Research Question: What is the effectiveness of current airport personnel training for active shooter situations in enhancing readiness, and how can existing programs be improved? A formal creative

1. Students enrolled in the Masters of Art in Homeland Security program often have questions about the program’s final requirements. After completing six core courses and four concentration courses, students have two options for their exit course. They can choose to complete a Master’s Capstone Seminar in Homeland Security (HLSS699) or submit a Master’s Project Capstone in Homeland Security (HLSS697).

   1. Option 1 Master’s Capstone Seminar (HLSS699): This is a 16-week course where students complete a major research project that demonstrates their mastery of the research process, analytical skills, and the ability to produce a well-written and properly cited scholarly research paper that contributes to the body of knowledge in the homeland security discipline.

   2. Option 2 Master’s Project Capstone Seminar (HLSS697): This is a 16-week course that gives students the opportunity to complete an applied project that addresses issues directly or closely related to their own career, occupation, profession, or current position.

1. Option 1 Master’s Capstone Seminar (HLSS699):

   1. Alignment with Program Outcomes: In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve program specific learning outcomes and be able to:

• Evaluate specific domestic security challenges for the 21st century that face the United States and other industrialized nations.

• Evaluate and propose changes at federal, state, and/or local levels, to reflect the evolving strategic policy issues associated with a statutory and presidential direction for.

• Recognize terrorist group proclivities in order to forecast the risks, types, and orders of magnitude of terrorist threats most likely to confront the nation-state.

• Define and describe by example the statutory, policy, strategy and legal differences between homeland security and homeland defense.

• Describe the roles/missions of USNORTHCOM and the DSCA mission, and compare and contrast these with the DHS mission.

• Recognize the interdisciplinary nature of homeland security functions and be able to assess and integrate various functional areas.

• Evaluate existing policies, procedures and protocols by DHS and the inter-agency community to allow seamless agency integration through prevention, protection, incident response and recovery scenarios.

• Validate literal and procedural alignment/compliance with the National Response Framework, National Incident Management System, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs).

1. 1. Description: The Master’s Capstone includes a thesis project that has a substantial research component, presents an original argument using proper academic writing conventions including carefully documented primary and/or secondary sources, and should be at least 50 pages. The course is tailored specifically to each graduate program and must be the last course students take from APUS. Thus, it can only be taken after the student has completed his/her coursework. It cannot be taken concurrently with coursework. Students must successfully create this requirement before the award of a degree. Students must apply for graduation in order to be able to register for the course.

   2. Process: Students should be preparing for the capstone course by reviewing syllabi, forums, exams, and assignments from their core courses. A review of course reading materials is also recommended. The first week of the course will consist of a graded introduction forum. There are four other graded forums during the remaining weeks and enable the student(s) to ask questions on specific topics that align with lessons and readings. There are assignments that enable the student to build the final capstone thesis submission (Draft submitted in Week 14 and Final Submission in Week 16). The course focuses on helping students demonstrate critical thought in their writing and research.

   3. Sections: Master’s theses are generally expected to contain the following elements but vary somewhat due to disciplinary standards.

Abstract: Includes the following components: purpose of the research, methodology, findings, and conclusion. The body of the abstract is limited to 150-200 words.

Introduction: Identifies student’s specific research question and sets the general context for the study. This section should include:

• a statement of the problem or general research question and context leading to a clear statement of the specific research question;

• background and contextual material justifying why this case or topic should be studied; and

• a purpose statement.

Literature Review: Reviews the literature on a specific research question. The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same or similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this case. It provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it relates to the student’s specific research question.

• Summarize the literature (cumulative knowledge base) on the specific research question by synthesizing themes, methods, results, and/or theoretical frameworks used in current literature.

• Include a conclusion that provides where perspectives agree, disagree, overlap and where the gaps still exist. Include a transition to the next section.

Theoretical Framework/Approach: The theoretical framework section develops the theories or models to be used in the study and shows how the student has developed testable research hypotheses or viable arguments. This section should include the following:

• an introduction discussing gaps in the literature, how this study will help fill some of those gaps, and justification for the theory or model to be used in study;

• a summary of the theory or model to be used in the study, including a diagram of the model if appropriate; and

• a statement of hypotheses to be tested or argument.

Research Design/Methodology: Describes how the student will test the hypothesis and carry out their analysis. This section describes the data to be used to test the hypothesis, how the student will operationalize and collect data on their variables, and the analytic methods that to be used, noting potential biases and limitations to the research approach. The vast number of Homeland Security student’s thesis use qualitative methodologies. Some of the most popular are Case Study and Content Analysis, but you may use others. Regardless of which methodology you choose, you must develop your reader’s understanding of this methodology and how it will frame your thesis. Research design and methodology vary according to the discipline but often include the following components:

• identification and operationalization (measurement) of variables;

• a sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling procedures, if appropriate);

• justification of case studies used;

• data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives, interviews, surveys, etc.);

• a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and

• the limitations of study and bias discussion.

Findings/Results/Discussion: This section describes the results of the study. Keep in mind that the “results” are the direct observations of the research (data), while the “discussion” is the interpretation and analysis of the results and research. The Results and Discussion may be presented as separate sections. The Results and Discussion should include, as appropriate:

• results, including tables, graphs, statistics;

• significance and interpretation of the results;

• discussion of results as they relate to thesis statement/research question;

• discussion of results as it relates to the theoretical framework/approach; and

• directions for future research.

Reference List: References the works the student has cited (direct quotes or paraphrases) in the text. This list must be formatted according to APA format.

1. 1. Formatting: Students should use APA within the capstone seminar. The EOP Manual will continue to provide the format for the front matter (Table of Contents, Abstract, Acknowledgements, etc.).

   2. Evaluation: The capstone seminar grading will be based on the following rubric:

1. Option 2 Master’s Project Capstone Seminar (HLSS697):

   1. Alignment with Program Outcomes: In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve program specific learning outcomes and be able to:

• Evaluate specific domestic security challenges for the 21st century that face the United States and other industrialized nations.

• Evaluate and propose changes at federal, state, and/or local levels, to reflect the evolving strategic policy issues associated with a statutory and presidential direction for.

• Recognize terrorist group proclivities in order to forecast the risks, types, and orders of magnitude of terrorist threats most likely to confront the nation-state.

• Define and describe by example the statutory, policy, strategy and legal differences between homeland security and homeland defense.

• Describe the roles/missions of USNORTHCOM and the DSCA mission and compare and contrast these with the DHS mission.

• Recognize the interdisciplinary nature of homeland security functions and be able to assess and integrate various functional areas.

• Evaluate existing policies, procedures and protocols by DHS and the inter-agency community to allow seamless agency integration through prevention, protection, incident response and recovery scenarios.

• Validate literal and procedural alignment/compliance with the National Response Framework, National Incident Management System, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives (HSPDs).

1. 1. Description: The Homeland Security Creative Project Capstone gives students the opportunity to address issues of importance in homeland security that are directly or closely related to their own career, occupation, profession, or current position. Creative projects as program capstones may derive from a wide variety of organizationally defined formats such as legislative proposals (local, state or Federal), briefs, standard operating procedures, training program manual, procedure manuals, organizational change proposals, communication plans, or recruitment plans to name but a few. The format will be proposed by the student and approved by the instructor. The creative project must demonstrate originality and will follow the style requirements set by the department - currently the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual.

   2. Process: Students should be preparing for the capstone course by reviewing syllabi, forums, exams, and assignments from their core courses. A review of course reading materials is also recommended. The first week of the course will consist of a graded introduction forum. There are seven other graded forums during the remaining weeks in which six of them are journal entries. There are assignments that enable the student to build the final capstone thesis submission (Draft submitted in Week 14 and Final Submission in Week 16). A journal of experiences completing the project is due in Week 15. The course focuses on helping students demonstrate critical thought in their writing and research.

   3. Sections: Master’s creative/applied projects are generally expected to contain the following elements but vary somewhat due to disciplinary standards.

Abstract: Includes the following components: purpose of the research, methodology, findings, and conclusion. The body of the abstract is limited to 150-200 words.

Introduction: This section identifies the student’s specific creative/applied project and sets the general context for it.

• Provide a clear and lucid description of the creative/applied project including the goal and intent of the project.

• Discuss the schedule and objectives for the work to be completed.

Literature Review: The literature review focuses on how the creative/applied project experience fits into the discipline. Specifically, it introduces the project and places it in a larger context that includes a discussion of how this experience helps the student meet the program objectives. It provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it relates to the project.

• Describe how completing this project is consistent with the course of study.

• Articulate the objectives the student hopes to achieve through the completion of this project.

• Provide a short conclusion and transition to the next section.

Project Design: This section describes the design of the applied/creative project and situates the project within an issue, question, or problem within the discipline.

• Discuss how the project questions, contradicts, or reinforces existing theoretical knowledge relative to the student’s professional practice and/or discipline.

• Introduces a critical lens or theoretical framework that informs the project, including appropriate citations and context for this framework.

• Describes the expected contribution of the project to knowledge or professional practice within the discipline.

• Discuss the limitations of the project’s scope and generalizability.

The Project: This section details the project, which must comport with disciplinary standards for rigor, original contributions to the practice or knowledge of the field, creative expression within a specific theoretical lens, or application of theory to a specific context. The project often includes the following elements:

• Identification of an appropriate problem, issue, or question within the practice or application of the discipline.

• Analysis of current tools available to solve the problem or improve professional practice, comparing and contrasting to identify benefits and issues.

• Rigorous justification of the tool or process selected to address the problem, with support from the academic and professional literature.

• Contextualization and application of the chosen tool or process within professional practice.

• Analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of the chosen tool or technique, and discussion of other possible ways the problem could have been solved.

• Rigorous discussion of how this method of solving the problem will benefit others.

Reference List: This section should reference the works cited (direct quotes or paraphrases) in the text. This list must be formatted in APA format.

1. 1. Formatting: Students should use APA within the capstone seminar. The EOP Manual will continue to provide the format for the front matter (Table of Contents, Abstract, Acknowledgements, etc.).

   2. Evaluation: The capstone seminar grading will be based on the following rubric:

1. Conclusion: Whichever option students choose will require time and dedication in order to prove that they have learned and retained information taught during the required courses. This is also an opportunity to show critical thinking skills and apply learned knowledge to address questions related to the homeland security field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started with the End of Program Thesis or Project

A Master’s thesis is unlike any paper you have written thus far in graduate school. However, the classes you have taken across the program have all served as tools to help get you ready to take this project on. Within the thesis you will be required to come up with a research question, and work to answer that question using a theoretical framework and sound research design. This is an excellent opportunity for you to finally explore in detail a concept that you have been interested in pursuing. One key challenge that students have walking into the thesis is not having previously brainstormed some possible research topics or research questions. The earlier you start thinking about this the better off you will be entering the capstone. It is recommended that you visit the APUS ePress and looking at a few of the showcased MA theses, and also a few previously completed capstone projects. 

Key Requirements

The ePress is also where you will find the End of Program Manual. This will have the most recent information on the end of program requirements to include thesis formatting requirements. Also, the ePress site has writing guides available to help you with some of those tricky referencing protocols. As a student within the Homeland Security Program, you need to use APA format, this is a good thing since the entire manual is available in the library. In order to pass your thesis requirement, you must receive an 80 or higher on your final thesis. While the assignments leading up to the capstone are worth a small percentage of your grade you should take these seriously as they will help you ensure that you are putting forth quality work.

Picking a Topic

Students often ask, “what kind of topic or question can I investigate in my thesis?” Within homeland security, you have the luxury of being in a broad program that allows for high degree of diversity when it comes to acceptable research projects. With that being the case, your research question should be something important to the field of homeland security. Clues on possible research topics can be pulled from any of the homeland security courses that you have taken so far. It might also be the case that you have written an essay, research paper, or even developed a research proposal that you might be able to further pursue within your thesis project. If you do wish to draw on prior work, you must discuss this first with your thesis faculty prior to attempting to incorporate into any of your past assignments into your thesis submissions. There is a right way and a wrong way to do this, and the wrong way usually looks like self-plagiarism, or attempting to submit an assignment twice for credit. As always, communication is key here.

In addition to your course work, you also have your current faculty that you can engage about potential topics. Do not hesitate to reach out ask them what they think about your research ideas. Finally, you also have the literature at your disposal. The journal articles within the professional literature are a great place to generate research ideas and see what’s already out there.  Unlike your course assignments, the goal of the thesis project is for you to generate new knowledge – by carrying out research on questions that have yet to be asked.  It sounds intimidating, but once you start thinking critically about things, and look to the peer-reviewed literature for clues (most journal articles will have notes about where research on the topic needs to go next), you will stumble onto something that is interesting, and worthy of being researched.

End of Program Research Goals

The goals of your research are also worth mentioning early on since this needs to be considered when you go to craft your research question and study design. Within the MA thesis, the goals of your research should fall into one of the following four categories, 1) to define or measure a specific fact or set of facts regarding a specific phenomenon, 2) to match facts and theory, 3) to evaluate and compare two theories, models, or hypotheses, or 4) to prove that a certain method is more effective than other methods. As you craft your research question, you need to make sure you are asking an open-ended question starting with “How,” “What,” “Why,” or “To what extent?” You should also incorporate the variables you are seeking to assess, their relationship, and/or something about how you intend to test the nature of that relationship (if you are carrying a quantitative study). Ultimately the research questions that we frame out need to be an explicit statement about what we are trying to accomplish whether it be to assess if ‘x accomplishes what it claims it accomplishes’, or to further explain if ‘x is affected by y or is x a consequence of z?’  In any case, your research question will drive your research and set the stage for your capstone experience. 

In addition to thinking about your research question early, another best practice to help you get ready to take on the capstone is to brush up on your writing and literature synthetization skills. Like that of your courses, you are expected to write to a professional level that is free of grammatical errors. The free version of Grammarly is a great tool to help with this. You also need to be able to synthesize large bodies of research into a few pages. As you start looking to the literature, take notes and work to synthesize some key themes or trends that you begin to see. If you are not already, use something like Zotero to help you take notes, track references, and stay organized throughout the process. If you are taking HLSS699, you will need to answer your research question using a theoretical framework, you might consider taking some notes on the different theories that have been used to answer research questions important to homeland security, again this is something you will find in the literature. These are notes that you can bring into the capstone, and with any luck, you might even be able to have a few paragraphs of work that you can plug into your assignments.

Finally, if you struggle with research design and methods, you should know that you are not alone. To better prepare for the thesis you should work to review concepts specific to research design and methodology within the social sciences. Too many students fail to do this prior to entering the capstone and end up struggling because they have to relearn the different kinds research designs and the different kinds of “qualitative” or “quantitative” methods that are at their disposal. In addition to some refresher information that has been placed within the HLSS699 and HLSS697 courses, the Online Library has some excellent resources available, like the SAGE Research Methods Database, that can help you get back up to speed on this very important component of the MA thesis. 

It is important to help dispel three MA thesis “myths,” that have developed over the years.

Myth 1: The Thesis is a Long Essay

The first myth is that the thesis is a long essay. Based on the above you should be able to see that the thesis is where you will be carrying out an original study in the form of a structured research project based on a strategy and design of your choosing. 

Myth 2: The Capstone is an Easy Project

The second myth is that the capstone is an “easy,” put your feet up and relax kind of student-driven project. While the research topic and question under investigation is up to you, your thesis faculty need to approve your work at each step in the process. They will approve/or disapprove of your topic idea and research question, your thesis proposal (which includes your theoretical framework and research design) and will give you early feedback on your literature review and methodology sections. Even with faculty guidance along the way, the expectation is that you apply what you have learned about research question generation, literature synthetization, and the planning and execution of a scholarly research design. This can be challenging for some students that have taken long periods of time off between their final course and their capstone. 

Myth 3: Incorporating Faculty Feedback is "Optional"

The third myth is that incorporating your thesis faculty’s guidance is “optional.” Your thesis advisors will provide you with insight on the Institutional Review Board process, the appropriateness of your topic, how you need to enhance your literature review, the workability of your research design and more. Failure to take their guidance into consideration can make or break the successful completion of the capstone project, so please do heed their advice, and if you have questions on the guidance you’ve been provided, make sure you follow-up and seek clarification. 

Human Subjects Research

I wanted to bring your attention to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the concept of “human subjects” research. As part of your thesis project you may want to carry out interviews or surveys. This is something that constitutes “human subjects” research and prior approval is needed from the IRB before you may proceed with this kind of research. Obtaining IRB approval can take up to one month to complete and requires that you have completed CITI training and have completed and submitted all required IRB research proposal forms, provided all supplementary research instrument and solicitation documents, and have received all of the required signatures. For more information on the IRB process and to learn how to get started seeking approval please visit the American Public University System Institutional Review Board webpage.

You Can Do This

If this sounds like a major undertaking, then you are starting to better see the task in front of you. It might seem overwhelming at first, but you can do this. Your prior course work and faculty have been working to prepare you to take on this final project. To help see this task through you need to make writing and research a priority. To help you get started, after you found a few topic ideas, sit for 15 minutes and just free write on the topic. If you do this for a series of days, it is likely that you will stumble onto a solid thesis or project idea that you can carry forward. Try not to cram your writing into large chunks of time, and instead work to write for an hour each day. If a piece of information is missing leave yourself notes like "find research to support _____________." or "find research that counters ______________." If you are jotting down research design and methods ideas this technique works well since you can write what you know, and then go back and conduct a targeted search in the library then work to refine your prior work based on the new knowledge you have obtained. The key is to create a tangible research and writing schedule with actionable goals, doing this will help you keep on track throughout this process.

Title of Capstone Here

A master’s thesis

Submitted to the Faculty

of

American Public University System

by

Student Name Here

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts in Homeland Security

Month Year

Capstone Professor:

Dr. Faculty Name

The author hereby grants the American Public University System the right to display these contents for educational purposes.

The author assumes total responsibility for meeting the requirements set by United States copyright law for the inclusion of any materials that are not the author’s creation or in the public domain.

© Copyright 2020 by Name

All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

I dedicate this thesis to my parents. Without their patience, understanding, support, and, most of all, love, the completion of this work would not have been possible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank the members of my committee for their support, patience, and good humor. Their gentle but firm direction has been most appreciated. Dr. Mark Twain was particularly helpful in guiding me toward a qualitative methodology. Dr. Washington Irving’s interest in a sense of competence was the impetus for my proposal. Finally, I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Stephen King. From the beginning, he had confidence in my abilities to not only complete a degree, but to complete it with excellence.

I have found my course work throughout the Homeland Security program to be stimulating and thoughtful, providing me with the tools with which to explore both past and present ideas and issues.

ABSTRACT

Title of Capstone Here

by

Student Name

Master of Arts in Homeland Security

American Public University System

Professor John Doe, Thesis Professor

Begin typing the abstract here, double-spaced. The abstract must include the following components: purpose of the research, methodology, findings, and conclusion. The body of the abstract is limited to 150-200 words (no less than 150 and no more than 200). The abstract may continue on to the next page.

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..…1

Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………….2

Subheading 1………………………………………………………………………....3

Subheading 2…………………………………………………………………………4

Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………...………….5

Subheading 1………………………………………………………………………....6

Subheading 2…………………………………………………………………………7

Methodology…………………………………………………………………………….…...8

Subheading 1…………………………………………………………………………9

Subheading 2…………………………………………………………………………10

Findings & Analysis………………………………………………………….……………...11

Subheading…………………………………………………………………………...12

Subheading 2…………………………………………………………………….…..13

Conclusion…………..………………………………………………………………………14

References…………..………………………………………………………………………15

List of Tables

Example 1………………………………………………………………………………..15

Example 2………………………………………………………………………………..18

Example 3 ……………………………………………………………………………….22

Example 4 ……………………………………………………………………………….25

Example 5 ……………………………………………………………………………….29

Example 6 ……………………………………………………………………………….33

Example 7 ……………………………………………………………………………….38

Example 8 ……………………………………………………………………………….42

Example 9 ……………………………………………………………………………….45

Example 10 ……………………………………………………………………………..53

List of Figures

Example 1………………………………………………………………………………..10

Example 2………………………………………………………………………………..15

Example 3 ……………………………………………………………………………….18

Example 4 ……………………………………………………………………………….23

Example 5 ……………………………………………………………………………….25

Example 6 ……………………………………………………………………………….32

Example 7 ……………………………………………………………………………….35

Example 8 ……………………………………………………………………………….41

Example 9 ……………………………………………………………………………….44

Example 10 ……………………………………………………………………………..50

Introduction

There are a variety of methods of dividing the paper. The thesis should be divided by sections. The important thing is to remain consistent throughout the entire thesis. Your formatting should be similar to that used within this example, which closely mirrors the formatting used for the APA writing style. As is consistent with the academic writing style, the start of a new paragraph should be tabbed in from the right, and paragraphs must be double-spaced without an extra space in between paragraphs.

Incorporate Subheadings as Appropriate

Be sure that your subheadings do not cause unnecessary spaces to occur between sentences.

Fonts

Fonts must be consistent throughout your thesis and should be in Times-New Roman 12-point font.

Formatting

Your front matter should be formatted according to the End of Program (EOP) manual (something that is replicated within these guidelines). The Top Margin should be 1 inches. The Left Margin should be 1 inch. The Right Margin should be 1 inch. The Bottom Margin should be 1inches Starting with your Introduction, you should have 1-inch margins on all borders. Your pages should be left justified, and sentences double spaced, without an extra space between paragraphs and headings. All level 1 headings should start on a new page. For additional formatting requirements please refer to the latest EOP Manual.

You should have your page numbers noted at the top right of the page. The title page should not have a page number; however, each page that follows must be assigned a page number. Be consistent where page numbers are located; preliminary pages front matter pages and text pages should have the page numbers in the same location. Front matter pages (abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents and etc.) are numbered with the lower-case Roman numerals (e.g., i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi). The body of your work beginning with the Introduction is numbered using Arabic numerals starting with page 1.

Literature Review

Your literature review should provide a broad overview of the research that is important to your study. This is organized thematically, so rather than discuss one source within a paragraph you might organize your paragraphs around reoccurring themes, for example, one pertaining to deterrence theory would include a variety of references that help demonstrate the scope of knowledge surrounding this theme. Within the library there is some excellent information about how to write a literature review if you need a quick refresher. You should also reach out to your professor if you have any questions about this.

Use of Peer Reviewed Sources

Many students are often confused or frustrated by the fact that they must use “peer-reviewed” sources within their work. For example, The Navy Times and the Small Wars Journal are not a peer reviewed source, however the Nonproliferation Review and Political Psychology are both peer reviewed journals. “Peer-review” essentially means that prior to publication the article and contents have been properly vetted by subject matter experts. In this manner, an article in The Navy Times while interesting, will not be as reliable as a similar article published in Political Psychology.

For additional information on “peer reviewed” material check out the following helpful links from the Online Library’s LibAnswers:

• What does "peer reviewed" mean?

• How do I find peer reviewed journals or articles?

• Are books considered "scholarly" publications?

• Why aren't websites like Wikipedia, blogs or Ask.com considered to be scholarly?

The following also present some thought provoking information on peer reviewed material:

• Whose Afraid of Peer Review?

• Science Magazine's Open Access "Sting"

• Open Access Publishing Hoax: What Science Magazine Got Wrong

Finally, this URL is a more direct link to some helpful Library Course Guides: http://apus.campusguides.com/librarysubjectguides

Theoretical Framework

Students often ask where their theoretical framework should be discussed within the thesis. The confusion often stems from the fact that the theoretical framework is provided with its own section within the formal “Research Proposal.” However, your thesis is different from your research proposal as it integrates some of the information you provided in your proposal into a more robust and scholarly piece. Since the theoretical information used within your thesis helps to serve as a foundation for answering your research question, its best to integrate it within your literature review. By doing this you will be able to discuss how your use of theory might differ from what scholars have already attempted on the topic.

For additional questions on theory please see the Theoretical Models (Using Theory) section within the library. You might be able to answer some of your questions by checking out these links prior to reaching out to your faculty:

• I am a grad student and need to learn what theories are used in my field/discipline. How do I do that?

• I am a grad student doing a capstone thesis paper. What does it mean to “integrate theory and theoretical concepts” into my work?

• My graduate capstone professor tells me I have to "use theory" in my thesis project? What does she/he mean? Help!

Methodology

Each assignment you submit must be a “clean copy.” A clean copy is a draft which has all review markings removed and all prior comments integrated into the text. You should keep in mind that faculty make comments as subject matter experts and mentors. In addition to helping you enhance your writing; faculty will also provide you with comments to help you enhance the validity of your research. As a scholarly paper, your thesis should judiciously incorporate references to the literature. Please note that failure to address faculty comments may result in a loss of points.

On Research Methodology

Both the literature review and the methodology section make up two of the most important sections within your thesis. While the literature review helps you place your research into context, the methodology section should clearly explain the steps involved in carrying out your research. A solid methodology section should introduce the chosen method used in assessing your hypothesis, and must go beyond the general mention of qualitative, quantitative, or mix-methods research. These three terms make up bodies of research methods. To say “this research uses the qualitative research method” would not be a specific description of your research methodology and would thus detract from your studies overall reliability.

The introduction to this section should quickly place your research into context. You should present your research question along with any sub-questions you intend to answer along the way. You should present a clear explanation of your research hypothesis; and, you should present the variables under investigation, along with an explanation for how you intend to measure those variables.

Moving forward from the introduction you would next get into a discussion of your research methodology (for questions on this please see Research Methods Information and/or reach out to your professor prior to submitting your Research Proposal or Methodology section). If you are carrying out case study research, you will need to explain in detail what case study model you are using within your research as not all case study models are the same. Moving from a discussion pertaining to the specifics of your methods, you will also need to demonstrate that you are carrying out sound research. To do this you will need to demonstrate your knowledge of research methods and explain why you have chosen to use this as your particular research strategy. Have other scholars successfully assessed a similar case using this method? Was there a failure to accurately assess a case using a different method? If so, what will your method do differently? Essentially, you will want your methodology discussion to demonstrate the impact that your research methods will have on the validity and reliability of your research. By showing that you have chosen the best method for the question under investigation, and demonstrating your knowledge of the method itself, you ultimately add to the credibility of your results.

To further demonstrate your knowledge of research methods you should consider discussing alternative methods to explain why they were not used within your research. In addition to explaining why certain methods were not used, you will also want to demonstrate that you have seriously considered the variables that you are working with. Within your thesis you will want to explain your assumptions up-front and explain why they were appropriate to make based on the nature of your research project. In many cases we will make assumptions about the available data or as a result of questions we intentionally exclude from our research.

Research validity and reliability are key factors that need to be explained within your methodology section. In terms of validity, your goal is to demonstrate that you are using sound methods to carry out your research and assess the posed research question. Reliability largely pertains to the ability of others to draw similar conclusions based on the research you have carried out. As you map out your research methods a good question to ask yourself is, “if I give this to someone else would they be able to replicate my results based on this explanation?” If you cannot effectively explain your methodological approach, then your results will raise doubts and come into question.

Findings & Analysis

In addition to this formatting guide, you should also keep a copy of the latest EOP Manual close by. The EOP manual has some excellent information on the school policies that relate to the capstone. There are additional templates within the Appendices that you might need, including: 1) Sample of Permission to Quote or Reproduce Copyrighted Material Letter, 2) Sample of IRB Approval Letter – something that you must receive PRIOR to carrying out your research if you want to conduct interviews or experiments with human subjects.

Conclusion

As you go to submit your capstone draft, make sure you do not forget to incorporate required elements noted within the EOP Manual. Failure to do so can result in a loss of points on your paper. In your reviews, make sure that you are also correcting any formatting issues.

Things to Keep in Mind

Tone of voice and writing style.

As has been previously stated, your thesis is a scholarly research paper. As a result, it should mirror the tone of voice found in published peer-reviewed journals. Along these lines you should use measurable academic or scientific phraseology and avoid emotive phrases, slang, semi-slang and jargon. We do not write in literary style – we must write academically, like scientists, and as if we are publishing. Here is a simple, but useful website article on academic writing http://www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/tip_formal_writing_voice.htm. Please note that all of the links provided within this document are here to help you enhance your scholarship, you should not incorporate links within your thesis, unless you are linking your table of contents, list of tables, or list of figures to help readers navigate within your paper.

Faculty mentorship.

Your thesis professor will help guide you throughout this process as you come to determine your research questions, draft a research proposal, and generally provide you with guidance across all components of your thesis. The comments made by your professor should be carefully considered and integrated into your work moving forward. While your thesis professor will provide you with feedback on your writing, they should not be considered a copy-editor who helps you fix all of your grammatical and referencing errors. This is ultimately your responsibility, and for this reason it is highly recommended that you pick up a copy of the latest APA writing manual so that you may keep it on your desk as you complete your assignments. Online writing guides can be helpful however be forewarned that they might not provide entirely accurate information. It is important to note that a “quick guide” may not have all of the formatting instructions you need. It is highly recommended you obtain the latest edition of the APA manual.

References

As you begin to start carrying out research on your thesis topics you should keep in mind that your research is will only be as good as the research that helps back it up.

For this reason it’s important that you incorporate references judiciously throughout your work. Failure to do so may not only point to a possible weakness of your research, but it also has the potential to lead to plagiarism concerns, something that is your responsibility to prevent.

The more research you incorporate into your thesis the more you will demonstrate that you are an authority on the subject matter. Students often wonder “how many sources is enough?” For a substantial research paper like this you should at least be pulling from 50 or more sources, however this might require you to read 100-200 sources since not everything we read will be valuable to our research.

If you run into trouble along the way just remember that you have a whole host of resources that you can utilize to help you successfully complete this requirement.

In addition to your thesis professor, you might look for help in the library or even consult with one of our many helpful librarians. You also might find guidance within the Student Studies Center as well. Finally, don’t forget about your peers and colleagues. It never hurts to have an extra set of eyes look over your paper or help you hash out a problem.