Assignment Description
An annotated bibliography of 2000 words ±10%, excluding charts, references, and diagrams. It forms the first stage of a research proposal and prepares the groundwork for the literature review in your Applied Project. The submission goes through an AI-usage check, so AI-generated or AI-paraphrased text is prohibited.
Research question: How has Buy Now Pay Later affected consumer spending behaviour and impulse purchasing in Australia and New Zealand?
Source Selection
Select 10 journal articles that address the research question. Each must satisfy the C.R.A.P. test:
- Currency. Recency of publication and relevance to the current state of the BNPL market. BNPL entered mainstream use in Australia and New Zealand around 2017 and both markets have since undergone regulatory change, so prioritise recent work.
- Reliability. Sound methodology and evidence, with findings that hold up to scrutiny.
- Authority. Credentialed authors publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
- Purpose. Scholarly contribution rather than industry advocacy or provider-commissioned material.
Aim for a genuine mix of Australian and New Zealand studies so both markets are represented rather than one standing in for the other. Where sources are international, choose those whose findings can be meaningfully related back to the Australian and New Zealand context.
Structure and Ordering
Arrange the bibliography chronologically by publication date, most recent first, working backwards. Each entry begins with its full citation, followed by the annotation.
Annotations
Each annotation must be evaluative, not merely descriptive. Some description is expected to establish what the study did, but the analytical weight sits in the critical comment on:
- The strength and limitations of the study's methodology and evidence
- The relevance of its findings to spending behaviour and impulse purchasing
- Its applicability to the Australian and New Zealand market context
- How it relates to, supports, or contradicts the other sources in the bibliography
Introduction and Conclusion
- Introduction (100 words): State the research question, why the topic matters, and the scope of the sources selected.
- Conclusion (100 words): Draw together what the literature reveals and identify gaps or disagreements your Applied Project could address.
Referencing and Word Count
- APA 7th edition throughout, with an electronic link provided for each article
- Peer-reviewed sources
- 1800 words across the ten annotations, excluding citations, at a maximum of 180 words each
The 180-word cap applies per annotation, and since the ten together need to reach 1800 words, most should sit close to that ceiling.