This guide is for ACCT 340 Week 4 Individual Research Paper, start to submission. A 5 to 7-page research paper on deontology and utilitarianism, with at least 5 peer-reviewed references plus the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Bible.
ACCT 340 is Accounting Ethics, 3 credit hours, in Liberty University's BS in Accounting. Canvas and the course guide file print the code as ACCT340; it is the same course.
| Course | ACCT 340 Accounting Ethics |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 4 |
| Points | 200 points |
| Length | 5 to 7 pages |
| Sources | At least 5 peer-reviewed references in addition to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Bible |
| Faith integration | The Bible is a required source |
| Format | Current APA paper |
What ACCT 340 Week 4 Individual Research Paper asks for
You write a 5 to 7-page research-based paper in current APA on deontology and utilitarianism. It must include at least 5 peer-reviewed references in addition to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Bible. It is due in Module/Week 4 with Mintz and Morris chapter 4. At 200 points it is tied for the largest assignment in the course.
Where it fits in ACCT 340
In the published schedule, Individual Research Paper is one of 8 graded written assignments in ACCT 340. It follows Week 3 Group Discussion Board Forum 2 and comes before Week 5 Group Discussion Board Forum 3.
How ACCT 340 Week 4 Individual Research Paper is graded
Liberty grades Individual Research Paper with the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas, worth 200 points in the published guide. That is about 20% of the course's 1,010 points. The rubric rows are the real instructions. Draft against them, and you will rarely be surprised by the grade.
Course grades in ACCT 340 use Liberty's point scale: an A is 900 to 1010 points of the course total. Missing the length or source minimum usually costs points on several rows at once, which is why the checklist below starts with them.
Timing in the published guide: Each course module/week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Check the due dates in your Canvas section, which govern.
The ACCT 340 Week 4 method, step by step
Turn the instructions into an outline
Start from the assignment instructions in Canvas. Every element the Individual Research Paper instructions name becomes a heading in your outline, in the order given, and the rubric rows tell you how deep each one has to go.
Narrow the topic until it fits the length
5 to 7 pages is not much room. Choose a question narrow enough that you can answer it fully inside that length; a broad topic forces summary, and summary scores lower than analysis.
Collect sources before drafting
Find the sources first: At least 5 peer-reviewed references in addition to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Bible. Use the Jerry Falwell Library databases, filter to peer-reviewed, and keep a table of author, year, design and finding so the paper is built from evidence instead of padded with it later.
Write a thesis that the sections prove
Draft the thesis before the body. A ACCT 340 paper reads as organized when each heading answers part of the thesis, and as a list of facts when it does not.
Draft section by section, analysis first
Fill the outline one heading at a time. In each section, say what the sources show, weigh them, and draw the implication. Graders reward the sentences that interpret, not the ones that report.
Format and check against the rubric
Apply current APA (title page, running format, headings, in-text citations matched to the reference list) and then read the paper once against the rubric, row by row, before you submit.
A structure for ACCT 340 Week 4 Individual Research Paper
Word targets are planning numbers for about 1,700 words of body text, set by the length in the guide; the rubric decides where to spend more.
| Section | What it must do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | The two theories and your thesis. | ~170 words |
| Deontology | Duty-based ethics, Kant, and its application to accounting. | ~410 words |
| Utilitarianism | Consequence-based ethics and its application. | ~410 words |
| The AICPA Code | Which theory the Code reflects. | ~340 words |
| Christian worldview and conclusion | How Scripture relates to both. | ~370 words |
A topic angle that works
Test both theories on one accounting dilemma, then show which one the AICPA Code's principles (integrity, objectivity, independence, due care) resemble. Most readers find the Code largely deontological, with some attention to the public interest.
Model paragraph with notes
An original paragraph written by our desk to show the register that earns full rubric credit. It is study material: learn the moves, then write your own.
The AICPA Code reads more like deontology than utilitarianism. Its principles of integrity and objectivity are stated as duties that apply regardless of outcome, and its rules on independence prohibit relationships even when no harm results.1 Yet the Code's emphasis on the public interest reflects a concern for consequences, which suggests it blends both, with duties setting the limits and consequences guiding judgment within them.2
- Ties the Code to the theories.
- Cites the Code's principles.
- A nuanced conclusion.
Mistakes that cost points on ACCT 340 Week 4
- Fewer than 5 peer-reviewed references.
- Not citing the AICPA Code.
- Describing the theories without applying them.
Checklist before you submit
- Length: 5 to 7 pages
- Sources: At least 5 peer-reviewed references in addition to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Bible
- Faith integration: The Bible is a required source
- Title page and reference page in current APA format
- Headings follow the order of the instructions
- Each rubric row read against the section that answers it
Questions students ask
What sources does the ACCT 340 individual paper require?
At least 5 peer-reviewed references in addition to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Bible.
How many points is ACCT 340 Week 4 Individual Research Paper worth?
200 points in Liberty's published course guide for ACCT 340, out of a course total of 1,010 points (about 20% of the grade). The rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas shows how those points are divided.
Is ACCT 340 Week 4 the same in every section of ACCT 340?
This guide follows Liberty's published course guide for ACCT 340. Liberty notes that course content can change from term to term, so if your Canvas section shows different instructions, a different week or different points, follow Canvas and your instructor.
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