Literature Reviews

TITLE OF DOCTORAL RESEARCH STUDY CENTERED IN UPPERCASE

BOLDFACE LETTERS APPEARING AS AN

INVERTED PYRAMID

Doctoral Research Prospectus

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

Argosy University, Your Campus

Your College Name Here

In Partial Fulfillment of DR8802-A

and the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education <or> Doctor of Business Administration

List your Degree Program or Concentration

By

Your Full Name

Doctoral Research Committee Approval:

​​​​

Joe Smith, Ed.D., Chair Date

Jan Nix, Ph.D., Member

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1The Problem

Significance of the Study 1

Purpose of the Study 1

Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Problem Statements 2

Problem Statements 2

Research Questions 2

Null Hypotheses 3

Alternative or Directional Hypotheses 3

Review of the Literature or Information Sources 4

Anticipated Research Design and Methods 5

Proposed Sample or Setting 5

Proposed Instruments or Intervention 5

Data Collection and Analysis 6

REFERENCES 7

.

DOCTORAL RESEARCH PROSPECTUS

A prospectus helps the doctoral research committee evaluate the viability of a study before a student invests months in planning it in great detail. The research ideas for the prospectus begin in W7000 and are further developed in residency, the research classes, and then finalized in DR8802-A. The prospectus is an expansion of the preliminary plan, outlining the proposed investigation in a paper no longer than 15 pages. It should clearly describe the student’s proposed research to other students, the doctoral research committee, and the campus and/or program administrators. It is evaluated on the merits of whether the student is presenting a viable topic, worthy of doctoral research.

The Problem

All research is based on a problem, and the prospectus serves as an introduction to the problem the student wishes to study. Include a description of the problem and how it affects your field, area, organization, or department.

Significance of the Study

Describe why this this study is important, identifying its potential for bringing about change in existing practice. Explain the study’s potential for contributing to the existing theory (dissertation research) or the organization (applied research).

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study should briefly and succinctly describe the focus and intentions of the research. All previous writing funnels to this specific statement of the purpose, and all subsequent writing supports it. The purpose statement drives the study and should clearly illuminate the goals and intent of the research. Do not include extraneous information in this section.

Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Problem Statements

Each study is bound by certain questions or hypotheses that guide the direction of the research. These should explain what is being asked or explored by the researcher and should reveal the link with the statement of the purpose. Research questions are appropriate for all studies (dissertation and applied research) and all methods (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods). Hypotheses are appropriate for quantitative studies. Problem statements are appropriate for Applied Research studies (examples follow).

Problem Statements

Some applied research studies may choose to deliver “problem statements” to support research questions and in lieu of hypotheses. Problem statements in applied research are explicit, declarative statements specific to the organization and the problem(s) that warrant(s) evaluation, intervention, or seek an applied solution. Research questions are based on these problem statements. Examples of problem statements include:

PS 1: Entry level linemen of JT Aviation take 35% longer, on average, to fuel planes than their counterparts who have worked at the field base office for a year or more.

PS 2: Entry level linemen of JT Aviation make nearly twice as many errors on service receipt details than their counterparts who have worked at the field base office for a year or longer.

Research Questions

The research questions address the purpose of the study by identifying the specific variables to be investigated. They are the smaller questions that guide your study. If you have only one research question, then you are likely restating your research objective rather that determining the smaller questions (based on the variables) that need to be examined. The wording of the research questions determines the type of data to collect and analyze in order to find “answers” to the questions posed. For example:

RQ 1: What is the relationship between peer mentoring as part of the onboarding process and the productivity of entry-level linemen in the JT Aviation field base office?

RQ 2: Is there a significant difference in the error rate on service receipt details of entry-level linemen who are assigned a peer mentor during their first year at the JT Aviation field base office, as compared to entry-level linemen without a peer mentor?

Review of the Literature or Information Sources

The foundation of the dissertation begins with a review of the relevant literature. The relevant theories and the methodological and measurement considerations will be found in the literature. The literature review is extensive but not necessarily exhaustive and should provide the foundation to frame the argument explaining why the study is necessary and relevant.

Example of a Level One Heading

Current Research or Relevant Documents in the Literature

The sources for the literature review include government documents, appropriate databases, books, professional journals, previous research on the topic, dissertations, and other information about previous investigations and existing theories that form the rationale for the current undertaking. Applied research studies may also use appropriate information sources relevant to the investigation that are not from peer-reviewed journals nor what would normally be considered as a scholarly source; yet, the source may still be appropriate and relevant for the research. For example, if an applied research study is investigating problems with an organization’s onboarding process, it may be appropriate to evaluate current and prior training manuals, employee handbooks, and other relevant documents of the company as well those of similar organizations or competitors.

Anticipated Research Design and Methods

The proposed design, procedures, and analysis plan for carrying out the purpose of the study are presented. Describe whether you will be conducting applied research or dissertation research. Also describe your anticipated design for your applied research (i.e., evaluation, action) or dissertation research (i.e., correlational, quasi-experimental, grounded theory, phenomenological, etc.) study. Indicate whether your methods will be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods.

Proposed Sample or Setting

The nature of the study determines the setting (applied research) or the population and sampling procedures (dissertation research). A description of the setting or the sample and the selection procedures or criteria should be presented.

Proposed Instruments or Intervention

The student describes the interventions to be employed at the setting and/or any instruments used to collect data (i.e., tests, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and observational protocols to be used).

Data Collection and Analysis

The type of data to be collected and the method of analyzing the data should be explained for each research question or hypothesis. If the study is quantitative, the statistical measures (i.e., t-test, ANOVA, chi square, etc.) should be specified for each hypothesis. If the study is qualitative, the data analysis (i.e., content analysis, coding) process should be described. Analysis of the data depends on the research design and the data to be collected (e.g., use of SPSS, NVivo, coding manuals, statistical treatments for quantitative data).

REFERENCES

Addington, J., Piskulic, D., & Marshall, C. (2010). Psychosocial treatments for schizophrenia. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(4), 260-263. doi:10.1177/0963721410377743

Adebimpe, V. R. (1981). Overview: White norms and psychiatric diagnosis of black patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 279-285.

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. doi: 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. Retrieved fromhttp://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx

American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57(12), 1060-1073. doi: 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. doi: 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. doi: 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.

Argosy University. (2011). Guide to the doctoral dissertation research process. [A manual for planning and writing a doctoral dissertation at Argosy University]. Retrieved from www.myeclass.com

�You may use this document as a formatting example or template for your prospectus. This template is appropriate for both dissertation and applied research studies

�Your title should be 15 words or less; no more than 3 double-spaced lines; all caps; bold; centered; each line is slightly shorter than the previous line to form an inverted pyramid. Use 12 pt. Times New Roman font.

�List your campus. Online Students should list the Phoenix Campus.

�List College of Counseling, Psychology and Social Services for Counseling Psychology or Pastoral Community Counseling programs. List College of Education for Higher and Postsecondary Education, Teaching and Learning, or Curriculum and Instruction programs. List Graduate School of Business and Management for Organizational Leadership or Business Administration programs.

�List only the degree you are earning. All AU national doctorate degree programs earn the Doctor of Education degree except for Business Administration which earns the Doctor of Business Administration.

�If you are earning a Doctor of Education degree, List your degree program of study: Counseling Psychology; Pastoral Community Counseling; Organizational Leadership; Higher and Postsecondary Education; Teaching and Learning; or Curriculum and Instruction. Students earning a Doctor of Business Administration may list your concentration: Accounting, Marketing, International Business, or Management.

�Students will come up with their own headings and subheadings for the literature review. For the prospectus, this should be about 5 pages.

�This is an example of a level 2 heading. It is left-justified and bold. Use outline rules for subheadings (i.e., you should not include a separate subheading for any heading unless you have at least 2 subheadings to list.)

�Note: This page should be titled “REFERENCES” (in bold). It should not be titled “Works Cited” or “Bibliography” or “List of References” Please note that one of the deviations of AU from standard APA is the use of single spacing for the reference list. Use a “hanging indent” in the paragraph formatting so that subsequent lines after the first are indented .5 spaces.

�Ensure you have a page break following your last bibliographic entry so that your Appendices (if any) begin on a separate page and do not shift around when changes are made to your paper.