Abstract: No more than 200-250 words and no citations.
Introduction, Research Study Question, and Hypothesis (1-2 pages): This section shall provide an overview of the topic you are writing about, a concise synopsis of the issues, and why the topic presents an area of study suitable for graduate study. Critical to this section is your hypothesis, which should conclude the introduction section. See this additional reference.
Literature Review (4-6 pages): All research projects include a literature review to show the reader what knowledge exists on the subject under study and help the researcher develop the research strategy for the study. A good literature review is a thoughtful study of what has been written, a summary of the existing arguments (whether you agree with them or not), and is arranged thematically. The literature review is not an annotated bibliography and should be written in a coherent narrative style, grouped by subject area, which provides a synthesis of the body of knowledge. At the end of the Lit Review summary, there should still be gaps in the literature you intend to fill with your research. See this additional reference.
Methodology (1-2 pages): This section provides the reader with a description of your research methodology. It is not enough to simply state that you are using “qualitative” methods. I want to know the SPECIFIC type of method employed. Case Study? ACH? etc. If you have any questions regarding this section, seek additional reference support from the library. Constructing a solid, academically rigorous methodology section will enhance the skills you will need to execute a successful thesis. Do not conduct human research (i.e., no polls, interviews, etc). You DO NOT have IRB approval.
Analysis (2-3 pages): This section is not simply a summary of the references you developed, nor is it the same as conclusions. In the analysis component of this section, you identify how you analyzed the data.
The second part is the findings you got from your data analysis. The findings are the facts that you developed, not your interpretation of the facts. These actions are at the core of graduate-level research, and interpretation is conducted in the conclusions and recommendations section of the paper. Findings will come from the prior research you examined and your analysis of those prior findings to create new findings for your paper. While there may be some facts that are such that they will stand and translate to your paper, the intent is to create new knowledge, so you will typically analyze the data to create your findings of what facts that data represents.
Conclusions and Recommendations (2-3 pages): This section is where you give your interpretation of the data. Here, you tell the reader what the findings mean. Often, the conclusions and recommendations sections will mirror the findings in the construct as the researcher tells the reader what that researcher sees as the meaning of that data, their conclusions. Then, drawing on those conclusions, the researcher tells the reader what they believe needs to be done to solve/answer the research question. This section may include recognition of any needs for further research and then finishes with a traditional conclusion to the paper.
References: This section will contain all references, cited in APA format and alphabetically arranged. Your paper must contain a minimum of 10 reference sources, with at least 6 being peer-reviewed journals or products of Think Tanks such as RAND, Brookings, or Heritage. Entitle this section as “References” following the parenthetical and reference citation format style within APA. You should be compiling sources and adding to them as you go along throughout the semester. They should be error-free!!!
Scholarly and credible references should be used.
A minimum of 10 outside references, 6 of which MUST be peer-reviewed, is required.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point, and double space.
Students will follow the current APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework. This is especially true for headers and subheaders
