The Premise guideline

Topic - Staff Perception Towards Attending Staff Development Activities

The study Premise document is used to identify a preliminary topic (problem) for your study. This topic should be the product of an initial investigation on your part but will be subject to change and refinement and will inform the development of your prospectus.

Completing the Premise

The study Premise consists of four parts: title, problem statement, approach for the study, and references. An annotated outline is included in this guide and should be used to create your premise document. Your primary goal for the premise is to narrow your study topic such that you have provided a general sense of the direction of your research by identifying an initial problem to study. At this point, you do not need to know everything about the research project, especially the details of your methodology. Many of those specific decisions are made during the proposal development phase of your study, although some consideration of how you will execute your study is appropriate from the beginning.

All documents related to your study, including the premise should follow the guidelines in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and should be saved in a .doc file format.

When completed, please follow the submission guidelines for research course. You may also want to review the key indicators in the Premise Rubric are used to assure on the whole quality of the Research Problem, which has been provided at the end of this guide.

An Annotated Outline
The Premise document includes a title page (page 1) followed by pages containing the required elements in the premise.

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 "Premise." Please note that your study title will likely change as the project evolves, so allow yourself the flexibility to adapt your title, as necessary. Include your name, your program of study, and your student number-double- spaced and centered under the title. Title Start with "Premise" 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:

- A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in the research literature that has relevance to the discipline and/or area of practice.

- Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. Provide at least five key citations that highlight the relevance and currency of the problem.

Approach for the Study
Identify a possible research approach that is appropriate for the tentative topic identified in the problem statement, along with any initial thoughts on methodology:
- Quantitative
- Qualitative
- Mixed methods, primarily quantitative
- Mixed methods, primarily qualitative
- Other: Specify

1. Justified?
Does evidence support that this problem is significant to the professional field? Evidence- relevant statistics (e.g., expressing an inequality, financial impact, lost efficiency), documentable discrepancies (e.g., two models that are difficult to reconcile), or other scholarly facts-must point to the significance and urgency of the problem. The problem must be an authentic "puzzle" that needs solving, not merely a topic that
the researcher finds interesting.

2. Grounded in the Research Literature?
Can the problem be framed to enable the research to either build on or counter previously published findings on the topic? For most fields, being grounded involves articulating the problem within the context of a theoretical or conceptual framework. Although many approaches can ground a study in the scientific literature, the essential requirement is that the problem is framed such that the new findings will have implications for the previous findings.

3. Original?
Does the problem reflect a meaningful gap in the research literature? Addressing the problem should result in an original contribution to the nursing practice.

4. Compliant to Scientific Study?
Can a scholarly, systematic method of inquiry be applied to address the problem? The framing of the problem should not reveal bias or present an unavoidable conclusion. Even if the researcher has a strong opinion on the expected findings, the researcher must maximize scholarly objectivity by framing the problem in the context of a systematic inquiry that permits multiple possible conclusions.

References in APA style