Prospectus Extraction Template

Introduction

This section briefly overviews the research focus or problem, why the study is worth conducting, and how the study will be completed.

The recommended total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Identify the dissertation topic.

·         State whether the study is quantitative or qualitative.

·         Describe how the study extends prior research or fills a “need” or “defined gap” from current literature.

Background of the Problem

The background section explains both the history and the present state of the problem and research focus.

The recommended total length for this section is two to three paragraphs.

 Identify the “need,” or “defined gap” for the research study.

Discuss how the “need” or “defined gap” has evolved historically into the current problem or opportunity to be addressed by the proposed study.

Theoretical Foundations

This section identifies the theory(-ies) or model(s) that provide the foundation for the research. This section should present the theory(-ies) or models(s) and explain how the problem under investigation relates to the theory(-ies) or model(s). The theory(-ies) or models(s) guide the research questions and justify what is being measured (variables) as well as how those variables are related (quantitative) or the phenomena being investigated (qualitative).

The recommended total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Identify the theory(-ies), model(s) relevant to the variables (quantitative study) or phenomenon (qualitative study).
Note: quantitative studies should have a theory for each variable.

·         Describe how the theories relate to the research problem.

Review of the Literature

This section provides a broad, balanced overview of the existing literature related to the proposed research topic. It describes the literature in related topic areas and its relevance to the proposed research topic findings. It provides a short one-two sentence description of each theme/topic, and it identifies the relevance of the literature to the research topic supporting it with at least one citation from the literature.

The recommended total length for this section is one to two paragraphs.

·         List the major themes or topics related to the study.

·         Provide a short description of each theme/topic.

·         Identify the relevance of each theme to the research topic supporting each with at least one citation 

Problem Statement

This section includes the problem statement, the population affected, and how the study will contribute to solving the problem.

The recommended total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Copy and paste the problem statement from the dissertation.

·         After reading this section, describe the magnitude and importance of the problem, supporting it with citations from the dissertation.

Research Question(s) and/or Hypotheses

This section narrows the focus of the study and specifies the research questions to address the problem statement. Based on the research questions, it describes the variables or groups and their hypothesized relationship (for a quantitative study) or the phenomena under investigation (for a qualitative study).

The recommended total length for this section is two to three paragraphs.

·         Copy and paste the research questions and from the dissertation.

·         For a qualitative study, describe the phenomenon to be studied.

For a quantitative study, identify the hypotheses and variables.

Significance of the Study

This section identifies and describes the significance of the study and the implications of the potential results based on the research questions and the problem statement, hypotheses, or investigated phenomena. It describes how the research fits within and will contribute to the current literature or body of research. It describes potential practical applications from the research.

The recommended total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Describe how the proposed research will contribute to the literature, relating it specifically to other studies from the Background of the Problem and Problem Statement, above.

·         Describe how the proposed research will contribute to the literature on the selected theory(-ies) or model(s) that comprise the Theoretical Foundation for the study

·         Describe how addressing the problem will have practical value for the real world considering the population, community, and/or society.

Rationale for Methodology

This section clearly justifies the methodology the researcher plans to use for conducting the study. It argues how the methodological framework is the best approach to answer the research questions and address the problem statement. It uses citations from textbooks and articles on research methodology and/or articles on related studies.

The recommend total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Identify the methodology for the study (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed).

·         Justify the research methodology to be used for the study by discussing why it is the best approach for answering the research questions and addressing the problem statement.

Nature of the Research Design for the Study

This section describes the specific research design to answer the research questions and why this approach was selected. It describes the research sample being studied as well as the process that will be used to collect the data on the sample.  

The recommend total length for this section is one paragraph. Identify the specific type of research design chosen for the study.

Identify the sample for the study

Discuss why the selected design is appropriate to address the research questions.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose statement section provides a reflection of the problem statement and identifies how the study will be accomplished. It explains how the proposed study will contribute to the field.

The recommend total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Copy and paste the purpose statement from the dissertation.

 

·         Identify the target population, phenomena (qualitative), and variables (quantitative).

Instrumentation or Sources of Data

Describes, in detail, all data collection instruments and sources (tests, questionnaires, interviews, data bases, media, etc.). Discusses the specific instrument or source to collect data for each variable or group (quantitative study). Discusses specific instrument or source to collect information to describe the phenomena being studied (qualitative study).

The recommend total length for this section is one paragraph.

Identify the types of data that will be collected to answer each research question (qualitative study) or the data that will be collected for each variable/group (quantitative study).

Data Collection Procedures

This section details the entirety of the process used to collect the data. It describes each step of the data collection process in a way that another researcher could replicate the study.

The recommended total length for this section is two paragraphs.

Define the target population and the expected sample size, which comprises the people or organizations being studied, as defined in the problem statement.

 Include the steps the researcher used to collect data. (e.g., obtaining initial informed consent from participating organization; IRB review; sample selection; groupings; protecting rights/well-being; maintaining data security; sample recruitment; data collection instruments and approaches; field testing instruments; notifying participants; collecting the data, etc.)

Data Analysis Procedures

This section describes how the data were collected for each variable or group (quantitative study) or for each research question (qualitative study). It describes the type of data to be analyzed, identifying the descriptive, inferential, and/or non-statistical analyses. Demonstrates that the research analysis is aligned to the specific research design.

The recommend total length for this section is one paragraph

·         Describe the analysis to examine each stated research question and/or hypothesis.

·         For quantitative studies, describe the analyses including the inferential and/or descriptive statistics to be completed.

For qualitative studies, describe the specific analytic approach appropriate for the Research Design and each research question to be completed

Ethical Considerations

This section discusses the potential ethical issues surrounding the research as well as how human subjects and data will be protected. It identifies how any potential ethical issues will be addressed.  

The recommended total length for this section is one paragraph.

·         Describe how the identities of the participants in the study and data will be protected

·         Describe subject recruiting, informed consent, and site authorization processes.

References

Include an APA-formatted reference for each citation presented above.