Homeless Men and Women and the Difference
Table of Contents (example) Page
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Significance of the Study
Definition of Terms
Limitations
Delimitations (Scope)
Assumptions
Table of Figures Page
Abstract
The abstract is a summary of the entire study. It should describe in short, concise language the statement of purpose, methods of investigation and conclusions.
The abstract should begin with a clear statement of the problem or problems being researched. Describe the purpose of the paper or what is to be proven or discovered. Express these points with as few words as possible.
Briefly describe the methods of investigation and where the information was obtained. Relate how the materials and data were used in the study. Outline the system of analysis.
Finally, state the conclusions and how they relate to the original problem. Recommendations which are directly made from the results of the study should be presented.
The total length of the abstract should be approximately 250 words (under 1 page).
Introduction
Introduce the reader to your topic.
Note: See the Creswell text Chapter 5 for examples
Problem Statement
What are the organizational problems / issues you are investigating?What is the problem? Define it explicitly! Why is it worthy of research?
Why is it important? How long has it been going on?Why are you doing the study? What is the "gap" in the research you are trying to fill?
Note: See the Creswell text Chapter 6 for examples
Research Question
Note: See the Creswell text Chapter 7 for examples of research questions
Significance of the Study
The significance section is the area where you need to answer the magic question: "so what?" The significance makes your research worth it to the reader. It isbest if you can link this more to productivity issues and provide "numbers/facts" to support your direction. Why do researchers and management care about your problem?
Definition of Terms
How do YOU define the important terms in the study? I may define downsizing different than you. When I read your paper I need to know exactly how you, the researcher, define the important terms. You need to "ground" your definitions with citations/references
Note: See the Creswell text Chapter 2 for examples
Delimitations (Scope)
What specific population or area are you looking into? Are you only interested in people from your organization? Will it cover multiple organizations? Are you only interested in people who work in HR? Only men, etc...Remember this is how YOU focus your study.
Assumptions
What are you assuming about the people you are studying? Remember, this is what you are assuming, not what you are aiming to uncover through your research. In other words, if you are asking a question you aren't assuming the answer. This is also where you can identify and minimize your bias.
Literature Review
In this assignment, you are to take your annotated bibliography assignment from week two and transition it into a literature review.
The literature review is an analysis andsynthesis of the research that has already been done on your topic or related topics.
You must utilize subheadingsand at least 8 reliable sources and correct APA formatting for citations and references. You need to use scholarly, peer reviewed journals for your review
• Analysis and synthesis of research on topic
• What do other researchers say about the problem?
• What have they done or what has been done to remedy the issue/problem?
• What are the trends, patterns, similarities, differences, etc. from the other researchers?
Note:See the Creswell text Chapter 2 for examples
Conclusions and Recommendations
In this section you describe the results you found in your research and relate the findings to your literature review. You should include figures, tables and graphs to illustrate your findings. Label the figures/tables/graphs with numbers (Figure 1, Table 2, etc.) and refer to them within the text.
This section should be divided into three sections, conclusions, recommendations and recommended future research. It is written in the present tense as you are now drawing conclusions from your research and making recommendations based on the implications of your research. You are also suggesting ideas towards further research on your topic.
You are stating the implications, interpretations and opinions of your findings. Did you find information to "close the gap"?
You will also discuss the limitations of your research in relation to the conclusions and recommendations. If, for example, your original direction does not parallel the literature you discovered, you want to explain why or why not.
References
Use all peer reviewed references
Appendices(if necessary)