Alignment of Prospectus Sections through Abstract Development Using the Abstract Guidelines (both Word and PPT versions) and the annotated outline in the Dissertation Prospectus Guide, draft a one-page abstract of your Prospectus draft as if it were an abstract of your three-chapter Proposal. Think of it as a short overview and summary of your Prospectus. Obviously, you will not be able to include research findings, but an abstract for your Prospectus will provide a blueprint for the abstract for your Proposal. In this Discussion, you will review your Historical Alignment Tool (HAT) matrix that you developed in Week 5. You will also evaluate two of your colleagues Dissertation Prospectus abstracts. This Discussion provides another opportunity to examine the alignment of all components of your Prospectus, in order to support the creation of your dissertation Prospectus, as you continue to document both the developmental evolution of and the alignment among the problem statement purpose, potential significance, research question, theoretical framework, research design and methodology (method of inquiry), data collection and analysis method, and implications for positive social change. As discussed in Week 5, to do this well often takes a number of iterations as you research, gather, digest, and analyze new information about your research topic. Continued use of the HAT will provide iterative documentation of your rationale for making key research design/methodology decisions. The HAT should be updated after each Ph.D. residency and at the end of every quarter, to (a) validate your choices, or (b) explain how new knowledge or thoughts have informed changes in your dissertation research design and methodology. Think of it as a master tracking tool for changes you make along the way. Later in the course, you will want to ensure that your Prospectus, HAT, and abstract match one another and are in alignment and up to date. QUESTION: Use the Abstract Guidelines listed in this weeks Learning Resources, to create your abstract, and then post the one-page abstract of your Prospectus as an attachment to your Discussion. _________________________________________________________________________________ Read a selection of your at least two of your colleagues' postings, reviewing their abstracts. Constructive criticism may not be something you have learned to embrace. Yet, being open to criticism is vital to navigating through the Dissertation process. You will receive it at every step in your Dissertation process. This iterative process is how you create, develop, and improve your Dissertation until it is in final form. Respond by Day 6 to at least of at least two of your colleagues who have not yet had a reply, by reading the abstracts and providing feedback about alignment and writing. Alignment: To what extent does one section lead naturally to another? In what way are the research questions likely to answer the research problem? How does the purpose relate to the research problem? Are the required sections in the correct order? Explain your rationale for each response. Use the Abstract Guidelines as your outline. If you see something out of place or not related to other sections, point that out and offer suggestions of how to improve the document. Writing: To what extent is the writing clear and concise? How accurate is the writing in using appropriate grammar and sentence structure? How coherent and logical is the entire abstract? What would help you to understand the details of the research without further questions? What is needed for each section of the abstract to be complete and understandable? Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made. Even though your Instructor will provide feedback on the Prospectus you submit in Week 10, this additional feedback may help you to refine and edit your Prospectus in preparation for submitting it to your Dissertation committee chair. _________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction You have written a title, problem statement, overall purpose, significance, background, theoretical framework, research questions, the nature of the study, possible types and sources of information or data, and possible analytical strategies. The last required section of the Prospectus is the reference list. If you have not already done so, add the reference list you developed in your annotated bibliography and literature review earlier in the course. Remember that everything you write requires APA style and format. Refer to the annotated outline in the Dissertation Prospectus to ensure that you have addressed all components and in the correct order. After you add your reference list, you will have your entire Prospectus drafted. Now is the time to reread all sections for logical flow of ideas and alignment among all sections. The Abstract Guidelines, which are listed in your readings for the week, will guide you. They are provided here in both Word format and in a Power Point presentation. Although the Abstract Guidelines are identical to those in the Center for Research Quality, the Abstract Guidelines in this SPPA course include examples of each section of the abstract from three SPPA graduates. Note that the social change statement on the abstracts is very specific about who will benefit and how. You will revise your abstract while you write your Proposal, and again, while you finish your Dissertation. The final Dissertation abstract will be sent to the Chief Academic Officer, who approves your Dissertation on the basis of the abstract. Again, the purpose of having introduced the abstract to you now is to help you ensure that all required components are in the Prospectus, and to help you confirm that all components are related and aligned. Now that you have completed this overview check of your Prospectus, it is time to complete your draft. Even though there is no abstract requirement for the Prospectus, for purposes of this course, you will use the Abstract Guidelines as a guide for reviewing the alignment among Prospectus components. Objectives Students will: Develop abstracts for Dissertation Prospectuses Evaluate Dissertation Prospectus abstracts Synthesize Prospectus components ____________________________________________________________________________________ Required Resources Readings Public Policy and Administration Mills, C. W. (1959). On intellectual craftsmanship. In The sociological imagination (pp. 195227). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Dissertation Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (2015). Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 978-1-4522-6097-6 o Chapter 9, Overcoming Barriers: Becoming an Expert While Controlling Your Own Destiny (pp. 251258) o Chapter 10, Writing (pp. 259279) Walden University, School of Public Policy and Administration. (2013a). SPPA abstract guidelines[PowerPoint]. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University. Walden University, School of Public Policy and Administration. (2013b). SPPA abstract guidelines[Word]. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University. Prospectus Exemplars o Document: Exemplar 1 (PDF) o Document: Exemplar 2 (PDF) o Document: Exemplar 3 (PDF) o Document: Exemplar 4 (PDF) Miller, R. K. (2003, April 1). Finishing the dissertation. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Pannapacker, W. (1999, February 19). How to finish a dissertationwithout the agony. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Templeton, E. E. (2010, August 20). The rule of 200 [Blog post]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Walden University, Student Publications. (2014). Welcome to the catalog, student handbook, and university guidebooks. Retrieved from http://catalog.waldenu.edu/ Walden University, Center for Research Quality. (n.d.-f). Research resources and tutorials. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/resources/planning o Historical Alignment Tool (HAT) To access this document, click on Research Planning and Writing, then click on Research Planning. Then click on Historical Alignment Tool. Walden University, Center for Research Quality. (2012). Ph.D. dissertation process and documents.Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/phd o Dissertation Prospectus Guide Media Laureate Education (Producer). (2014g). Prospectus perspectives [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Alignment of Prospectus Sections through Abstract Development Using the Abstract Guidelines (both Word and PPT versions) and the annotated outline in the Dissertation Prospectus Guide, draft a one-page abstract of your Prospectus draft as if it were an abstract of your three-chapter Proposal. Think of it as a short overview and summary of your Prospectus. Obviously, you will not be able to include research findings, but an abstract for your Prospectus will provide a blueprint for the abstract for your Proposal. In this Discussion, you will review your Historical Alignment Tool (HAT) matrix that you developed in Week 5. You will also evaluate two of your colleagues Dissertation Prospectus abstracts. This Discussion provides another opportunity to examine the alignment of all components of your Prospectus, in order to support the creation of your dissertation Prospectus, as you continue to document both the developmental evolution of and the alignment among the problem statement purpose, potential significance, research question, theoretical framework, research design and methodology (method of inquiry), data collection and analysis method, and implications for positive social change. As discussed in Week 5, to do this well often takes a number of iterations as you research, gather, digest, and analyze new information about your research topic. Continued use of the HAT will provide iterative documentation of your rationale for making key research design/methodology decisions. The HAT should be updated after each Ph.D. residency and at the end of every quarter, to (a) validate your choices, or (b) explain how new knowledge or thoughts have informed changes in your dissertation research design and methodology. Think of it as a master tracking tool for changes you make along the way. Later in the course, you will want to ensure that your Prospectus, HAT, and abstract match one another and are in alignment and up to date. QUESTION: Use the Abstract Guidelines listed in this weeks Learning Resources, to create your abstract, and then post the one-page abstract of your Prospectus as an attachment to your Discussion. _________________________________________________________________________________ Read a selection of your at least two of your colleagues' postings, reviewing their abstracts. Constructive criticism may not be something you have learned to embrace. Yet, being open to criticism is vital to navigating through the Dissertation process. You will receive it at every step in your Dissertation process. This iterative process is how you create, develop, and improve your Dissertation until it is in final form. Respond by Day 6 to at least of at least two of your colleagues who have not yet had a reply, by reading the abstracts and providing feedback about alignment and writing. Alignment: To what extent does one section lead naturally to another? In what way are the research questions likely to answer the research problem? How does the purpose relate to the research problem? Are the required sections in the correct order? Explain your rationale for each response. Use the Abstract Guidelines as your outline. If you see something out of place or not related to other sections, point that out and offer suggestions of how to improve the document. Writing: To what extent is the writing clear and concise? How accurate is the writing in using appropriate grammar and sentence structure? How coherent and logical is the entire abstract? What would help you to understand the details of the research without further questions? What is needed for each section of the abstract to be complete and understandable? Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made. Even though your Instructor will provide feedback on the Prospectus you submit in Week 10, this additional feedback may help you to refine and edit your Prospectus in preparation for submitting it to your Dissertation committee chair. _________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction You have written a title, problem statement, overall purpose, significance, background, theoretical framework, research questions, the nature of the study, possible types and sources of information or data, and possible analytical strategies. The last required section of the Prospectus is the reference list. If you have not already done so, add the reference list you developed in your annotated bibliography and literature review earlier in the course. Remember that everything you write requires APA style and format. Refer to the annotated outline in the Dissertation Prospectus to ensure that you have addressed all components and in the correct order. After you add your reference list, you will have your entire Prospectus drafted. Now is the time to reread all sections for logical flow of ideas and alignment among all sections. The Abstract Guidelines, which are listed in your readings for the week, will guide you. They are provided here in both Word format and in a Power Point presentation. Although the Abstract Guidelines are identical to those in the Center for Research Quality, the Abstract Guidelines in this SPPA course include examples of each section of the abstract from three SPPA graduates. Note that the social change statement on the abstracts is very specific about who will benefit and how. You will revise your abstract while you write your Proposal, and again, while you finish your Dissertation. The final Dissertation abstract will be sent to the Chief Academic Officer, who approves your Dissertation on the basis of the abstract. Again, the purpose of having introduced the abstract to you now is to help you ensure that all required components are in the Prospectus, and to help you confirm that all components are related and aligned. Now that you have completed this overview check of your Prospectus, it is time to complete your draft. Even though there is no abstract requirement for the Prospectus, for purposes of this course, you will use the Abstract Guidelines as a guide for reviewing the alignment among Prospectus components. Objectives Students will: Develop abstracts for Dissertation Prospectuses Evaluate Dissertation Prospectus abstracts Synthesize Prospectus components ____________________________________________________________________________________ Required Resources Readings Public Policy and Administration Mills, C. W. (1959). On intellectual craftsmanship. In The sociological imagination (pp. 195227). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Dissertation Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (2015). Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. ISBN: 978-1-4522-6097-6 o Chapter 9, Overcoming Barriers: Becoming an Expert While Controlling Your Own Destiny (pp. 251258) o Chapter 10, Writing (pp. 259279) Walden University, School of Public Policy and Administration. (2013a). SPPA abstract guidelines[PowerPoint]. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University. Walden University, School of Public Policy and Administration. (2013b). SPPA abstract guidelines[Word]. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University. Prospectus Exemplars o Document: Exemplar 1 (PDF) o Document: Exemplar 2 (PDF) o Document: Exemplar 3 (PDF) o Document: Exemplar 4 (PDF) Miller, R. K. (2003, April 1). Finishing the dissertation. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Pannapacker, W. (1999, February 19). How to finish a dissertationwithout the agony. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Templeton, E. E. (2010, August 20). The rule of 200 [Blog post]. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Walden University, Student Publications. (2014). Welcome to the catalog, student handbook, and university guidebooks. Retrieved from http://catalog.waldenu.edu/ Walden University, Center for Research Quality. (n.d.-f). Research resources and tutorials. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/resources/planning o Historical Alignment Tool (HAT) To access this document, click on Research Planning and Writing, then click on Research Planning. Then click on Historical Alignment Tool. Walden University, Center for Research Quality. (2012). Ph.D. dissertation process and documents.Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/phd o Dissertation Prospectus Guide Media Laureate Education (Producer). (2014g). Prospectus perspectives [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.