BUSN698 Comprehensive Exam Guidelines

How to Write a Critical Analysis of Your Topic

For each exam question:

Step 1: Start by accessing the four essay questions for the Comprehensive Exam Part II in the Tests & Quizzes section. It is recommended that you copy each question into a file on your computer. Next, access the APUS Online Library to find articles that are pertinent to the topic of the exam question. You may wish to download the articles to your computer.

Step 2: Read all the research material completely and thoroughly, take notes or highlight important passages that you will be able to refer to. Think about the issues raised in the subject. This is where taking notes while you read is very important. Jotting down the notes/highlighting  what you thought about something, where you disagreed with something, and so forth, will help you write the analysis, and can also be used to help form a thesis for your response.

Step 3: Select one of the ideas that has stood out in your mind. Some of the things you might be looking for are ideas that you agree with, disagree with, find uncomfortable, or even something you agree with, but believe needs further research. Keep these ideas in mind to help with writing.

Step 4: Think about the idea you identified in Step 3. What are your viewpoints about this issue and what reasons can you use to support these beliefs? If you like what you have come up with, you are ready to form a preliminary thesis. If for some reason, you do not like this idea, go back over the work and see if new ideas come to your mind for the preliminary thesis.

Step 5: Develop a preliminary thesis statement that names the topic, asserts your ideas about this topic, and suggests the arrangement of the paper’s argument.

Step 6: Start writing the first draft with an introduction that will explain what you are writing about, and end the introduction paragraph with the thesis statement. Each of the following paragraphs in the body of the paper should provide a critique of your research articles – not a book report of the article, and end with a conclusion statement that restates the thesis and keeps the article(s) aligned. Write your paper and include the following sections:

• Introduction: The goal of an introduction is to get your reader’s attention. This is where you provide any necessary background information on the topic, before you establish why you are writing the paper. Include definitions for what may be new terms for the reader.

• Literature Review: In this section, you should provide a critique of the 7 articles you researched on the topics presented. Specifically, you are conducting a mini-review of literature that will support your topic and many times, your point of view.

• Findings/Results of your Research: In this section, provide a brief description of what YOU learned in your research. Write in first person and give specific thoughts or experiences.

• Recommendations for future research: In this section, discuss the areas of research that need further examination. This will tie in with your findings/results. What would you like to study further? Is there a concept/idea that was not addressed in your research? Be specific. Include one or two items to consider.

• Conclusion: Restate your thesis and summarize the main points of your paper. Do not introduce any new material in the conclusion that was not previously discussed.

• References: You must always document the sources when you write a research paper. Remember, if you include a source in the reference list, it must be used as an in-text citation, and vice-versa. Both must match. You will insert your references for EACH essay question at the end of EACH essay.

Step 7: After you finish the rough draft, leave it for a day; then start the first editing. Make sure that the response flows well and make sense. Keep direct quotes below 10%.

Step 8: Once you have finished answering an exam question and completed all edits, I recommend that you read the paper out loud. This practice often helps you to hear grammatical errors and to find the final editing issues for the paper.

Step 9: Please check your spelling and grammar before submitting the exam to the appropriate Assignment dropbox for a Turnitin report. Review the report.

• If your originality match is below 20% (excluding quotes and bibliography) and you are satisfied with your work, submit the exam to the appropriate Assignment dropbox, not in the Tests & Quizzes section.
• If over 20% match (excluding quotes and bibliography), make any necessary edits and resubmit to Turnitin until satisfactory, submit the exam to the appropriate Assignment dropbox, not in the Tests & Quizzes section.

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