Ph.D. Dissertation Content Proposal Guidelines

Title Page:	Name of project, candidate’s name, date of defense, committee members
Abstract:	Title, candidate name, abstract up to 350 words, dbl-spaced
Table of Contents:	Recommended

Introduction:

• The research problem or issue
  Identify the policy/practice issue. State how the topic/problem came about or was identified.
• The context of the problem
• The importance or significance of the problem
  How extensive is the problem? Why is this particular issue of interest? Why is research needed to address the issue?

Literature Review:

• A logically organized and integrated summary and critique of literature relevant to your topic.
• A statement or statements identifying gaps in the current knowledge base and/or which documents a need for the proposed study
• Your research question(s) and/or a statement of the study purpose

Methods:

• The research design and the rationale for the design.
  What procedures will you follow in carrying out the study? Your description should be thorough enough so that your readers could replicate the study.
• Data collection procedures
  What are the major variables, concepts, or guiding questions? For quantitative studies: How will the variables be operationalized? How will you measure them? What tool or approach will you use for collecting data?
• Sample or Population
  Who (or what type of cases) will be studied?
  What are the criteria for inclusion and/or exclusion?
  What is the source of data?
• Reliability/Validity/ Protection vs. Researcher Bias
  What factors might affect the reliability and validity of your study? How do you plan to address or establish reliability and validity? What potential extraneous factors might influence your results? How do you plan to minimize their influence?
• Intervention
  If your project involves either monitoring or assessing the outcome of an intervention, describe the intervention in detail including how it was delivered and by whom.
• Human Subjects Review
  What are the human subjects review issues relevant to your study?

References:   In standard APA format

Appendices:   Tables, graphs, letters of support, measurement instruments, etc.

Approved by the PhD Committee, 4/9/04