One purpose of a scholarly paper is to investigate a current problem in a field. Scholars typically do this by surveying recent research conducted on the problem. What issues do you see in the human services field—on the job, or through articles you have read? What is one problem you would like to solve as an advanced human services professional practitioner? That problem could be related to gaps in services, legislation, diverse populations in need, or an ongoing societal challenge such as addiction or trauma.

Now that you have begun developing your library search, APA, and scholarly writing skills, it is time to bring them all together into a scholarly paper.

To Prepare

• Identify a human services problem based on your professional experience and the issues you have explored thus far in your program.
• Conduct a new search of the Walden Library databases for peer-reviewed, scholarly articles on that problem.
• Download the APA Course Paper Template, linked in the Learning Resources, and type directly into it for this assignment.

Develop a 3- to 4-page, APA-style paper that examines a human services–related problem and how to address it. You must include evidence from at least three peer-reviewed empirical studies that you accessed in the library.

Be sure to:

• Identify and describe the problem.
• Explain how the empirical studies apply to or are relevant to the problem.
• Explain how the studies address or provide solutions to the problem.   

This scholarly paper should demonstrate all of the skills you have built throughout this course, including library literacy, critical thinking, critical reading, and scholarly writing.