Social Policy Research

Essay Instructions:

Now that you have a strong grasp of some significant social policy issues that often trigger political debates, you will locate and examine other sources of information. Researching this information will broaden your knowledge base and strengthen your ability to conduct research and write about it. First, you will want to find three policy-related websites on three different social policy-related issues that you find interesting and want to learn more about (e.g., poverty, health care, education, child welfare, and the like). Once you find these websites, you will first describe the content found on each of them, review some of the main topics they cover, and summarize the most significant policy issues identified on the websites. Each website should have a minimum of two paragraphs and this section should be at least two pages. Next, you will want to review guide for evaluating web sources to determine the extent to which your websites provide credible and reliable information. You will highlight why you think your website is a good resource, based on four factors: its authority, accuracy, objectivity, and currency. Explain how each of these factors relates to all three of the websites you have selected. Then give each website an overall score (based on the above factors), using a scale from 1 to 5: (1=low credibility and 5=high credibility). Each website should have a minimum of two paragraphs and this section should be at least two pages. In the last part of this assignment, you will use Learning Unit 1: Finding and Examining Policy-related Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles to help you find three peer-reviewed journal articles on the School library website. These research articles should relate to the policy topics you have already examined in your website evaluations. In other words, you will find one journal article that covers a topic similar to your first policy website. Then find a second article covering a topic similar to your second policy website. Finally, find a third article covering a topic similar to your third policy website. Thus, each of your peer-reviewed journal articles will relate to a different topic/policy area that you have already spent some time researching. Once you choose your journal articles, you will discuss their research findings and explain how they relate to the topics and ideas discussed in your textbook. Each research finding should have a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs and this section should be at least one page. Last, you will include in-text citations and full references to cite all of the websites and peer-reviewed journal articles that you used in your paper. Your paper should be at least seven pages (one page for title page and one page for references with five full pages of content).

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Website and Paper Analysis Your Name Subject and Section Professor’s Name October 20, 2024 Website Analysis Website Authority Accuracy Objectivity Currency Overall Score Poverty USA 5 5 4 4 4.5 Child Welfare Information Gateway 5 5 5 5 5 EducationUSA 5 5 5 5 5 EducationUSA EducationUSA is an informative site on education in the United States, which belongs to the U.S. Department of State. As for the authority, it is geared toward the formal wave of matching international students with the correct information about higher education opportunities in the United States of America. There are more than 430 advising centers combined with over 175 countries; therefore, it is considered the world's largest and most authoritative source of educational guidance in the United States. The website comprises information from the U.S. Department of State, making it credible. As for the sites' Over-emphasis on accuracy, this Internet spot offers a wealth of information on the U.S. educational system and guides for international students, visa information, scholarship/financial aid, and events. It has up-to-date and accurate information through frequent changes in policies and events of new trends in education, making the users receive exact information retrieved from the content. Such links to official documents and further reading prove the site's reliability. As far as objectivity is concerned, the website's tone is businesslike and informative rather than tendentious; the primary goal is to offer valuable and accurate information for anyone seeking educational services rather than to sell any particular school or service. Its core objective is to guide students in making proper learning decisions within the United States. It produces non-partisan information regarding education, visa solutions, and cultural adaptation. Last but not least, the website proved to be very strong under the currency, where we can find information regarding events, emerging policies, and newly mobilized statistics and initiatives in the field of international education up to the current mobility data and initiatives. That is, events to occur in October 2024 are posted, proving that the site is updated with future orientations. Child Welfare Information Indeed, www.childwelfare.gov is a reliable website for seeking U.S. child welfare information. Regarding its credibility, it is a government site that belongs to the Children's Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Because the target information is related to the children's welfare services and policies, the Children's Bureau has a long history as a federal government agency, and it will make the information provided authoritative. As for accuracy, the website gives access to an unlimited number of sources to which a person can refer, for instance, the articles of peer-reviewed journals, evaluation reports, and official federal legislation. The information taken is based on recent data, methods, practices, and federal statistics and is highly precise. Furthermore, they are usually replenished, and, based on the data from the website, they are available till 2022, which proves the constant work on the update and exactness of the materials. The site's credibility is apparent as it provides information without much interference from the author's opinion. The specific material presented within this site is intended for professionals and families to educate themselves about the child welfare system, not to advance any particular political agenda. These resources are based on the best practices or research findings; this takes the facts provided to another higher level of establishment. As for currency of content, the Child Welfare Information Gateway provides messages with up-to-date data and the latest practices in improving information. For instance, the website provides statistics from 2018 to 2022; the newly added sources discuss the present topic, like LGBTQIA2S+ youth in the out-of-home care system. The regular updates make it possible for the users to use only up-to-date information in their activities. PovertyUSA In fact, it is evident from the Poverty USA website's portrayal that it possesses credibility in regard to several factors. First of all, concerning the site's authority, I should mention that it was developed by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CC...

Updated on January 17, 2025

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