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Writing Style

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations- Chicago Style for Students and Researchers (8th Edition) accepted norms for overall writing guidelines, including all citations, reference pages and title pages. 

· 12-15 double spaced pages of research in New Times Roman 12 with 1 inch margins.

· 10-12 literature review sources

· Reference and title pages (do not count toward page count)

· Appendixes as needed (do not count toward page count)

· Headers and subheaders are encouraged

· should follow Chicago (Author/Date) writing guidelines and always provide a title page and reference page.

· The following elements must be included in your proposal, arranged as suggested by Creswell (2014) in Chapter 4.

Abstract

recommends a length of 150-250 words

Major components

· Start with the issue or problem leading to the need for the research.

· Indicate the purpose of the study

· State what data will be collected

· Indicate themes or statistical results that will likely be found in the study

· Mention practical implications

Your introductions should not exceed two pages (double spaced, typed).

Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Introductions

· In a qualitative project, the author will describe a project that can best be understood by exploring a concept of phenomenon.

· Concept may be “immature” due to a lack of theory and previous research

· The available theory may be inaccurate, inappropriate or biased

· A need exists to explore and describe the phenomena and develop a theory

· The nature of the phenomenon may not be suited for quantitative research

· May be less inductive while relying on the perspective of the participants

· May begin with a personal statement of experiences from the author

· In quantitative projects the problem is best addressed by understanding the factors that influence an outcome

· Researchers may advance a theory to test

· Incorporate substantial reviews of the literature

· Written from an impersonal point of view and in the past tense to convey o

· objectivity

· A mixed methods study can employ qualitative or quantitative approach or some combination in writing the introduction

· May tip in the direction of one or the other

· The emphasis may be equal

A Model for an Introduction

· The deficiencies model of an introduction

· Builds on gaps existing in the literature

· Includes the elements of

· stating the research problem,

· reviewing past studies about the problem,

· indicating deficiencies in those studies, and

· Advancing the significance of the study.

Studies Addressing the Problem

Deficiencies and Past Literature

The Purpose Statement

Significance and Meaning of a Purpose Statement

· Indicates why you want to do the study and what you intend to accomplish.

· Conveys the overall intent of a proposed study in one sentence or several sentences.

· Sets forth the intent of the study.

Research Questions and Hypotheses

Qualitative Research Questions

· The qualitative researcher asks one or two central questions

. A broad question asked for an exploration of the central phenomenon or concept in a study.

. The question is posed consistent with the emerging methodology of qualitative research.

· The qualitative researcher also asks several associated subquestions.

. Subquestions narrow the focus of the study but leave open the questioning

. The researcher asks no more than 5 to 7 subquestions.

. The sub questions become specific questions used during interviews (or in observing or when looking at documents).

· Relate the central question to the specific qualitative strategy of inquiry.

· Begin the research questions with the words what or how to convey an open and emerging design.

· Focus on a single phenomenon or concept.

· Use exploratory verbs that convey the language of the emerging design. For example:

. Report

. Describe

. Discover, etc.

· Use nondirectional rather than directional words such as affect, influence or impact. These directional words suggest quantitative research.

· Expect the research questions involving change during study.

· Use open ended questions without reference to the literature or theory, unless otherwise indicated by a qualitative strategy of inquiry.

· Specify the participants in the research site for the study.

 Quantitative Research Questions and Hypotheses

· Quantitative research questions inquire about the relationships among variables.

· Quantitative hypotheses are predictions the researcher makes about the expected outcomes of relationships among variables.

· Guidelines for writing quantitative research questions and hypotheses include:

. The use of variables is typically limited to three basic approaches.

. The researcher may compare groups on independent variable to see its impact on a dependent variable

. the researcher may relate one or more independent variables to one or more dependent variables

. The researcher may describe responses to the independent, mediating, or dependent variables.

· The most rigorous formal quantitative research follows from a test of a theory. The research questions or hypotheses logically follow from the relationship among variables in the theory.

· The independent and dependent variables must be measured separately and not measured on the same concept.

· Write only research questions or hypotheses not both unless the hypotheses built on the research questions.

· There are two forms of hypotheses

. The null hypothesis represents the traditional approach. It makes a prediction that in the general population’s no relationships were significant differences exist.

. The alternative hypothesis makes a prediction about the expected outcome, basing the prediction on prior literature. The alternative hypothesis can be directional or nondirectional.

· Generally use non-demographic variables such as attitudes or behaviors as mediating variables or moderating variables.

· Use the same pattern of word order in the questions or hypotheses to help the reader to easily identify major variables.

A Model for Descriptive Questions and Hypotheses

· Write descriptive questions followed by inferential questions or hypotheses.

· The writer specifies descriptive questions for each independent dependent variable and important intervening or moderating variables. Inferential questions that relate variables or compare groups will follow these descriptive questions.

Mixed Methods Research Questions and Hypotheses

· Either qualitative and quantitative research questions or hypotheses need to be advanced in a mixed methods study.

· When writing these questions or hypotheses follow the guidelines for scripting good questions or hypotheses.

· Attention should be given to the order of the research questions and hypotheses. For example. In a two-phase project, the first phase questions would come first.

· In addition to quantitative and qualitative questions or hypotheses include a mixed methods research question that addresses the mixing of the quantitative and qualitative strands.

· There are three forms to writing mixed method questions.

. Convey the methods or procedures in a study

. Convey the content of the study

. Combine the methods and content.

· An ideal format would be to write the questions into separate sections, such as a quantitative questions or hypotheses, qualitative questions, in the mixed methods question.