(revision date: 02/25/2014)

Introduction to Concept Paper Development and the University Review Process

Northcentral UniversityThe Graduate School

February 2014

Overview of the Presentation

• What is a Concept Paper?• Problem Statement Development• Research Questions• What is a “brief” literature review?• What is required in the methods section?• A note on alignment• Component resources• Available Northcentral University resources• The University Review Process: An introduction• The role of the Graduate School• How to accept and incorporate scholarly feedback• A note about multiple reviews• Satisfactory Academic Progress• Questions & Answers

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What is a Concept Paper?

• The Concept Paper (CP) is a “pre-proposal” or abbreviated proposal. A well-done CP is the basis of a strong proposal. Approval of a CP indicates that the research topic and problem are tenable and grounded in recent and key research on the topic.

A Concept Paper must:• have problem and purpose statements and research questions in

near final format.• contain an articulated but not final research design.• offer an explanation of how the study will contribute to theory

(PhD studies) or practice (Professional Applied Doctorates).• be well-written with proper Northcentral University and APA

formatting.

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Problem Statement Development

• Articulation of a concise problem statement is key to a successful proposal/dissertation manuscript. The problem statement is a brief discussion and documentation of a problem that demonstrates the need for and importance of the study. Describe and document a problem that leads directly to the study purpose.

• The problem statement should summarize what we know about an area and what we still do not know. Dissertation research aims to add to our knowledge and fill in some of the “what we still do not know” part of the problem statement.

• Present a focused problem that leads to the need for a research response. For some degree programs (DBA, EdD) the problem identified might be a practical problem or issue. The problem must be documented and relevant beyond any particular study site.

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What is Required in the Methods Section?

• Because the research plan is in the concept paper stage, a highly detailed research design is not expected. The concept paper, however, provides a foundation for the next step in the dissertation process, the development of the proposal. A well-conceived and well written and researched concept paper serves as a foundation or blueprint for the remainder of dissertation work.

• In the concept paper include the proposed research method (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) and present a rationale for the appropriateness of the method and design.

• Include a brief discussion of why the method/design(s) is chosen over others. Discussion is not simply a listing and description of research designs; rather, elaboration demonstrates how the proposed method and design will accomplish the study goals, why the design is the optimum choice for the proposed research, and how the method aligns with the purpose and research questions.

• Be sure to provide a brief description of the proposed data collection and analysis procedures. Provide appropriate foundational support for the proposed study design. Be sure to include operational definitions (fully defined), and describe the measurement.

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Research Questions

• Research questions must address the purpose of the study. Answering the questions must accomplish the study’s purpose and contribute to addressing the problem.

• One must be able to trace all the ideas in the study questions back through the purpose statement to the problem statement. The research questions and the design and method should align. Once the problem and purpose is determined, then the research questions are established.

• Research questions are distinct and answerable, given the identified constructs/phenomenon and population.

Quantitative• Research questions are included and the questions, include corresponding proposed

hypotheses. • Research questions and hypotheses are aligned with the problem statement. Qualitative• Proposed research questions that are related to the phenomenon are stated.• Proposed research questions are aligned with problem statement. • The qualitative method(s) by which the research questions will be/are answered are

included.Mixed Methods• Includes all of the above.

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What is a Brief Literature Review?

The goal of a literature review (even brief) is to familiarize readers with the state of the knowledge base and how this knowledge base has been developed.

When reviewing empirical research studies, it is important to provide a methodological context so that readers can evaluate the findings. This also helps readers to see what types of methodologies have been used in the empirical examination of the various topics related to your specific research topic. Further, this provides methodological foundation for the current study. Discuss the methodological context of the studies discussed in the literature review.

•What is covered in the literature review is guided by the research questions and the variables/concepts that are embedded in the research questions.•Remember to synthesize. Synthesizing involves taking a group of studies and looking for areas of convergence and divergence.•In the review, at least 7 to 10 of the most important works or studies that touch upon the dissertation topic or problem are discussed.•Use scholarly and peer-reviewed sources.

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A Note on Alignment

A note on alignment: It is essential that the main components of a dissertation be aligned.

The problem, purpose, research questions, and hypotheses should:- all include the same variables and/or key constructs- be consistent with the relationships proposed between and

among variables- the proposed relationships should be consistent with theoretical

framework- must reflect the study methodology

Review the NCU Doctoral Candidacy Resource Guide Appendix D for samples of aligned components.

8(revision date: 2/26/2012)

Component Resources

The Dissertation Center offers many resources for dissertation component development.

The following inform all dissertation components:

• The Doctoral Candidacy Resource Guide.

• The Milestone Document Templates and Guidebooks.

• Institutional Review Board (IRB) information.

• Differentiating PhD and Applied Doctorates

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Available Northcentral University Resources

• The Northcentral University Dissertation Center • The Northcentral University Library• The Northcentral University Academic Success

Center• The Northcentral University Doctoral Candidacy

Resource Guide

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The University Review Process: An Introduction

• The Dissertation Process involves milestones representing significant academic accomplishments. Each milestone is a gateway toward degree completion.

• The Concept Paper, Dissertation Proposal, IRB Application and Dissertation Manuscript are reviewed by your dissertation committee who will provide feedback each step of the way.

• The Oral Examination is handled and approved by your dissertation committee.

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Academic Review in The Graduate School

• Concept Papers, Dissertation Proposals, and Dissertation Manuscripts are reviewed for acceptance by a doctoral dissertation committee.- The committee is led by a Dissertation Chair and includes a Subject

Matter Expert (SME) and a Methodological Committee Member (MCM).

- The purpose of a committee is to provide a level of checks and balances to ensure the quality of doctoral degrees.

- Milestone documents may be reviewed many times by committee members and the student needs to keep in mind the dissertation process is iterative.

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A Note about Multiple Reviews

• Often, when changes are made in response to a previous review, issues may be exacerbated in another area of the document. Hence, comments will not always be limited to comments in the previous review.

• It is helpful to remember that scholarly research is iterative and non-linear. Making a change in a later version to correct an issue in a previous version may reveal new issues that need to be addressed in the subsequent version.

• Throughout the dissertation process candidates are subject to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

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