Research paper

Draft Research Prospectus – Draft Dissertation Title

Put an introduction section here. Your research prospectus will be a narrative that details the major components of your proposed research, developed at a relatively early stage of your doctoral program. The prospectus guides your preparation of the full-blown Research Proposal, and it will serve as a roadmap for continued refinement of your thinking as you progress in your doctoral program.

The Prospectus should be 3-5 double-spaced pages, APA 7th edition formatted. Include a title page and reference list (not included in page count). The title page should include a working title for your dissertation. Develop the working title after you have completed the prospectus and have developed and selected a tentative Research Question.

In the body of the Prospectus, include headings for each section. Use complete sentences and paragraphs to craft the body each section, no bullet points please. Also, write your prospectus in the future tense. Any mention of a study in past tense is an indication of plagiarism.

Research Problem or Opportunity

Address the following:

Describe the Problem or Opportunity your research will address. Why is it important to explore this problem or opportunity?

Write 2-4 carefully considered paragraphs. Include several different sources from the literature in your discussion.

Your proposed research must encompass the following:

· A problem or opportunity that is of interest to your group

· A research question

· A proposed methodology

· A brief description of the literature gap

· A description of the purpose of the research project

Note that you can use “these researchers” instead of personal pronouns for a more academic tone, e.g. “With several years in the industry, these researchers have observed that managers often under estimate software project completion timelines.” Also, you can address how your proposed research reflects a problem or opportunity in IT that specifically pertains to a UC PhDIT concentration. I.e., How does your proposed research reflect a problem or opportunity that is of interest to your group?

Research Question

For this exercise, you will practice developing research questions related to the topic that you have been chosen. Note: This exercise might result in a question that you will decide to use for your research. It is recommended that you consider this exercise a starting point for developing a research question that you will refine later as you work with your mentors. For this group project, it’s simply a way to collaborate and decide on something that works for the group.

Great tips on developing research questions from Notre Dame:

https://library.ndnu.edu/researchbasics/researchquestion

Develop two potential research questions that contain the following:

· What? or How?

· Region

· Industry or Sector

· Organizational Context

· Managerial Context

· Theoretical context

· Methodological Context

Before you develop your question, complete the following:

a) Complete the table below

b) Review the examples of actual research questions

Component	Specific to Your Proposed Research
What? or How?
Organizational Context
Managerial Context
Industry or Sector
Theoretical Context
Methodological Context

Examples of research questions from actual dissertations:

· How does the implementation of Appreciative Inquiry, applied virtually, impact the LNOC’s (Libyan National Oil Corporation) awareness of its effect on air quality? Elmabrok, F.

· What leadership style do ARPC (Air Reserve Personnel Center – Denver) managers prefer to use? Sampayo, J.

· How do organizational leaders plan and develop an IT infrastructure strategy in a rapidly changing IT environment? Waheed, M.

· What is the employees’ perspective of engagement in a pharmaceutical/biotech organization? Trivedi, M.

· Based on the lived experiences of management master graduates from both online and ground programs, what are the similarities and differences in their experiences with employers when job and promotion seeking? Goodloe, A.

Research Question 1:

Research Question 2:

Gap in Literature

One of the outcomes of your literature review and preparation thus is to identify what is called “a gap in the body of knowledge.” The gap indicates where research has not been done yet. Your research in the area of this “gap” will yield a small, but valuable “contribution to the body of knowledge.”

Using recommendations from published studies, what is the “gap in the body of knowledge” that you have identified? A great source to use to identify a gap in the literature is found in recent journal articles. In virtually every journal article reporting the results of original research, you’ll find a section recommending future research. Most dissertations also have a mandatory section where the author must recommend future research that will expand on their own project. Citing these authors correctly can help you tell the story that justifies your research project.

Purpose of the Research

Your research project will have a specific purpose. It will test a theory using new data, or provide actionable data to managers in the field, or explore a phenomenon. Check out this website, it has “fill in the blank” purpose statements you can use.

https://researchpaperadvisor.com/lets-get-started/write-the-purpose-statement/

Methodological Discussion

A research methodology refers to the systematic way in which you go about addressing your research question. Generally, the wording of the research question determines the research methodology. There are two major traditions—qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research is more exploratory, and is often used in the social sciences. Since computers are used by humans, you see it in our field quite often as well. Quantitative research uses numerical “proof” and statistical measures of confidence to provide a more…quantifiable answer to research questions. You can have a mixture of both, using data from one method to supplement data gathered in the other.

https://www.guide2research.com/research/how-to-write-research-methodology

In this section, your group will propose a research methodology, including a description of the way you’d gather data. Interviews? Surveys? Experimental design? If you’re gathering data from people, describe the study’s “population.”

Conclusion

Conclude your paper here, emphasizing the most important points. It would be good to conclude by restating the importance of the research so the reader goes away feeling that the group has identified a worthwhile project.

References