Type your abstract here.  Write a concise summary of the key points of your research.  (Do not indent.)  Your abstract should contain at least your research topic, research questions, participants, methods, results, data analysis, and conclusions.  You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings.  Your abstract should be a single paragraph double-spaced.  Your abstract should be between 150 and 250 words.

Dedication

This is where you can write a dedication. This occurs ONLY when you submit your final capstone in Unit 9. 

Acknowledgements

This is where you can write acknowledgements. This occurs ONLY when you submit your final capstone in Unit 9. 

Include a list of tables if you use any tables in your capstone. Most students do not have tables in their work. If you elect not to have tables, delete this page and update the table of contents (be sure it is double-spaced when you are done).

Include a list of figures if you use any tables in your capstone. Most students do not have tables in their work. If you elect not to have figures, delete this page and update the table of contents (be sure it is double-spaced when you are done). 

Manuscript Title Here (from the title page)

Type your introduction here.  Remember to include an overview of what your manuscript aims to do (e.g. research a problem, identify a new management concept, etc.). 

This is an informative paragraph that helps the reader understand why you chose this topic. Review the background of the topic and elaborate here. Use language such as, Thefollowing section will discuss the background of the topic. 

This paragraph piggybacks on the previous paragraph.  Now that you have discussed the background, tell the reader what the general problem is and why you want to research it. Your general problem is a broad overview of the general problem. Oftentimes, the general problem is viewed at the national level with supporting evidence from governmental websites that provide quantitative statistics. The paragraph must begin with, The general problem is…

This paragraph piggybacks on the previous paragraph.  Now that you have discussed the general problem, tell the reader what the specific problem is and why you want to research it. Your specific problem statement usually encompasses a specific population, demography, or geographic location.  Oftentimes, the specific problem is viewed at the local level with supporting evidence that provides quantitative statistics. The paragraph must begin with, The specific problem is…

This paragraph simply tells the reader the purpose of your research. (Example: The purpose of this research is to determine whether a relationship exists between nursing Helpant staffing levels and quality of care in skilled nursing facilities). The paragraph must begin with, The purpose of this research is…

This paragraph provides an overview of the specific research questions you plan to investigate. You are only required to have one research question; however, you may use more if needed. This section is where you unfold your research to the reader. What do you want to uncover? This is where you ask the question(s). Use language such as: The research addressed the following research questions.

RQ1: Ask your research question here. 

RQ2: Ask your research question here.

Example: 

RQ1: How does geographic location relate to the level of quality in nursing homes?

RQ2: How does socioeconomic status relate to the level of quality in nursing homes?

Briefly discuss how you were able to validate or refute the null hypotheses. Use language such as, The following null and alternative hypotheses served as the foundation for the study:

H10: There is no correlation between x and y. 

H1A: There is a correlation between x and y. 

H20: There is no correlation between A and B. 

H2A: There is a correlation between A and B. 

Example:

H10: There is no correlation between geographic location and the level of quality in nursing homes.

H1A: There is a correlation between geographic location and the level of quality in nursing homes.

H20: There is no correlation between socioeconomic status and the level of quality in nursing homes.

H2A: There is a correlation between socioeconomic status and the level of quality in nursing homes.

If you have words in your capstone that may be confusing, unknown to the general public, or words that require further explanation, please use this area.  The following definitions of terms apply to the current research.

Definition example.  This is an example of how you would define definition example. Please follow this exact same format for each word that you need to define in your capstone. 

Second example.  This is the second example. See how you italicize the word when you define it? Please follow this exact same format for each word that you need to define in your capstone.

This section is the literature review. You will need two to three concepts to elaborate on relative to your research. This paragraph is a brief overview of what a literature review is and what concepts you plan to discuss. Briefly introduce your next capstone section.  While this may seem redundant at each section, it is important to remind the reader at the beginning of each section. 

Research your topic in the library.  Read articles, dissertations, and other scholarly materials.  Elaborate on one concept that stood out to you as important for your manuscript. 

Research your topic in the library.  Read articles, dissertations, and other scholarly materials.  Elaborate on one concept that stood out to you as important for your manuscript. 

Research your topic in the library.  Read articles, dissertations, and other scholarly materials.  Elaborate on one concept that stood out to you as important for your manuscript. 

Briefly introduce your next capstone section.  While this may seem redundant at each section, it is important to remind the reader of your research at the beginning of each section. The reason for this? In the event someone is interested in your research, but they do not want to read the entire manuscript, they can easily learn about your research in the beginning of every section. 

Elaborate on the differences among various research methodologies. What are the differences between qualitative research and quantitative research? Which was more appropriate for your study? Why? More than likely, this will be a descriptive research project, focusing more on the literature surrounding the topic, rather than conducting actual quantitative or qualitative research.

Discuss your study population. The study population is the larger picture of the research. If you were conducting research focused on childhood education, your study population would include children who are in school. This may be at a local level, state level, national level, or even at the global level. You determine the study population by how big you want the scope of your project to be. 

Elaborate on your sampling frame here. The sampling frame is the smaller picture of the study population that you can actually obtain information from. For instance, in the same research that is interested in childhood education, the sampling frame may be 10 students from a local school. These ten students would then be used in your data collection process. 

Discuss the collection of your data. Was it quantitative or qualitative? How did you collect the data? How did you protect the integrity of the data? For our example, if 10 nursing home residents could be interviewed; this would be qualitative in nature. Likewise, conducting a numerical poll would be quantitative. If you conduct personal interviews, you will want to ensure minimal researcher bias. 

Discuss the process where you analyzed your data. How did you analyze it? If quantitative, what statistical tool did you use? If qualitative, how did you interpret the information? 

Briefly introduce your next capstone section.  While this may seem redundant at each section, it is important to remind the reader at the beginning of each section. The following section will discuss the limitations, use and applications of findings, and recommendations of the research. 

Discuss the limitations of your study. Do not leave this paragraph empty; there are always limitations (e.g. time, funding, scope, etc.). 

Summarize your findings from your research. (For example: The use and application of these findings may contribute to…by….). There should be at least 3 recommendations (each a separate paragraph).

Recommendation: Type here.  Thinking outside the box, think of what recommendations you can make to improve the problem you have identified previously. Elaborate why your recommendation is appropriate. 

Recommendation: Type here.  Thinking outside the box, think of what recommendations you can make to improve the problem you have identified previously. Elaborate why your recommendation is appropriate. 

Recommendation: Type here.  Thinking outside the box, think of what recommendations you can make to improve the problem you have identified previously. Elaborate why your recommendation is appropriate. 

Summarize your manuscript here. This is a summary of your entire capstone, not just the last section. Your conclusion may end up being a few pages, depending on the length of your research.