A final, complete version of the Capstone Project paper is due at the end of the semester. The purpose of the paper is to provide a narrative about the project with sufficient detail to allow a reader to be able to accurately describe the goals of the project, situate the project within the existing body of published literature, replicate the methodology of the project, and explain how your goals for the project relate to the methodology you chose and to the project outcomes and conclusions. In other words, your narrative must be clear, logical and demonstrate alignment with the goals, methods and outcomes. In addition, it should reflect the integration and mastery of course content from the Emergency & Disaster Management program.
Expectations: The expectation for this final paper is a well written and organized document. The paper should follow the APA formatting and citation style guidelines (Links to an external site.). Papers that do not meet the quality and formatting expectations described below will not earn a passing grade.
Writing should be clear and organized, with a logical flow from one topic to the next.
Sentence structure should follow standard rules of grammar and punctuation.
Each paragraph should have a topic sentence, a body and a conclusion.
Transitions between paragraphs should be fluid.
Use spell checker to help avoid spelling errors; however, this is not a substitute for careful proofreading.
Use the “active voice” whenever possible, instead of the “passive voice.”
Use past and present tenses, where appropriate (e.g. use past tense when reporting what you did, “I interviewed participants…” and discussing your results, “The data analysis showed…” Use present tense when stating well-established facts, “water is made of hydrogen and oxygen…”). Do not use future tense.
Content and Format: The Capstone paper must include the elements described in the table below. These will serve as the major headings in your paper and should be formatted following APA guidelines.
Length: The main text of the paper, excluding references and appendices, should be at least six to eight thousand words, or 30 – 35 pages. The total length, including references and appendices, should be no more than 50 pages.
Basic Content for a Capstone Project
Element
Description
Title page
See sample on last page of this document: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Abstract
The abstract is a concise summary (150-250 words) of the main sections of the paper. It should be written last! Example: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Table of
contents
The Table of Contents should include major headings and subheadings, as needed. Tip: Microsoft Word has a Table of Contents feature.
Introduction
The introduction of the paper should set the stage for the project by
providing a brief overview of the topic and rationale for the project. It should include a statement of the problem at or near the beginning; don’t keep your reader in suspense regarding the purpose of the project. After clearly articulating the problem, the introduction should provide sufficient background information so the reader can understand what follows.
The introduction should also include your thesis statement and a “roadmap” of your paper.
Description
of the Problem
This section should elaborate on the statement of the problem presented in the introduction. Thoroughly describe the nature of the problem; including your rationale for believing the problem exists. Describe how the project will address the problem, and clearly state the goals of the project. These goals must align with the literature review and the methodology.
Literature Review
The literature review should both summarize and synthesize the relevant literature (http://libguides.usc.edu/writringguide/literaturereview). It should include a minimum of 15 references that are fairly current. The majority of the literature reviewed should have been published within the last 10 years, and come from peer-reviewed journals. It is perfectly acceptable, and indeed advisable, to cite seminal, foundational studies in your area of focus that may be >10 years old. Edited texts or textbooks may also be appropriate source material. Web sites should be used with caution. Refer to APA
guidelines for how to use in-text citations of the articles you review.
Description of the
Project
This section should explain the “how/what/when/where” of how your project was completed . The reader should be able to essentially replicate your project based on what is included in this section. You should include the
following:
• Type of study or research design employed (Recommended resource:
http://libguides.usc.edu/content.php?pid=83009&sid=818072)
• Parameters of your study population (sample size, relevant participant information and demographics, etc.)
• Materials and methods (types of qualitative or quantitative data collected, data collection procedures / protocol, statistical or other methods used to analyze data/outcomes)
• Analysis and results
• Tables and figures – these must be referred to and described in the text.
Discussion/Conclusions and Lessons Learned
This section serves as the discussion and conclusion section of the paper. It should briefly recap the purpose of the project, as well as summarize and contextualize the major findings/outcomes. This is the “so what?” part of the paper – the place where you explain why the outcome matters. What is the impact of the project, what are its limitations, what have you learned, and what are the next steps?
References
A minimum of 15 cited references is required. All cited sources, not just those from the Literature Review, should be included in the references section and formatted according to APA Guidelines. Only those sources that were cited in the paper should be included, (if you read a paper, but did not cite it, you should not reference it).
Appendices
The appendices contain supplementary material, i.e., information that is not essential, but that the reader might find useful for developing a deeper understanding. Appendices can also include high-volume data tables, descriptions, lists, survey questions, etc.
note: I put resources 30 it up to you 30 or more than 30 I don’t know how many it should be .it is fine with me.
there issue and it is important I will download my presentation and some fils I need my all the result in the presentation to be in the capstone but in better languages and writing . e.g you will see result about Literature review you can writer it in your way bout the result about interview I need it from your way and your professional writing but please don’t change the meaning and the finding of the result it should be same content .and please I would like to take to the person who will do for me so I can explain nice by phone . al so you can add all my chart in presentation but they will be not included as a page number .
