Case Study

Explain why the student's assignment requires a much lower minimum number of sources than a professional journal article, and describe what core principles the student must still maintain despite the difference in source quantity.

Case context: An undergraduate psychology student is tasked with writing a literature review for their research methods class. They notice that the professional journal articles they are reading cite an average of 5050 sources. The student is worried because their instructor only required a minimum of 10 sources, and they are unsure if they are applying the correct methodology for their assignment compared to professional researchers.

Question: Explain why the student's assignment requires a much lower minimum number of sources than a professional journal article, and describe what core principles the student must still maintain despite the difference in source quantity.

Sample answer: Student assignments typically require a lower minimum number of sources than professional articles. However, the student must still adhere to the core principles of strategically selecting high-quality, relevant sources, just as professional researchers do.

Key points:

  • Student assignments typically require a much lower minimum number of sources than professional articles.
  • The core principles of selecting sources remain consistent across both student and professional levels.
  • Sources must be strategically selected.
  • Sources must be high-quality and relevant.

Rubric: Full credit requires explaining that student assignments naturally have lower minimums, while emphasizing that the core principles of selecting high-quality and relevant sources remain the same.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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