test (timeliness, relevance, authority, accuracy,
   and purpose), b) a justification each rating, and c)
   any strengths or limitations on these points. You should also provide a
   general summary of the source based on these areas. Your review of the
   TRAAP test can be much briefer than what was expected on the first
   portfolio assignment, this review can be done in ½ a page.
3. A statement about the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology of this journal article (at least half a page), and
4. A summary of how well this article addresses the research question that is your focus (at least half a page).

Use APA format wherever this is relevant. You will not be graded on
your use of APA format but you will receive feedback on this if you use
it improperly. Note that to address some of the elements of the TRAAP
Test, you will have to do some additional research beyond what is in the
article (e.g. to see if there are other versions available, to comment
about the source).

Outline (3-5 pages total NOT including the cover page):

1. Cover page
   • State research question
   • Article reference in APA format
   • Link to online source (make sure link works)
   • Impact Factor of the journal
   • State your source for the Impact Factor
2. Summarize methodology and results of article (1.5 pages)
   • About ¾ a page for the methodology (do not need specific details such as what statistical tests were used)
   • About ¾ a page for the results

• TRAAP test (½ page)
  • Rate each TRAAP point on a scale of 1-5
  • Justify each rating
  • Address strengths and limitations on these points
  • General summary sentence on source based on TRAAP points

1. Strengths and weaknesses of methodology (½ page)
   • At least ½ a page analyzing any strengths and weaknesses of the methodology of the journal article.
2. Summary of how well it addresses question (½ page)
   • At least ½ a page addresses how well you think this article addresses the question you are focusing on.

Some Ground Rules:

• The assignment should be typed in Word, double-spaced with one inch
  margins, and use 12 point font. All assignments will be due by midnight
  of the due date. No exceptions. The due date for each assignment is
  listed on the detailed instructions for the portfolio in Canvas. You are
  responsible for keeping track of when the assignments are due and for
  submitting them on time. All assignments must be submitted via Canvas. I
  do not accept assignments via e-mail unless Canvas is no longer
  accepting submissions, or if I have given you the opportunity to rewrite
  your paper. If you are new to Canvas, I urge you to submit your
  assignments well before the deadline, so that you can get help from USF
  IT Help.
• The assignment should be submitted through Canvas. You will find the
  links for assignments under “Assignments” on the left-hand side of your
  screen in Canvas.
• As you complete the assignments for your portfolio, please try to
  avoid using stereotypes to describe older adults (e.g., all old people
  are bad drivers; all older adults are senile). You can identify the
  challenges associated with growing older but try to also focus on the
  positive aspects of aging. I probably do not have to tell you this but
  just in case… While you have a lot of freedom in completing the
  assignments, please do not hand in material that is offensive. I want
  you to have fun with this assignment but please be respectful in your
  writing and in the article that you choose to focus on.
• Be a critical thinker as you explore information via the web. You
  will be exploring journal articles, but remember, the fact that it has
  been published does not make it true.
• Plagiarism will not be tolerated and can result in a failing grade
  for your portfolio project (see syllabus for details on my policy on
  academic dishonesty) and can lead to an FF in the course and even
  dismissal from the university. To avoid plagiarizing, you should: 1)
  write your own assignments, 2) give credit when citing information from
  other sources (lectures, textbook, websites, newspaper etc.) by
  including the name of the source in parentheses as part of the sentence,
  and 3) when citing information from other sources put the information in your own words. I
  highly recommend that you take notes when you read information, and
  write a draft without the source in front of you, to avoid
  unintentionally plagiarizing.
• In some cases, at my discretion, I may deduct points for minor
  plagiarism. This will usually drop a grade on a paper by at least one
  letter grade. I may also allow a student to rewrite a paper that
  includes major plagiarism if I detect plagiarism that I believe is due
  to carelessness. If I do so, I may require the student to meet with me
  to review the paper. If I allow a rewrite, the student will receive a
  penalty of at least two letter grades. As part of this, the student may
  also be required to write a satisfactory essay on the topic of
  plagiarism. Failure to properly rewrite the paper or to write a
  satisfactory essay on plagiarism will result in a zero on the
  assignment.
• DO NOT USE LENGTHY OR FREQUENT QUOTATIONS FROM YOUR SOURCES! In
  the past I have had a number of students who do not do the hard work of
  paraphrasing, or putting information into their own words. Their papers
  read like a “patchwork of quotations” instead of a paper based on
  original work and thought. I know that students do this to technically
  avoid plagiarism, but it is terrible writing! As you read research
  articles throughout the semester, you will see that these articles
  rarely use quotes. Because this is such a frequent problem, I am going
  to set an arbitrary limit of ten words being within quotation marks within a paper.
  Any more than this will lead to lowered grades. The best papers will
  have NO quoted material. Part of what you must learn to develop your
  writing is to paraphrase, which requires understanding the material
  enough to do so.
• Please note: Your grade will be based both on the content (ability
  to follow directions) and quality of your work. Be sure to be careful
  with your writing. Avoid errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
  You should start with an outline, write several drafts and proofread
  your work. Use professional language, not slang. I have found that many
  students have trouble with use of apostrophes. Here is a quick guide you
  can use as a resource: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/621/01/ (Links
  to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external
  site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.) One great resource that students have at USF is the Writing Center: http://www.lib.usf.edu/writing/ (Links
  to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external
  site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.)
  If you think you could use help with your writing, make an appointment
  with them early in the semester. I will provide extensive feedback on
  the Portfolio papers, and may advise you to seek additional training on
  your writing if I see problems and concerns.
• If your submission is too short you risk losing points for not being thorough.
  I suggest that you be sure to submit papers that fit at least the
  minimum length specified, both for the overall paragraph and for the
  individual elements.