Research Paper Assignment Instructions
Overview
In this course, you will build the outline for your dissertation. Your dissertation consists of five chapters, each containing sections, and the student will set up only the first three chapters in this class. These do NOT have to be finished copies, however, the basis of the dissertation will be set up, so you may have a basic framework moving forward in your studies.
NOTE: You will resubmit the same document throughout this course. You will add onto the dissertation with each course milestone (each module). Hence, all the instructions for each part are contained in this document.
NOTE 2: Your committee chair may ask you to add sections or rearrange sections, which is acceptable. This course follows the text’s outline and will not necessarily produce a final dissertation copy, but a framework to present to the chair of the committee. Every dissertation is different, so the length is a guideline. There is no maximum length of each section, unless noted differently.
NOTE 3: For this class, you will use the Dissertation Template given in this Module: Week. Your paper should be a running paper through the first five Modules: Weeks.
Instructions
Research Topic Submission Instructions
This section is the opening 1–2 paragraphs of the student’s dissertation, which will be titled “Background” or something of that nature, in his/her dissertation. This paper section must contain a title page, body of the paper, and a reference page. This section is the opening paragraph or two of your dissertations, titled “Background” or something of that nature, in your dissertation. It tells the reader what your study is about, why it is important, and who will benefit from the study. It also contains a basic or general history of the problem (those historical details will be included in a different section). This paper section should contain a title page, body of the paper, and a reference page. At least 2 references (all peer-reviewed) should be included in this draft. All references (here and future parts) should be no more than five (5) years old.
Problem Statement / Research Questions Instructions
The next section of the paper involves an expansion of the first paragraph on why the student’s chosen dissertation issue is a problem related to criminal justice. This section will be titled “Problem Statement,” will be at least 4 paragraphs, and include at least 4 additional peer-reviewed references. At the conclusion of the problem statement, a new section, titled “Research Question(s)” will be added. In this brief section, the student will post his or her 1–3 central research question(s), which the student will seek to answer in his or her dissertation.
Draft Purpose Statement Instructions
The next section of the paper gives the purpose of the study. It explains what the student wants to accomplish and what his/her motivation for this study. The statement also includes the significance of the research. This section will be about 1–2 paragraphs on the purpose of the research. This entire section will be at least 4 paragraphs and include at least 4 additional peer-reviewed references.
Conceptual Draft of Chapter 1 Instructions
Now that the above is completed, the student must reread the chapter thoroughly and make corrections. Only 11 references have been required so far, but at least 9 more must be added at this point. Chapter 1 should be 8-10 pages, with at least twenty (20) peer-reviewed references dated within 5 years. You also should include the following additional sections:
- Operational Definitions: A section where important terms for your paper are defined.
- Scope and limitations: This area gives what you will be measuring and what your paper encompasses. The limitations are areas you cannot measure or what you cannot evaluate because of impossibility or other reasons noted in the text.
- Summary: This section is a one (1) paragraph summary of everything in chapter 1, with a transition statement to chapter 2.
Chapter 1 should be at least 8-10 double-spaced pages of content, with at least 20 peer-reviewed references.
Conceptual Draft of Chapter 2 (Literature Review) Instructions
This chapter of the paper is the longest and usually the most difficult for students. Only two prescribed sections are included in chapter 2 as this presents the student’s research into what has been written about the topic. Chapter 2 will begin with an introduction and the student’s strategies to finding literature. The student must give a percentage ratio of his/her sources since 85% of the references in any dissertation must come from peer-reviewed research and 15% may come from other sources. After those two sections, the literature review is written. This literature review must be at least 30 pages. At the end of this section, you should have at least twenty (20) additional references though in this class (for a total of at least 50 pages, including chapter 1). A summary paragraph should be included at the end, with a transition to chapter 3.
The final paper in this class should be 38-40 pages, NOT including the title page, table of contents, references, appendixes, etc.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.