Fluent Essays

ii Table of Content List of Tables iv Problem Background 1 Problem Statement 1 Purpose of the Study 2 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 2 Sub-Section 3 Research Questions 3 Nature of the Study 4 Explication of the Research Methods and the Consistent Alignments 4 The Nature of the Data and the Procedure for Data Collection 4 Data Collection Instrument(s) 5 The Population and the Sample(s) 5 Research Analytics 5 Significance of the Study 5 References 8 Problem Background All research is based on a problem, and the prospectus serves as an introduction to the problem the student wishes to study. Include an evidence-based description of the problem and how it affects your field, area, organization, or department. Identify the gap in research relevant to your topic/focus to make your readers aware of how your research will contribute. Problem Statement In this part of the prospectus, you will identify the unresolved problems of practical or conceptual significance within the field mentioned in the Problem Background section. In your dissertation, you will resolve some of the problems mentioned. But some may be postponed to be resolved in future research, possibly as recommendations in Chapter Five of your dissertation. Identify the main problem from above, describe the general problem and context and restate the gap. Ensure to state a problem that is evident from the stated gap and one that will be addressed by the proposed research. Please bear in mind that the problems are stated in this section and the purpose of the study that follows subsequently should be aligned with your program of study (Doctor of Business Administration). As a reminder, there have been situations where a student has spent a substantial amount of time in formulating a research plan and then finding out that the proposed research was not considered to be aligned with the student’s program of study, either by the committee or the Institutional Research Board (IRB). Hypothetical examples of problem statements are given below. Note that the problem statement section should include discussion besides just stating problems in the following format. The roots and the origins that cause the stated problems should be discussed in detail in this section. Keep in mind that the identified problem(s) should be evidence-based and be supported by citation from relevant literature. For example, in the case of operating Aircrafts the restatement of the problem in the concise format can be as follows: Problem Statement 1: It has been observed that fueling aircrafts in JT Aviation takes longer than usual, about 35\% longer, what it takes in other fueling stations. Problem Statement 2: Entry-level bookkeepers of JT Aviation make nearly twice as many errors on service receipt details compared to their counterparts who have worked in the same duty for at least one year. Purpose of the Study In this section, you state the objective of your dissertation research is resolution of some of the problem(s), identified in the Problem Statement section. The purpose of the study should be in general terms; specific aspects of the purpose will be formulated as the research questions in a section that follows. The statement of the proposed study should start with the phrase, “The purpose of this study (specify qualitative or quantitative or mixed) is…”. If you plan to do qualitative research, use the terms explore, understand, describe, … to explicate your purpose. If you plan to do quantitative research, use the terms examine, analyze, predict, … Theoretical and Conceptual Framework In the Theoretical and Conceptual Framework section, you describe the theories and/or the concepts that underlie the purpose of your study. In general, these are theorems or postulates that are commonly accepted to be valid generically. Still, their validity in the situations pertaining to your research’s purpose is not verified. The framework should not only be in general terms; therefore, specific example(s) should be included for better clarity. Sub-Section Sub-Sub-Section Research Questions In this section, you break your research purpose down into components that cumulatively lead to achieving the objective of your research. Research questions should be a simple component of your purpose, which cannot be broken down further. A research question should be stated as a simple statement in the interrogative form. Research questions should not be in a composite sentence; neither should they be stated in hierarchical structure. Each research question should address one issue at a time. If you want to address several issues, address them separately with several research questions. Keep in mind that research questions should not be stated in a way that leads to binary answers. If this section contains only research questions, it does not look good in the eye of the reader and is not complete. Therefore, in addition to listing the research questions, you need to explain in separate paragraphs how the answers to the research questions cumulatively lead you to achieve the objectives of your research. Please number your research questions, and state them separate from the paragraphs that describe the significance. The research questions should be in alignment with the problem statement. The wording of the research questions determines the type of data to collect and analyze in order to find “answers” to the questions posed (see example below). Please note that at least three (3) research questions in precise terms and in alignment with the purpose of the study are required for dissertations. Please see the following two examples of the format of the research questions, aligned with the problem statements mentioned before. However, you are required to provide a minimum of three research questions in alignment with the purpose of the study as derived from your problem statement. Research Question 1: What factors account for JT Aviation’s fueling time to be longer than the time taken in other fueling stations? Research Question 2: What are the factors that result in errors of the entry-level bookkeepers of JT Aviation on service receipt being more than non-entry level bookkeepers’ errors? Nature of the Study This section should include the following subsections and any other additional subsections if deemed to be appropriate. Explication of the Research Methods and the Consistent Alignments This subsection starts with the statement explaining that if the study is quantitative, qualitative, or both (mixed methods). The general explanation of the implementation of the research plan will then be provided. In addition, the alignment of the research plan with the purpose of the study should be evident per content of this section, and be justified. The Nature of the Data and the Procedure for Data Collection This subsection starts with describing the data needed for the research, and how the researcher will access the data. Accessibility of the data by the researcher is of crucial importance, as inaccessibility of the data makes the research impossible to be done. Evidence of the accessibility of the needed data should also be included in this subsection. Data Collection Instrument(s) Description of the data collection instrument(s) planned to be used in the research, and the pilot study if needed (e.g., if the instrument is to be designed by the researcher). The Population and the Sample(s) In this subsection the researcher identifies the underlying population, the unit of analysis in the research. The researcher then explicates the sampling procedure(s). Research Analytics The content of this subsection depends on the type of the proposed research. If the research is qualitative then its type has to be clarified and justified. The nature of the qualitative data coding that conforms with the proposed research has to be elucidated. If the research is quantitative, then the nature of the incorporated variables has to be clearly delineated. The quantitative methodology which is consistent with the nature of the research has to be addressed. Significance of the Study Significance of the Study describes why the study is important, identifies its potential for bringing about change in existing practice, and describes the study’s potential for contributing to the existing body of knowledge in scholarly and unbiased language. To complete this section, justify the expected significance of the proposed study by delineating its potential contribution to the field relevant to your research, professional practice, and the social impact of your research. Note: you should use non-confirmatory language, such as: The potential findings of my study might lead to a better understanding of outsourcing; The evaluation of employee attitudes could help improve company production. References The references list contains all the scholarly sources such as the articles and the books, or any other source, that you have cited while you were writing the prospectus. There should be one-to-one correspondence between the citations and the main text and the entries in the references. Please prepare the references list according to the format on the next page. Remember, that you are required to use Microsoft Word tools, including automated features, to generate a document containing in-text citations and the references list, which should be in the latest version of APA style. If the MS Word tools in the version that you used does not automatically generate citations and the entries in the list of references in the latest version of the APA Manual, you can make adjustments by minor manual corrections. Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables, and List of Appendices, whichever required, should be created by using the automated features. Generating the list of References manually is not acceptable in all research and dissertation courses. References Example References Addington, J., Piskulic, D., & Marshall, C. (2010). Psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(4), 260-263. http://doi.org/10.1177/0963721410377743 Adebimpe, V. R. (1981). Overview: White norms and psychiatric diagnosis of black patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 138(3), 279-285. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.138.3.279 Aguilera, A., Lopez, S. R., Breitborde, N. J. K., Kopelowicz, A., & Zarate, R. (2010). Expressed emotion and sociocultural moderation in the course of schizophrenia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(4), 875-885. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0020908 American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author. American Psychiatric Association. (2010). DSM-5 development. http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57(12), 1060-1073. http://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.57.12.1060 American Psychological Association. (2003). Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists. American Psychologist, 58(5), 377-402. http://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.58.5.377 Anglin, D. M., Alberti, P. M., Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2008). Racial differences in beliefs about the effectiveness and necessity of mental health treatment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42, 17-24. http:doi.org/10.1007/s10464-008-9189-5 Anglin, D. M., & Malaspina, D. (2008a). Ethnicity effects on clinical diagnoses compared to best estimate research diagnoses in patients with psychosis: A retrospective medical chart review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 69(6), 941-945. Some of the Dissertation Formatting Aspects 1. The only accepted font is the Times New Roman and all types for the doctoral research will be 12-point font with the following exceptions: contents of tables or figures may be no less than 9-point font; notes to tables and figures should be no less than 10-point font. Table titles should remain 12-point font. 2. Use of seriation must follow requirements specified in the latest version of the APA Manual at the time of you started your first dissertation course. To identify separate paragraphs in a list, Arabic numbers followed by a period can be used for vertical seriation of items. 3. Any table or figure should not be divided between two pages. If the table requires more than one page, then divide so that all portions of the table on separate pages share the common caption, and designation “cont.” should be included in the caption starting from the second portion. Place the table as close as possible to where it is cited in the text and avoid unnecessary blank space. 4. Margin requirements are 1 inch for the left margin and 1 inch for the top, bottom and right margins. We also use the Oxford comma. 5. Headings on the Table of Contents should appear not bolded and not italicized. The opening/initial pages (The Title, Signature, Acknowledgment, Dedication, Abstract, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Appendices) should be accompanied by page numbers in Roman numerals. The pages in the main body of all dissertation documents should be numbered in Arabic numerals. 6. Students should use the latest APA Manual for guidance with the placement and format of headings. An example for different levels of headings follows: 7. Please see below examples of headings consistent with the APA manual 7th edition. CHAPTER TITLES ARE ALL CAPS AND BOLDFACE (Heading 1) Titles of List of Tables, List of Appendices, List of Figures, References (Heading 2) Sections (Heading 3) Subsections (Heading 4) Sub-Subsections (Heading 5) In-line Sub-Sub-Subsection. In-line Sub-Sub-Sub-Subsection. Please delete this page before submitting your prospectus.