Dissertation Topic : Holistic Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment

The 2015 edition of the Dissertation Prospectus guide contains additional material to support prospectus development. What has not changed are the basic expectations for the content of the prospectus and how it will be evaluated and approved. Specific new items in this guide include

- discussion of the prospectus process in My Doctoral Research (MyDR);

- added clarity in the outline annotations;

- enhanced formatting for better presentation, including a separate Purpose section;

- updated sample prospectus to include more recent research;

- a new data-driven section on tips for writing a quality prospectus;

- and the sample prospectus as captured in the historic alignment tool (HAT), which is introduced in Residency 3.

The Prospectus

The Dissertation Prospectus is a brief document that provides preliminary information about your dissertation research and is used in two ways:

- It serves as an agreed-upon plan for developing the proposal that is evaluated to ensure a doctoral-level project.

- It serves as a step to finalize the structure of your dissertation supervisory committee, who will work with you on completing the dissertation.

An Annotated Outline

The Prospectus document includes a title page (page 1) followed by pages containing the required elements in the prospectus. Please use the Prospectus template that is available on the Writing Center website.

Title Page

The recommended title length is 12 words or fewer to include the topic, the variables and relationship between them, and the most critical keywords. Double-space the title if over one line of type and center it under the word "Prospectus." Please note that your dissertation title will likely change as the project evolves.

Include your name, your program of study (and specialization, if applicable), and Banner

ID number-double-spaced and centered under the title.

Title

Start with "Prospectus" and a colon, and then include the title as it appears on the title page. Double-space if over one line of type and center it at the top of the page.

Problem Statement

Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a review of research findings and current practice and that contains the following information:

1. A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in the research literature that has current relevance to the discipline and area of practice. Keep in mind that a gap in the research is not, in and of itself, a reason to conduct research. Make sure to clarify the problem that led you to the gap.

2. Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. Provide three to five key citations that support the relevance and currency of the problem. These references need not all be from peerreviewed journals but should be from reputable sources, such as national agency databases or scholarly books, and should ideally be from the past 5 years.

Purpose

Present a concise, one-paragraph statement on the overall purpose or intention of the study, which serves as the connection between the problem being addressed and the focus of the study.

• In quantitative studies, state what needs be studied by describing two or more factors (variables) and a conjectured relationship among them related to the identified gap or problem.

• In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue to be studied, based on the identified gap or problem.

• In mixed-methods studies, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, clarify how the two approaches will be used together to inform the study.

• For other approaches, clarify why an alternative approach is needed and useful for this project.

Significance

Provide one or two paragraphs, informed by the topic in the problem statement, that describe the following:

1. How this study will contribute to filling the gap identified in the problem statement: What original contribution will this study make?

2. How this research will support professional practice or allow practical application: Answer the So what? question.

3. How the claim aligns with the problem statement to reflect the potential relevance of this study to society: How might the potential findings lead to positive social change?

Background

Provide a representative list of scholarship and findings that support and clarify the main assertions in the problem statement, highlighting their relationship to the topic, for example, "this variable was studied with a similar sample by Smith (2013) and Johnson (2014)" or "Jones's (2012) examination of industry leaders showed similar trends in the same key segments." Some of these resources may have already been mentioned in the first sections of the prospectus and can be included here, also.

Framework

In one paragraph, describe the theoretical/conceptual framework in the scholarly literature that will ground the study. Base this description on the problem, purpose, and background of your study. This theoretical or conceptual framework informs, and is informed by, the research question(s) and helps to identify research design decisions, such as the method of inquiry and data collection and analysis.

Research Question(s)

List the question or a series of related questions that are informed by the study purpose, which will lead to the development of what needs to be done in this study and how it will be accomplished. A research question informs the research design by providing a foundation for

• generation of hypotheses in quantitative studies,

• questions necessary to build the design structure for qualitative studies, and a

• process by which different methods will work together in mixed-methods studies.

Nature of the Study

Using one of the following terms as a subheading; provide a concise paragraph that discusses the approach that will be used to address the research question(s) and how this approach aligns with the problem statement. The subheadings and examples of study design are as follows:

• Quantitative-for experimental, quasiexperimental, or nonexperimental designs;

treatment-control; repeated measures; causal-comparative; single-subject; predictive studies; or other quantitative approaches

• Qualitative-for ethnography, case study, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, phenomenological research, policy analysis, or other qualitative traditions

• Mixed methods, primarily quantitative-for sequential, concurrent, or transformative studies, with the main focus on quantitative methods

• Mixed methods, primarily qualitative-for sequential, concurrent, or transformative studies, with the main focus on qualitative methods

• Other-for another design, to be specified with a justification provided for its use.

Possible Types and Sources of Data

Provide a list of possible types and sources of data that could be used to address the proposed research question(s), such as test scores from college students, employee surveys, observations of a phenomenon, interviews with practitioners, historical documents from state records, deidentified medical records, or information from a federal database. Sources of information that support and clarify the problem belong in the Background section.

If you are thinking about collecting data on a sensitive topic or from a vulnerable population, an early consultation with the IRB  (IRB@waldenu.edu) during your prospectus writing process is recommended to gain ethics guidance that you can incorporate into your subsequent proposal drafts and research planning. Find more information on the IRB Guides and FAQs page.

Possible Analytical Strategies (Optional)

Offer some possible ways to organize and analyze the results obtained by the research strategies detailed previously. A few examples of possible analytical strategies include multiple regression, content analysis, and meta-analysis. Keep in mind that data analysis approaches are generally decided after the research question and data collection approach are settled, so your strategy here may evolve and change as you develop your proposal.

Other Information (Optional)

Include any other relevant information, such as challenges or barriers that may need to be addressed when conducting this study.

References

On a new page, list your references formatted in the correct style (sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, modeled at the end of this guide) for all citations within the Dissertation Prospectus.

Attachment:- dissertation_prospectus.rar