|
Suggested Chapter
Content
Not all of these topics will be
appropriate for each scholarly project. Your project advisor will
help you decide which of these items are necessary for your
presentation. The is no "ideal" length; while verbosity is not
valued, completeness is. Again, seek the consultation of your
project advisor.
| Chapter
I |
Introduction: The
purpose of the introduction is to set the stage for readers. The
introduction presents the problem, relates the problem to nursing,
and presents limitations, assumptions, and definitions. A good
introduction introduces the problem early and states it in a way
that makes its importance obvious. The following sections comprise
Chapter I.
| a. |
Background of the
problem |
| b. |
Statement of the
research problem/question |
| c. |
Operational definitions
must be specifif to study ( may be incoporated into Chapter III, if
desired) |
| d. |
Need for the
study |
| e. |
Significance of the
study |
| f. |
Assumptions |
| g. |
Limitations (in
prospectus) |
|
| Chapter
II |
Review of the
Literature: The literature
should tie the proposed research to what has already been done in
the area. It strengthens the author's arguments concerning the
significance of the study, orients the reader to what is already
known about the problem, and serves to demonstrate the researcher's
knowledge of the field. It should conclude with the brief synopsis
of the literature and its implications for the problem under
investigation. Chapter II includes two major sections:
| a. |
Related
research |
| b. |
Conceptual framework of
the study - a structuring device that describes and organizes
concepts and ties them to the proposed study in order that the
planned research may contribute to the body of nursing knowledge
similarly conceived. |
|
| Chapter
III |
Methodology: This
section is the core of the proposed research. It describes the plan
for accomplishing all required tasks, including the methods for
selecting participants, measuring variables, and controlling
extraneous factors. Evidence for the reliability and validity of
instruments should be presented and procedures should be described
in sufficient detail to permit replication by another researcher.
Chapter III is comprised of the following sections:
| a. |
Design of the
study/type of research |
| b. |
Sample/rectuitment/protection, inclusion/exclusion criteria
with data |
| c. |
Site from which the
sample is selected |
| d. |
Measuring instruments -
reliability/validity |
| e. |
Procedures for data
collection |
| f. |
Plans for treatment of
the data (included in proposal but not final document)
| 1.
|
If needed, the student
should seek consultation from a statistician prior to completing
the proposal |
| 2. |
A "mock-up" of any
tables or figures should be included |
|
| g. |
Time schedule for
conducting the study (included in proposal but not final
document) |
When writing a research report
Chapters 4 and 5 are often formatted as follows. If the outcome of
your project is other than a research report these chapters may be
organized differently. If the final outcome of your project for
example, is a patient education booklet or proposed new clinical
practice guideline you may describe how it will be utilized, plans
for monitoring its use, recommendations for determining its impact
and ways that additional research by other students may improve it.
Again, the project advisor will help students modify the usual
format to make it relevant to the outcome of students'
projects.
|
| Chapter
IV |
Results and
Discussion: This chapter
coherently presents the analysis of the finding including
appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics to answer the
research explanations for findings and interpretations consistent
with results. The relationship of specific finding to the
literature review and the conceptual framework should be
included.
| a. |
Results and discussion
may be divide into sepearate chapters |
| b. |
Limitations (in final
document) |
|
| Chapter
V |
Summary,
Conclusions, and Recommendations: The summary should clearly describe the study and its
findings. Recommendations for future research and specific nursing
applications should be made.
| a. |
Recommendations for
further research |
| b. |
Nursing
implications |
|
|
