Direct Practice Improvement Project Proposal
Direct Practice Improvement Project Proposal
paper instructions
The Direct Practice Improvement Project[A1] Title[A2] [A3] Appears in Title Case and is Centered
Submitted by
Insert Your Full Legal Name[A4] (No Titles, Degrees, or Academic Credentials)
~2.0” – 2.5”
A Direct Practice Improvement Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Equal Spacing
~2.0” – 2.5”
Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, Arizona
© by[A7] Your Full Legal Name[A8] (No Titles, Degrees, or Academic Credentials), 2013
All rights reserved.
The Direct Practice Improvement Project Title[A10] Appears in Title Case and is Centered
by
Insert Your Full Legal Name[A11] (No Titles, Degrees, or Academic Credentials)
has been approved
APPROVED:
Full Legal Name, Ed.D., DBA, or Ph.D., DPI Project Chairperson
Full Legal Name, Ed.D., DBA, or Ph.D., Committee Member
Full Legal Name, Ed.D., DBA, or Ph.D., Committee Member
ACCEPTED AND SIGNED:
________________________________________
Lisa Smith, PhD, RN, CNE
Dean and Professor, College of Nursing and Health Care Professions
_________________________________________
Date
The abstract is an accurate, nonevaluative, concise summary or synopsis of the direct practice improvement (DPI) project. It is not an introduction, and is usually the last thing written. The purpose of the abstract is to assist future investigators in accessing the evidence-based materials and other vital information contained in the practice improvement project. Although only a relatively few people typically read the full practice improvement project after publication, the abstract will be read by many scholars and investigators. Consequently, great care must be taken in writing this section of the practice improvement project. The abstract is a concise statement of the nature of the project and content of the practice improvement project. The content of the abstract covers the problem statement, clinical questions, methodology, design, data analysis procedures, location, sample, theoretical foundations, results, and implications. The abstract does not appear in the Table of Contents and has no page number. Abstracts must be double-spaced and no longer than 1 page. The abstract must be fully justified with no indentions and no citations. Refer to the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition, for additional guidelines for the development of the practice improvement project abstract. Make sure to add the keywords at the bottom of the abstract to assist future investigators.
Keywords[A15] : Abstract, assist future investigators, limit to one page in length, vital information
Criterion[A16] Learner Score
(0, 1, 2, or 3)Chairperson Score
(0, 1, 2, or 3)Comments or Feedback The abstract provides a succinct summary of the project including the problem statement, clinical questions, methodology, design, data analysis procedures, location, sample, theoretical foundations, results, and implications. The abstract is written in APA format, 1 paragraph, no indentations, double spaced with no citations, and includes key search words. The abstract is fully justified. Abstract is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). An optional dedication may be included here. While a practice improvement project is an objective, scientific document, this is the place to use the first person and to be subjective. The dedication page is numbered with a Roman numeral, but the page number does not appear in the Table of Contents. It is only included in the final practice improvement project and is not part of the proposal. If this page is not to be included, delete the heading, the body text, and the page break below. If you cannot see the page break, click on the ¶Show/Hide button (go to the Home tab and then to the Paragraph toolbar).
An optional acknowledgements page can be included here. This is another place to use the first person. If it applies, acknowledge and identify grants and other means of financial support. Also acknowledge supportive colleagues who rendered assistance. The acknowledgments page is numbered with a Roman numeral, but the page number does not appear in the Table of Contents. This page provides a formal opportunity to thank family, friends, and faculty members who have been helpful and supportive. The acknowledgements page is only included in the final practice improvement project, and is not part of the proposal. If this page is not to be included, delete the heading, the body text, and the page break below. If you cannot see the page break, click on the ¶Show/Hide button (go to the Home tab and then to the Paragraph toolbar).
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Project 1
Advancing Scientific Knowledge. 10
Significance of the Project 11
Nature of the Project Design. 13
Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations. 16
Summary and Organization of the Remainder of the Project 18
Chapter 2: Literature Review.. 20
Population and Sample Selection. 38
Instrumentation or Sources of Data. 40
Data Collection Procedures. 42
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results. 51
Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations. 68
Summary of Findings and Conclusion. 70
Recommendations for future projects. 76
Recommendations for practice. 78
List of Tables[A20]
Table 1. Correct Formatting.............................................................................................. 56
Table 2. t Test................................................................................................................... 57
Table 3. The Servant Leader............................................................................................. 64
(Note: single-space table titles; double-space between entries)
List of Figures[A21]
Figure 1. Scatterplot Example-Strong Negative Correlation ........................................... 65
(Note: single-space figure titles; double-space between entries)
Chapter 1[A22] : Introduction to the Project
The Introduction section of Chapter 1 briefly overviews the project focus or practice problem, states why the project is worth conducting, and describes how the project will be completed. The introduction develops the significance of the project by describing how the project translates existing knowledge into practice, is new or different from other works and how it will benefit patients at your clinical site. This section should also briefly describe the basic nature of the project and provide an overview of the contents of Chapter 1. This section should be three or four paragraphs, or approximately one page, in length.
Keep in mind that you will write Chapters 1 through 3 as your practice improvement project proposal. However, there are changes that typically need to be made in these chapters to enrich the content or to improve the readability as you write the final practice improvement project manuscript. Often, after data analysis is complete, the first three chapters will need revisions to reflect a more in-depth understanding of the topic, change the tense to past tense, and ensure consistency.
To ensure the quality of both your proposal and your final practice improvement project and reduce the time for Academic Quality Review (AQR) reviews, your writing needs to reflect standards of scholarly writing from your very first draft. Each section within the proposal or practice improvement project should be well organized and presented in a way that makes it easy for the reader to follow your logic. Each paragraph should be short, clear, and focused. A paragraph should (a) be three to eight sentences in length, (b) focus on one point, topic, or argument, (c) include a topic sentence the defines the focus for the paragraph, and (d) include a transition sentence to the next paragraph. Include one space after each period. There should be no grammatical, punctuation, sentence structure, or American Psychological Association APA formatting errors. Verb tense is an important consideration for Chapters 1 through 3. For the proposal, the investigator uses present tense (e.g., “The purpose of this project is to…”), whereas in the practice improvement project, the chapters are revised into past tense (e.g., “The purpose of this project was to…”). [A23] Taking the time to put quality into each draft will save you time in all the steps of the development and review phases of the practice improvement project process. It will pay to do it right the first time.
As a doctoral investigator, it is your responsibility to ensure the clarity, quality, and correctness of your writing and APA formatting. The DC Network provides various resources to help you improve your writing. Neither your chairperson nor your committee members will provide editing of your documents, nor will the AQR reviewers provide editing of your documents. If you do not have outstanding writing skills, you will need to identify a writing coach, editor, or other resource to help you with your writing and to edit your documents.
The quality of a practice improvement project is not only defined by the quality of writing. It is also defined by the criteria that have been established for each section of the project. The criteria describe what must be addressed in each section within each chapter. As you develop a section, first read the section description. Then review the criteria contained in the table below the description. Use both the description and criteria as you write the section. It is important that the criteria are addressed in a way that it is clear to your chairperson, committee, and an external reviewer to illustrate that the criteria have been met. You should be able to point out where each criterion is met in each section. Prior to submitting a draft of your proposal or practice improvement project, or a single chapter to your chairperson, please assess yourself on the degree to which criteria have been met. There is a table at the end of each section for you to complete this self-assessment. Your chairperson may also assess each criterion when returning the document with feedback. The following scores reflect the readiness of the document:
- 3 = The criterion has been completely met. It is comprehensive and accurate. The section meeting the criterion is comprehensive and clear. The criterion information is very well written. The section addressing a criterion is located in a single spot; it is not distributed across various paragraphs. The criterion is immediately obvious to an external reviewer. In terms of writing, the section is perfect and ready to go into a journal article.
- 2 = The criterion is very close to being completely met. The section meeting the criterion is comprehensive, but may need to be further clarified. The criterion information is fairly well written, but may need minor editing. The section addressing a criterion is located in a single spot; it is not distributed across various paragraphs. It may not be obvious to an external reader and so may require some clarification. In terms of writing it is near perfect, but may need minor edits for clarity or APA formatting.
- 1 = The criterion is present, but the section needs significant work to completely meet expectations. The section meeting the criterion is not comprehensive and may need to be further clarified. The criterion information is fairly well written, but may need minor editing. The section addressing a criterion is not clearly located in a single spot; it appears to be distributed across various paragraphs. It may not be obvious to an external reader and requires some clarification. It needs some changes to structure, flow, paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format.
- 0 = The criterion is not addressed because it is missing or is not appropriate.
Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Introduction This section briefly overviews the project focus or practice problem, why this project is worth conducting, and how this project will be completed. (Three or four paragraphs or approximately one page) | |||
| Practice improvement project topic is introduced. | |||
| Discussion provides an overview of what is contained in the chapter. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready).[A24] |
Background[A25] of the Project
The background section of Chapter 1 explains both the history of and the present state of the problem and the DPI project focus. This section summarizes the Background section from Chapter 2 and is two or three paragraphs in length.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Background of the Project The background section explains both the history and the present state of the problem and project focus. This section summarizes the Background section from Chapter 2. (Two or three paragraphs) | |||
| This section provides an overview of the history of and present state of the problem and project focus. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Problem Statement
This section of the final manuscript is two or three paragraphs long. It clearly states the problem or project focus, the population affected, and how the project will contribute to solving the problem. This section of Chapter 1 should be comprehensive yet simple, providing context for the practice project.
A well-written problem statement begins with the big picture of the issue (macro) and works to the small, narrower, and more specific problem (micro). It clearly communicates the significance, magnitude, and importance of the problem and transitions into the Purpose of the Project with a declarative statement such as “It is not known if and to what degree/extent...” or “It is not known how/why and….”
Other examples are:
- It is not known_____.
- Absent from the literature ______.
- While the literature indicates ____________, it is not known in _________. (school/district/organization/community) if __________.
- It is not known how or to what extent ________________.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Problem Statement This section includes the problem statement, the population affected, and how the project will contribute to solving the problem. (Two or three paragraphs) | |||
| This section states the specific problem for investigation by presenting a clear declarative statement that begins with “It is not known if and to what degree/extent...,” or “It is not known how/why and….” | |||
| This section identifies the need for the project. | |||
| This section identifies the broad population affected by the problem. | |||
| This section suggests how the project may contribute to solving the problem. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Purpose of the Project
The Purpose of the Project section of Chapter 1 should be two or three paragraphs long, provide a reflection of the problem statement, and identify how the project will be accomplished. It explains how the project will contribute to the field. The section begins with a declarative statement, "The purpose of this project is....” Included in this statement are also the project design, population, variables to be investigated, and the geographic location. Further, the section clearly defines the dependent and independent variables, relationship of variables, or comparison of groups for quantitative studies. Keep in mind that the purpose of the project is restated in other chapters of the practice improvement project and should be worded exactly as presented in this section of Chapter 1.
Creswell (2003) provided some sample templates for developing purpose statements aligned with the different project methods. Please see the template for quantitative method as follows: [A26]
The purpose of this quantitative ___________ (correlational, descriptive, etc.) project is to ____________ (compare or see to what degree a relationship exists) between/among ______________________ (independent variable) to ___________________ (dependent variable) for ________________ (participants) at ___________________ (project site/geographical location). The ________ (independent variable) will be defined/measured as/by _______ (provide a general definition). The (dependent variable) will be defined/measured as/by ______ (provide a general definition).
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Purpose of the Project The purpose statement section provides a reflection of the problem statement and identifies how the project will be accomplished. It explains how the project will contribute to the field. (Two or three paragraphs) | |||
| This section presents a declarative statement: "The purpose of this project is...." that identifies the project design, population, variables (quantitative) or phenomena (qualitative) [A27] to be investigated, and geographic location. | |||
| This section identifies project method as qualitative, quantitative, or mixed, and identifies the specific design. | |||
| This section describes the specific population group and geographic location for the project. | |||
| This section defines the dependent and independent variables, relationship of variables, or comparison of groups (quantitative). Describes the nature of the phenomena to be explored (qualitative). | |||
| This section explains how the project will contribute to the field. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Clinical Question(s) [A28]
This section should be two or three paragraphs in length, narrow the focus of the project, and specify the clinical questions to address the problem statement. Based on the clinical questions, the section describes the variables or groups. The clinical questions should be derived from, and are directly aligned with, the problem and purpose statements, methods, and data analyses. The Clinical Questions section of Chapter 1 will be presented again in Chapter 3 to provide clear continuity for the reader and to help frame your data analysis in Chapter 4.
In a paragraph prior to listing the clinical questions, include a discussion of the clinical questions, relating them to the problem statement. Then, include a leading phrase to introduce the questions such as: The following clinical questions guide this quantitative project:
Q1:
Q2:
Q3:
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Clinical Question(s) This section narrows the focus of the project and specifies the clinical questions to address the problem statement. Based on the clinical questions, it describes the variables or groups for a quantitative project or the phenomena under investigation for a qualitative [A29] project. (Two or three paragraphs) | |||
| This section states the clinical questions the project will answer, identifies the variables, and predictive statements using the format appropriate for the specific design. | |||
| This section includes a discussion of the clinical questions, relating them to the problem statement. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Advancing Scientific Knowledge
The Advancing Scientific Knowledge section should be two or three paragraphs in length, and specifically describe how the project will advance population health outcomes on the topic. This advancement can be a small step forward in a line of the current clinical site practice, but it must add to the current body of knowledge in the literature. This section also identifies the gap or need based on the current literature and discusses how the project will address that gap or need. This section summarizes the Theoretical Foundations section from Chapter 2 by identifying the theory or model upon which the project is built. It also describes how the project will advance that theory or model.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Advancing Scientific Knowledge This section specifically describes how the project will advance population health outcomes on the topic. It can be a small step forward in a line of current project, but it must add to the current body of knowledge in the literature. It identifies the gap or need based on the current literature and discusses how the project will address that gap or need. This section summarizes the Theoretical Foundations section from Chapter 2. (Two or three paragraphs) | |||
| This section clearly identifies the gap or need in the literature that was used to define the problem statement and develop the clinical questions. | |||
| This section describes how the project will address the gap or identified need in the literature. | . | ||
| This section identifies the theory or model upon which the project is built. | |||
| This section describes how the project will advance the theory or model upon which the project is built. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Significance of the Project
This section identifies and describes the significance of the project. It also discusses the implications of the potential results based on the clinical questions and problem statement. Further, it describes how the project fits within and will contribute to the current literature or the clinical site practice. Finally, it describes the potential practical applications from the project. This section should be three or four paragraphs long and is of particular importance because it justifies the need for, and the relevance of, the project.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
| Significance of the Project This section identifies and describes the significance of the project and the implications of the potential results based on the clinical questions and problem statement. It describes how the project fits within and will contribute to the current literature or the clinical site practice. It describes potential practical applications from the project. (Three or four paragraphs) | ||
| This section provides overview of how the project fits within other current literature in the field, relating it specifically to other studies. | ||
| This section describes how addressing the problem will impact and add value to the population, community, or society. | ||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | ||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Rationale for Methodology
The Rationale for Methodology section of Chapter 1 clearly justifies the methodology the investigator plans to use for conducting the project. It argues how the methodological framework is the best approach to answer the clinical questions and address the problem statement. Finally, it contains citations from textbooks and articles on the DPI project methodology or articles on related studies.
This section describes the clinical questions the project will answer and identifies the variables using the format appropriate for the specific design. Finally, this section includes a discussion of the clinical questions, relating them to the problem statement. This section should be two or three paragraphs long and illustrate how the methodological framework is aligned with the problem statement and purpose of the project, providing additional context for the project.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Rationale for Methodology This section clearly justifies the methodology the investigator plans to use for conducting the project. It argues how the methodological framework is the best approach to answer the clinical questions and address the problem statement. It uses citations from textbooks and articles on DPI project methodology or articles on related studies. (Two or three paragraphs) | |||
| This section identifies the specific project method for the project. | |||
| This section justifies the method to be used for the project by discussing why it is the best approach for answering the clinical question and addressing the problem statement. | |||
| This section uses citations from textbooks or literature on the DPI project methodology to justify the use of the selected methodology. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Nature of the Project Design
This section describes the specific project design (descriptive, correlational, quasi-experimental, case project, etc.) to answer the clinical questions and why this approach was selected. Here, the learner discusses why the selected design is the best design to address the problem statement and clinical questions as compared to other designs. You should be focusing on the design rather than the methodology in this section. Briefly describes how the design supports the intervention and solution to the practice problem. This section also contains a description of the project sample being investigated, as well as the process that will be used to collect the data on the sample. In other words, this section provides a preview of Chapter 3 and succinctly conveys the project approach to answer clinical questions.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Nature of the Project This section describes the specific project design to answer the clinical questions and why this approach was selected. It describes the project sample as well as the process that will be used to collect the data on the sample. | |||
| This section describes the selected design for the project. | |||
| This section discusses why the selected design is the best design to address the problem statement and clinical questions as compared to other designs. | |||
| This section briefly describes the specific sample and the data collection procedure to collect information on the sample. Briefly describes how the design supports the intervention and solution to the practice problem. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Definition of Terms
The Definition of Terms section of Chapter 1 defines the project constructs and provides a common understanding of the technical terms, exclusive jargon, variables, phenomena, concepts, and sundry terminology used within the scope of the project. Terms are defined in lay terms and in the context in which they are used within the project. Each definition may be a few sentences to a paragraph in length. This section includes any words that may be unknown to a lay person (words with unusual or ambiguous meanings or technical terms) from the evidence or literature. It provides a rationale for each assumption and defines the variables.
Definitions must be supported with citations from scholarly sources. Do not use Wikipedia to define terms. This popular “open source” online encyclopedia can be helpful and interesting for the layperson, but it is not appropriate for formal academic scholarly writing. Additionally, do not use dictionaries to define terms. A paragraph introducing this section prior to listing the definition of terms can be inserted. However, a lead in phrase is needed to introduce the terms such as: "The following terms were used operationally in this project." This is also a good place to operationally define unique phrases specific to this project. See below for the correct format:
Term.Write the definition of the word. This is considered a Level 3 heading. Make sure the definition is properly cited (Author, 2010).[A30]
Terms often use abbreviations. According to APA (2010), abbreviations are best used only when they allow for clear communication with the audience. Standard abbreviations, such as units of measurement and names of states, do not need to be written out.
Only certain units of time should be abbreviated. Abbreviate hr (hour), min (minute), ms (millisecond), ns (nanosecond), or s (second). However, do not abbreviate day, week, month, and year [4.27]. To form the plural of abbreviations, add “s” alone without apostrophe or italicization (e.g., vols., IQs, Eds.). The exception to this rule is not to add “s” to pluralize units of measurement (12 m not 12 ms) [4.29].
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Definitions of Terms This section defines the project constructs and provides a common understanding of the technical terms, exclusive jargon, variables, phenomena, concepts, and sundry terminology used within the scope of the project. Terms are defined in lay terms and in the context in which they are used within the project. (Each definition may be a few sentences to a paragraph in length.) | |||
| This section Defines any words that may be unknown to a lay person (words with unusual or ambiguous means or technical terms) from the evidence or literature. | |||
| This section defines the variables for a quantitative project. | |||
| Definitions are supported with citations from scholarly sources. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations
This section identifies the assumptions and specifies the limitations, as well as the delimitations, of the project. It should be three or four paragraphs in length. An assumption is a self-evident truth. This section should list what is assumed to be true about the information gathered in the project. State the assumptions being accepted for the project as methodological, theoretical, or topic-specific. For each assumption listed, you must also provide an explanation. Provide a rationale for each assumption, incorporating multiple perspectives, when appropriate. For example, the following assumptions were present in this project:
- It is assumed that survey participants in this project were not deceptive with their answers, and that the participants answered questions honestly and to the best of their ability. Provide an explanation to support this assumption.
- It is assumed that this project is an accurate representation of the current situation in rural southern Arizona. Provide an explanation to support this assumption.
Limitations are things that the investigator has no control over, such as bias. Delimitations are things over which the investigator has control, such as location of the project. Identify the limitations and delimitations of the project design. Discuss the potential generalizability of the project findings based on these limitations. For each limitation and delimitation listed, make sure to provide an associated explanation. For example: The following limitations/delimitations were present in this project:
- Lack of funding limited the scope of this project. Provide an explanation to support this limitation.
- The survey of high school students was delimited to only rural schools in one county within southern Arizona, limiting the demographic sample. Provide an explanation to support this delimitation.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations This section identifies the assumptions and specifies the limitations, as well as the delimitations, of the project. (3-4 paragraphs) | |||
| This section states the assumptions being accepted for the project (methodological, theoretical, and topic-specific). | |||
| This section provides rationale for each assumption, incorporating multiple perspectives, when appropriate. | |||
| This section identifies limitations and delimitations of the project design. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Summary and Organization of the Remainder of the Project
This section summarizes the key points of Chapter 1 and provides supporting citations for those key points. It then provides a transition discussion to Chapter 2 followed by a description of the remaining chapters. For example, Chapter 2 will present a review of current evidence on the centrality of the practice improvement project literature review in research preparation. Chapter 3 will describe the methodology, research design, and procedures for this investigation. Chapter 4 details how the data was analyzed and provides both a written and graphic summary of the results. Chapter 5 is an interpretation and discussion of the results, as they relate to the existing body of research related to the practice improvement project topic.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Organization of the Remainder of the Project This section summarizes the key points of Chapter 1 and provides supporting citations for those key points. It then provides a transition discussion to Chapter 2, followed by a description of the remaining chapters. | |||
| This section summarizes key points presented in Chapter 1. | |||
| This section provides citations to support key points. | |||
| Chapter 1 summary ends with transition discussion to Chapter 2. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Chapter 2[A31] : Literature Review
This chapter presents the theoretical framework for the project and develops the topic, specific practice problem, question(s), and design elements. In order to perform significant practice improvement projects, the learners must first understand the literature related to the project focus. A well-articulated, thorough literature review provides the foundation for substantial, contributory projects or evidence. The purpose of Chapter 2 is to develop a well-documented argument for the selection of the project topic, formulate the clinical questions, and justify the choice of methodology as introduced in Chapter 1. A literature review is a synthesis of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and investigators. It is not an expanded annotated bibliography or a summary of research articles related to your topic.
The literature review will place the project focus into context by analyzing and discussing the existing body of knowledge and effectively presenting the reader with an exhaustive review of known information. The comprehensive presentation should include as much information as possible pertaining to what has been discovered in research about that focus, and where the gaps and tensions in the research exist. As a piece of writing, the literature review must convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic and build an argument in support of the practice problem.
This section describes the overall topic to be investigated, outlines the approach taken for the literature review, and defines the evolution of the problem based on the evidence to cover the gap or need to improve population health outcomes. Make sure the Introduction and Background section of your literature review addresses the following required components:
- Introduction: States the overall purpose of the project.
- Introduction: Provides an orienting paragraph so the reader knows what the literature review will address.
- Introduction: Describes how the chapter will be organized (including the specific sections and subsections).
- Introduction: Describes how the literature was surveyed, so the reader can evaluate the thoroughness of the review.
- Background: Provides a historical overview of the problem based on the gap or need defined in the literature and how it originated. This section must contain empirical citations. Present strong evidence for the intervention.
- Background: Discusses how the problem has evolved historically into its current form.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Introduction (to the Chapter) and Background (to the Problem) This section describes the overall topic to be investigated, outlines the approach taken for the literature review, and defines the evolution of the problem based on the gap or need defined in the literature from its origination to its current form. | |||
| Introduction states the overall purpose of the project. | |||
| Introduction provides an orienting paragraph so the reader knows what the literature review will address. | |||
| Introduction describes how the chapter will be organized (including the specific sections and subsections). | |||
| Introduction describes how the literature was surveyed so the reader can evaluate the thoroughness of the review. | |||
| Background provides the historical overview of the problem based on the gap or need defined in the literature and how it originated. | |||
| Background discusses how the problem has evolved historically into its current form. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready).[A32] |
Theoretical Foundations
This section identifies the theories or models that provide the foundation for the Direct Practice Improvement (DPI) Project. It also contains an explanation of how the problem under investigation relates to the theory or model. The seminal source for each theory or model should be identified and described. Please note: Models and theories are not capitalized in APA style.
The theories or models(s) guide the clinical questions and justify what is being measured (variables), as well as how those variables are related. This section also includes a discussion of how the clinical question(s) align with the respective theories or models, and illustrates how the project fits within other evidence–based research based on the theories or models. The learner should cite references reflective of the foundational, historical, and current literature in the field. Overall, the presentation should reflect that the learner understands the theory or model and its relevance to the project. The discussion should also reflect knowledge and familiarity with the historical development of the theories or models.
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| theoretical Foundations This section identifies the theories or models that provide the foundation for the project. This section should present the theories or models(s) and explain how the problem under investigation relates to the theory or model. The theories or models(s) guide the clinical questions and justify what is being measured (variables) as well as how those variables are related. | |||
| This section identifies and describes the theories or models to be used as the foundation for the project. | |||
| This section identifies and describes the seminal source for each theory or model. | |||
| This section discusses how the clinical question(s) align with the respective theories or models. | |||
| This section illustrates how the project fits within other evidence-based on the theory or model. | |||
| This section reflects understanding of the theory or model and its relevance to the project. | |||
| This section cites references reflecting the foundational, historical, and current literature in the field. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Review of the Literature
This section provides a broad, balanced overview of the existing literature related to the topic. It identifies themes, trends, and conflicts in methodology, design, and findings. It provides a synthesis of the existing literature, examines the contributions of the literature related to the topic, and presents an evaluation of the overall methodological strengths and weaknesses of the evidence–based research. Through this synthesis, the gaps in research should become evident to the reader.
This section describes the literature in related topic areas and its relevance to the project topic. It provides an overall analysis of the existing literature examining the contributions of this literature to the field, identifying the conflicts, and relating the themes and results to the project. Citations are provided for all ideas, concepts, and perspectives. The investigator’s personal opinions or perspectives are not included.
The required components for this section include the following:
- Chapter 2 needs to be at least 20-25 pages in length. It needs to include a minimum of 50 scholarly sources with 85% of sources published within the past 5 years. Additional sources do not necessarily need to be from the past 5 years.
- Quantitative project: Describes each project variable in the project and discusses the prior evidence-based[A33] research that has been done on the variable.
- [A34] Describes the phenomena being explored in the project and discusses the prior evidence-based research that has been done on the phenomena.
- Discusses the various methodologies and designs that have been used to provide evidence on topics related to the project. Uses this information to justify the design.
- Relates the literature back to the DPI-project topic and the practice problem.
- Argues the appropriateness of the practice improvement project’s instruments, measures, or approaches used to collect data.
- Discusses topics related to the practice improvement project topic. This section may include (a) studies relating the variables (quantitative) or exploring related phenomena (qualitative); (b) studies on related evidence-based research, such as factors associated with the topic; (c) studies on the instruments used to collect data; and (d) studies on the broad population for the project.
- Set of topics discussed in the Review of Literature demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the broad area in which the project topic exists.
- Argues the appropriateness of the practice improvement project’s instruments, measures, or approaches used to collect data.
- Each section within the Review of Literature includes an introductory paragraph that explains why the particular topic was explored relative to the practice improvement project topic.
- Each section also requires a summary paragraph(s) that (a) compares and contrasts alternative perspectives on the topic, (b) provides a summary of the themes relative to the topic discussed that emerged from the literature, (c) discusses data from the various studies, and (d) identifies how themes are relevant to your practice improvement project topic.
- The types of references that may be used in the literature review include empirical articles, a limited number of practice improvement projects, peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles, and books that are cutting-edge views on a topic, evidence-based research, or seminal works.
The body of a literature review can be organized in a variety of ways depending on the nature of the project. Work with your committee chairperson to determine the best way to organize this section of Chapter 2, as it pertains to your overall project design. This template organizes the evidence –based research thematically, as illustrated below.
Theme 1[A35] . You may want to organize this section by themes and subthemes. To do so, use the pattern below.
Subtheme 1[A36] . Grouped findings related to Theme 1.
Project 1. Describe the clinical question(s), sample, methodology, and findings of this project.
Project 2. Describe the clinical question(s), sample, methodology, and findings of this project.
Project 3. Describe the clinical question(s), sample, methodology, and findings of this project.
In a concluding paragraph, provide a synthesis of the evidence–based research studies presented in Subtheme 1. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each project, as well as the variables, instrumentation, and findings of each project as they relate to each other, and use the findings of the studies in the subtheme to build an argument for your project. Discuss what is missing or how the evidence–based research design or methodology could have changed in studies to improve the quality of the project. Discuss inconsistencies or gaps that emerge in the research providing opportunity for additional projects. Provide a transition sentence to the next subtheme.
Subtheme 2. Grouped findings related to Theme 1.
Project 1[A37] . Describe the Clinical question[s], sample, methodology, findings
Project 2. Describe the clinical question[s], sample, methodology, findings)
Project 3. Describe the clinical question[s], sample, methodology, findings
Provide a synthesis of the evidence-based research in the subtheme as suggested above. Continue repeating this pattern with other evidence-based research findings that fit with Theme 1 and then provide an overall synthesis of the evidence-based research for Theme 1. Repeat this pattern for the next major theme in your literature review, and continue repeating as needed.
Theme 2. Chapter 2 can be particularly challenging with regard to APA format for citations and quotations. Refer to your APA manual frequently to make sure your citations are formatted properly. It is critical that each in-text citation is appropriately listed in the References section.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Review of the Literature This section provides a broad, balanced overview of the existing literature related to the project topic. It identifies themes, trends, and conflicts in evidence-based research methodology, design, and findings. It describes the literature in related topic areas and its relevance to the project topic. It provides an overall analysis of the existing literature examining the contributions of this literature to the field, identifying the conflicts, and relating the themes and results to the project. Citations are provided for all ideas, concepts, and perspectives. The investigator’s personal opinions or perspectives are not included. | |||
| Chapter 2 needs to be at least 20-25 pages in length. It needs to include a minimum of 50 scholarly sources with 85% from the sources published within the past 5 years. Additional sources do not necessarily need to be from the past 5 years. It should not include any personal perspectives. | |||
| This section describes each variable in the project discussing the prior evidence-based research that has been done on the variable. | |||
| This section Discusses the various methodologies and designs that have been used to understand evidence-based research topics related to the project. Uses this information to justify the design. | |||
| This section argues the appropriateness of the practice improvement project’s instruments, measures, and/or approaches used to collect data. | |||
| This section discusses topics related to the practice improvement project topic and may include (a) studies relating the variables (quantitative) or exploring related phenomena (qualitative), (b) evidence –based studies on related factors associated with the topic, (c) Relates the literature back to the DPI-project topic and the practice problem. d) studies on the instruments used to collect data, and (e) studies on the broad population for the project. Set of topics discussed in the Review of Literature demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the broad area in which the topic exists. | |||
| Each section within the Review of Literature includes an introductory paragraph that explains why the particular topic was explored relative to the practice improvement project topic. | |||
| Each section within the Review of Literature requires a summary paragraph that (a) compares and contrasts alternative perspectives on the topic, (b) provides a summary of the themes relative to the topic discussed that emerged from the literature, and (c) identifies how themes are relevant to your practice improvement project topic. | |||
| The types of references that may be used in the literature review include empirical articles, a limited number of practice improvement projects, peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles, and books that present cutting-edge views on a topic, research-based, or seminal works. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
For a quote within a quote, use a set of single quotation marks. [4.08]. As a rule, if a quote comprises 40 or more words, display this material as a freestanding block quote. Start formal block quotes on a new line. They are indented one inch in from the left margin. The entire block quote is double-spaced. Quotation marks are not used with formal block quotes. The in-text citation is included after the final punctuation mark. [6.03]. Below is an example of a block quote: In an important biography, The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, [A38] historian H. W. Brands writes:
In February 1731, Franklin became a Freemason. Shortly thereafter, he volunteered to draft the bylaws for the embryonic local chapter, named for St. John the Baptist; upon acceptance of the bylaws, he was elected Warden and subsequently Master of the Lodge. Within three years, he became Grandmaster of all of Pennsylvania's Masons. Not unforeseeable he—indeed, this was much of the purpose of membership for everyone involved—his fellow Masons sent business Franklin’s way. In 1734 he printed The Constitutions, the first formerly sponsored Masonic book in America; he derived additional [printing] work from his brethren on an unsponsored basis. (Brands, 2000, p. 113)
Summary
This section restates what was written in Chapter 2 and provides supporting citations for key points. It synthesizes the information from the chapter using it to define the “gaps” in or “project needs” from the literature, the theories or models to provide the foundation for the project, the problem statement, the primary clinical question, the methodology, the design, the variables or phenomena, the data collection instruments or sources, and population. It then provides a transition discussion to Chapter 3.
Overall, this section should:
- Synthesize the information from all of the prior sections in the literature review, and use it to define the key strategic points for the project.
- Summarize the gaps and needs in the background and introduction, and describe how it informs the problem statement.
- Identify the theories or models describing how they inform the clinical questions.
- Use the literature to justify the design, variables, data collection instruments or sources, and population to be evaluated.
- Relates the literature back to the DPI-project topic and the practice problem.
- Build a case (argument) for the project in terms of the value of the project and how the clinical questions emerged from the review of literature.
- Explain how the current theories, models, and topics related to the project will be advanced through your project.
- Summarize key points in Chapter 2 and transition into Chapter 3.
This section should help the reader clearly see and understand the relevance and importance of the project to be conducted. The Summary section transitions to Chapter 3 by building a case for the project, in terms of project design and rigor, and it formulates the clinical questions based on the gaps and tensions in the literature[A39] .
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Summary This section restates what was written in Chapter 2 and provides supporting citations for key points. It synthesizes the information from the chapter using it to define the “gaps” in or “evidence –based practice needs” from the literature, the theories or models to provide the foundation for the project, the problem statement, the primary clinical question, the methodology, the design, the variables or phenomena, the data collection instruments or sources, and population. It then provides a transition discussion to Chapter 3. | |||
| This section synthesizes the information from all of the prior sections in the Review of Literature and uses it to define the key strategic points for the project. This section summarizes the gaps and needs in the background and introduction and describes how it informs the problem statement. This section identifies the theories or models and describes how they inform the clinical questions. This section uses the literature to justify the design, variables or phenomena, data collection instruments or sources, and answer the clinical questions on your selected intervention protocol, clinical setting and patient population.be evaluated. | |||
| This section builds a case for the project in terms of the value of the project. | |||
| This section explains how the current theories, models, and topics related to the DPI project will be advanced through your intervention and outcomes. | |||
| This section summarizes key points in Chapter 2 and transition into Chapter 3. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Chapter 3: Methodology
Chapter 3 documents how the project is conducted in enough detail so that replication by others is possible. The introduction begins with a summary of the project focus and purpose statement to reintroduce the reader to the need for the project. This can be summarized in three or four sentences from Chapter 1. Summarize the clinical questions in narrative format, and then outline the expectations for this chapter.
Remember, throughout this chapter, that verb tense must be changed from present tense (proposal) to past tense (DPI Project manuscript). Furthermore, consider what happened during data collection and analysis. Sometimes, the DPI project protocol ends up being modified based on committee, Academic Quality Review (AQR), or Institutional Review Board (IRB) recommendations. After the practice project is complete, make sure this chapter reflects how the project was actually conducted.
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| Introduction This section includes both a restatement of project focus and purpose statement for the project from Chapter 1, to reintroduce reader to the need for the project and a description of contents of the chapter. | |||
| A brief introduction to the chapter describes the chapter purpose and how it is organized and summarizes the project focus and problem statement to reintroduce reader to the need for the project. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready).[A40] |
Statement of the Problem
This section restates the problem for the convenience of the reader. Copy and paste the Statement of the Problem from Chapter 1. Then, edit, blend, and integrate this material into the narrative. Change future tense to past tense for DPI Project manuscripts.
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| Statement of the Problem: This section restates the Problem Statement from Chapter 1. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Clinical Question
This section restates the clinical question(s) for the project from Chapter 1. It then presents the matching of the variables. The section also briefly discusses the approaches to collecting the data to answer the clinical questions. The section should describe the instrument(s) or data source(s) to collect the data for each variable. It also discusses why the design was selected to be the best approach to answer the clinical question(s).
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| Clinical Question(s) This section restates the clinical questions for the project from Chapter 1. It then explains the variables. | |||
| This section describes the approaches used to collect the data to answer the clinical questions. For a quantitative project, it describes the instrument(s) or data source(s) to collect the data for each variable. | |||
| This section discusses why the design was selected to be the best approach to answer the clinical questions. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Project Methodology
This section describes the methodology for the project (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) and explains the rationale for selecting this particular methodology. It also describes why this methodology was selected as opposed to the alternative methodologies. This section should elaborate on the Methodology section (from Chapter 1) providing the rationale for the selected project method (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed). Arguments are supported by citations from articles and books on research methodology or design. It is also appropriate in this section to outline the predicted results in relation to the clinical questions based on the existing literature. Describe how the methodology selected supports the attainment of information that will answer the clinical questions.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Project Methodology This section elaborates on the Methodology section (from Chapter 1), providing the rationale for the selected project method (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) and includes a discussion of why the selected method was chosen instead of another method. Arguments are supported by citations from articles and books on project methodology or design. Describe how the methodology selected supports the attainment of information that will answer the clinical questions. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Project Design
This section elaborates on the nature of the Project Design section from Chapter 1. It includes a detailed description of, and a rationale for, the specific design for the project. It also discusses the specific project design for the project (descriptive, correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental, historical, case project, ethnography, phenomenology, content analysis, exploratory, explanatory, embedded, triangulation, etc.) and describes how it aligns to the selected methodology indicated in the previous section. Additionally, it describes why the selected design is the best option to collect the data to answer the clinical need for the project.
The section explains exactly how the selected design will be used to collect data for each variable. It identifies the specific instruments and data sources to be used to collect all of the different data required for the project. Arguments are supported by citations from articles and books on DPI project methodology or design. This section should specify the independent, dependent, or classificatory variables, as appropriate. Be sure to relate the variables back to the research questions. A brief discussion of the type of data collection tool chosen (survey, interview, observation, etc.) can also be included in this section as related to the variables.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Project Design This section elaborates on the Nature of the Project Design for the Project (from Chapter 1) providing the rationale for the selected project design and includes a discussion of why the selected design is the best one to collect the data needed. Arguments are supported by citations from articles and books on methodology or design. | |||
| This section describes how the specific selected DPI project design will be used to collect the type of data needed to answer the clinical questions and the specific instruments or data sources that will be used to collect or source this data. This section discusses why the design was selected to be the best approach to answer the clinical question(s). | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Population and Sample Selection
This section discusses the setting, total population, project population, and project sample. The discussion of the sample includes the project terminology specific to the type of sampling for the project. This section should include the following components:
- Describes the characteristics of the total population and the project population from which the project sample (project participants) is drawn.
- Describes the characteristics of the project population and the project sample.
- Clearly defines and differentiates the sample for the project versus the number of people completing instruments on the project sample.
- Describes the project population size and project sample size and justifies the project sample size (e.g., power analysis) based on the selected design.
Clearly defines and differentiates between the number for the project population and the project sample versus the number for the people who will complete any instruments. Details the sampling procedure including the specific steps taken to identify, contact, and recruit potential project sample participants from the project population.
Describes the informed consent process, confidentiality measures, project participation requirements, and geographic specifics.
- Discusses the intervention protocol to answer the clinical question(s).
- If subjects withdrew or were excluded from the project, you must provide an explanation. This would be added for the final manuscript, and would not be present in the proposal.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Population and Sample Selection This section discusses the setting, total population, project population, and project sample. The discussion of the sample includes the project terminology specific to the type of sampling for the project. | |||
| This section describes the characteristics of the total (general) population and the project (target) population from which the project sample (sample) (project participants) is drawn. | |||
| This section describes the characteristics of the project population and the project sample and clearly defines and differentiates the sample for the project versus the number of people completing instruments on the project sample. | |||
| This section describes the project population size and project sample size and justifies the project sample size (e.g., power analysis) based on the selected design. This section clearly defines and differentiates between the number for the project population and the project sample versus the number for the people who will complete any instruments. | |||
| This section details the sampling procedure, including the specific steps taken to identify, contact, and recruit potential project sample participants from the project population. | |||
| This section describes the informed consent process, confidentiality measures, project participation requirements, and geographic specifics. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Instrumentation or Sources of Data
This section fully identifies and describes the types of data that will be collected, as well as the specific instruments and sources used to collect those data (tests, questionnaires, interviews, databases, media, etc.). Discuss the specific instrument or source to collect data for each variable or group. Use subheadings for each data collection instrument or source of data and provide a copy of all instruments in an appendix.
If you are using an existing instrument, make sure to discuss in detail the characteristics of the instrument. For example, on a preexisting survey tool describe the way the instrument was developed and constructed, the validity and reliability of the instrument, the number of items or questions included in the survey, and the calculation of the score as appropriate.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Instrumentation or Sources of Data This section describes, in detail, all data collection instruments and sources (tests, questionnaires, interviews, databases, media, etc.); the specific instrument or source to collect data for each variable or group (quantitative project); and the specific instrument or source to collect information to describe the phenomena (qualitative project).[A41] | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Validity
This section describes and defends the procedures used to determine the validity of the data collected. Validity refers to the degree to which a project accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the investigator is attempting to measure. Ask if what is actually being measured is what was set out to be measured. As an investigator, you must be concerned with both external and internal validity.
For this section, provide specific validity statistics for quantitative instruments, identifying how they were developed. NOTE: Learners should not be developing any quantitative instruments without permission from the DNP department.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) | Comments or Feedback |
| Validity This section provides specific validity statistics for quantitative instruments, identifying how they were developed, and explains how validity will be addressed for qualitative data collection approaches. NOTE: Learners should not be developing any quantitativeinstruments without permission from the DNP department. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Reliability
This section describes and defends the procedures used to determine the reliability of the data collected. Reliability is the extent to which an experiment, test, or any measuring procedure is replicable and yields the same result with repeated trials. For this section, provide specific reliability statistics for quantitative instruments, identifying how the statistics were developed. Explain specific approaches on how reliability will be addressed for qualitative data collection approaches.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Reliability This section provides specific reliability statistics for quantitative instruments, identifying how the statistics were developed, and explains how reliability will be addressed for qualitative data collection approaches. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Data Collection Procedures
This section details the entirety of the process used to collect the data. Describe the step-by-step procedures used to carry out all the major steps for data collection for the project in a way that would allow another investigator to replicate the project. The key elements of this section include:
- A description of the procedures for project sample recruitment, sample selection, and assignment to groups (if applicable).
- A description of the procedures for obtaining informed consent and for protecting the rights and well-being of the project sample participants, as well as those completing instruments on them.
- A description of the procedures adopted to maintain data securely, including the length of time data will be retained, where the data will be retained, and how the data will be destroyed.
- A description of the procedures for data collection, including how each instrument or data source was used, how and where data were collected, and how data were recorded.
- An explanation of the independent and dependent variables (if applicable), and how the resulting change in those variables is measured (if applicable),
- An explanation of how control variables were maintained as a constant value (if applicable).
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| Data Collection Procedures This section details the entirety of the process used to collect the data. It describes each step of the data collection process in a way that another investigator could replicate the project. | |||
| This section describes the step-by-step procedures used to carry out all the major steps for data collection for the project in a way that would allow another investigator to replicate the project. | |||
| This section describes the procedures for project sample recruitment, sample selection, and assignment to groups (if applicable). | |||
| This section describes the procedures for obtaining informed consent and for protecting the rights and well-being of the project sample participants, as well as those completing instruments on them. | |||
| This section describes the procedures adopted to maintain data securely, including the length of time data will be retained, where the data will be retained, and how the data will be destroyed. | |||
| This section describes the procedures for data collection, including how each instrument or data source was used, how and where data was collected, and how data were recorded. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Data Analysis Procedures
This section provides a step-by-step description of the procedures to be used to conduct the data analysis. The key elements of this section include:
- A description of how the data were collected for each variable or group.
- A description of the type of data to be analyzed, identifying the descriptive, inferential, or nonstatistical analyses.
- Demonstration that the project analysis is aligned to the specific project design.
- A description of the clinical question(s).
- A detailed description of the relevant data collected for each stated clinical question.
- A description of how the raw data were organized and prepared for analysis. Provides a step-by-step description of the procedures used to conduct the data analysis.
- A detailed description of any statistical and nonstatistical analysis to be employed.
- A rationale is provided for each of the data analysis procedures (statistical and nonstatistical) employed in the project.
- A demonstration that the data analysis techniques align with the DPI project design.
- The level of statistical significance for quantitative analyses is stated as appropriate.
- References to the software used for the data analyses and assurance that the language used to describe the data analysis procedure is consistently used in Chapters 4 and 5.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Data Analysis Procedures This section describes how the data was collected for each variable or group. It describes the type of data to be analyzed, identifying the descriptive, inferential, or nonstatistical analyses. This section demonstrates that the project analysis is aligned to the specific project design. | |||
| This section describes the clinical question(s). | |||
| This section describes, in detail, the relevant data collected for each stated clinical question or variable. | |||
| This section describes how the raw data were organized and prepared for analysis. | |||
| This section provides a step-by-step description of the procedures used to conduct the data analysis. | |||
| This section describes, in detail, any statistical and nonstatistical analysis to be employed. | |||
| This section provides the rationale for each of the data analysis procedures (statistical and nonstatistical) employed in the project. | |||
| This section demonstrates that the data analyses techniques align with the DPI project research design. | |||
| This section states the level of statistical significance for quantitative analyses as appropriate. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Ethical Considerations
This section discusses the potential ethical issues surrounding the project, as well as how human subjects and data will be protected. The key ethical issues that must be addressed in this section include:
- Identify how any potential ethical issues will be addressed.
- Provide a discussion of ethical issues related to the project and the sample population of interest, institution, or data collection process.
- Address anonymity, confidentiality, privacy, lack of coercion, informed consent, and potential conflict of interest.
- Demonstrate adherence to the key principles of the Belmont Report (respect, justice, and beneficence) in the project design, sampling procedures, and within the theoretical framework, practice or patient problem, and clinical questions.
- Discuss how the data will be stored, safeguarded, and destroyed.
- Discuss how the results of the project will be published.
- Discuss any potential conflict of interest on the part of the investigator.
- Reference IRB approval to conduct the project, which includes subject recruiting and informed consent processes, in regard to the voluntary nature of project.
- Include the IRB approval letter with the protocol number, informed consent/subject assent documents, site authorization letter(s), or any other measures required to protect the participants or institutions in an appendix.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Ethical Considerations This section discusses the potential ethical issues surrounding the DPI project, as well as how human subjects and data will be protected. It identifies how any potential ethical issues will be addressed. | |||
| This section provides a discussion of ethical issues related to the project and the sample population of interest. | |||
| This section addresses anonymity, confidentiality, privacy, lack of coercion, informed consent, and potential conflict of interest. | |||
| This section demonstrates adherence to the key principles of the Belmont Report (respect, justice, and beneficence) in the project design, sampling procedures, and within the theoretical framework, research problem, and questions. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Limitations
While Chapter 1 addresses the broad, overall limitations of the project, this section discusses in detail the limitations related to the DPI project approach and methodology and the potential impacts on the results. This section describes any limitations related to the methods, sample, instrumentation, data collection process, and analysis. Other methodological limitations of the project may include issues with regard to the sample in terms of size, population and procedure, instrumentation, data collection processes, and data analysis. This section also contains an explanation of why the existing limitations are unavoidable and are not expected to affect the results negatively.
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| Limitations This section discusses, in detail, the limitations related to the project approach and methodology and the potential impacts on the results. | |||
| This section describes any limitations related to the methods, sample, instrumentation, data collection process, and analysis. This section explains why the existing limitations are unavoidable and are not expected to affect the results negatively. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Summary
This section restates what was written in Chapter 3 and provides supporting citations for key points. Your summary should demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the overall project design and analysis techniques. The Chapter 3 summary ends with a discussion that transitions the reader to[A42] Chapter 4.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Summary This section restates what was written in Chapter 3 and provides supporting citations for key points. | |||
| This section summarizes key points presented in Chapter 3 with appropriate citations. | |||
| This section demonstrates in-depth understanding of the overall project design and data analysis techniques. | |||
| This section ends with a transition discussion focus for Chapter 4. | |||
| This section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, and uses correct paragraph structure, sentence structure, punctuation, and APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1 (unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results
The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the collected data, how it was analyzed and then to present the results. This section of Chapter 4 briefly restates the problem statement, the methodology, the clinical question(s) or phenomena, and then offers a statement about what will be covered in this chapter. Chapter 4 should present the results of the project as clearly as possible, leaving the interpretation of the results for Chapter 5. Make sure this chapter is written in past tense and reflects how the project was actually conducted.
This chapter typically contains the analyzed data, often presented in both text and tabular or figure format. To ensure readability and clarity of findings, structure is of the utmost importance in this chapter. Sufficient guidance in the narrative should be provided to highlight the findings of greatest importance for the reader. Most investigators begin with a description of the sample and the relevant demographic characteristics presented in text or tabular format.
Ask the[A43] following general questions before starting this chapter:
- Is there sufficient data to answer each of the clinical question(s) asked in the project?
- Is there sufficient data to support the conclusions you will make in Chapter 5?
- Is the project written in the third person? Never use the first person.
- Is the data clearly explained using a table, graph, chart, or text?
Visual organizers, including tables and figures, must always be introduced, presented and discussed within the text first. Never insert them without these three steps. It is often best to develop all of the tables, graphs, charts, etc. before writing any text to further clarify how to proceed. Point out the salient results and present those results by table, graph, chart, or other form of collected data.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| INTRODUCTION (TOTHE CHAPTER) This section of Chapter 4 briefly restates the problem statement, the methodology, the clinical question(s) or phenomena, and offers a statement about what will be covered in this chapter. | |||
| Re-introduces the purpose of the practice project. | |||
| Briefly describes the project methodology and/or clinical question(s) tested. | |||
| Provides an orienting statement about what will be covered in the chapter. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready).[A44] |
Descriptive Data
This section of Chapter 4 provides a narrative summary of the population or sample characteristics and demographics of the participants in the project. It establishes the number of subjects, gender, age, education level or employee classification, (if appropriate), organization, or setting (if appropriate), and other appropriate sample characteristics (e.g. education level, program of project, employee classification etc.). The use of graphic organizers, such as tables, charts, histograms and graphs to provide further clarification and promote readability, is encouraged to organize and present coded data. Ensure this data cannot lead to anyone identifying individual participants in this section or identifying the data for individual participants in the data summary and data analysis that follows.
For numbers, equations, and statistics, spell out any number that begins a sentence, title, or heading – or reword the sentence to place the number later in the narrative. In general, use Arabic numerals (10, 11, 12) when referring to whole numbers 10 and above, and spell out whole numbers below 10. There are some exceptions to this rule:
- If small numbers are grouped with large numbers in a comparison, use numerals (e.g., 7, 8, 10, and 13 trials); but, do not do this when numbers are used for different purposes (e.g., 10 items on each of four surveys).
- Numbers in a measurement with units (e.g., 6 cm, 5-mg dose, 2%).
- Numbers that represent time, dates, ages, sample or population size, scores, or exact sums of money.
- Numbers that represent a specific item in a numbered series (e.g., Table 1).
A sample table in APA style is presented in Table 1[A45] . Be mindful that all tables fit within the required margins, and are clean, easy to read, and formatted properly using the guidelines found in Chapter 5 (Displaying Results) of the APA Publication Manual 6.0.
Table 1
A Sample Data Table Showing Correct Formatting
| Column A M (SD[A46] ) | Column B M (SD) | Column C M (SD) | |
| Row 1 | 10.1 (1.11) | 20.2 (2.22) | 30.3 (3.33) |
| Row 2 | 20.2 (2.22) | 30.3 ( 3.33) | 20.2 (2.22) |
| Row 3 | 30.3 (3.33) | 10.1 (1.11) | 10.1 (1.11) |
Note. Adapted from “Sampling and Recruitment in Studies of Doctoral Students,” by I.M. Investigator, 2010, Journal of Perspicuity, 25, p 100. Reprinted with permission[A47] .
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| DESCRIPTIVE DATA This section of Chapter 4 provides a narrative summary of the population or sample characteristics and demographics of the participants in the project. It establishes the number of subjects, gender, age, level (if appropriate), organization, or setting (if appropriate). The use of graphic organizers, such as tables, charts and graphs to provide further clarification and promote readability, is encouraged. | |||
| Provides a narrative summary of the population or sample characteristics and demographics. | |||
| Graphic organizers are used as appropriate to organize and present coded data, as well as descriptive data such as tables, histograms, graphs, and/or charts. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Data Analysis Procedures
This section presents a description of the process that was used to analyze the data. If clinical question(s) guided the project, data analysis procedures can be framed relative to each clinical question. Data can also be organized by chronology of phenomena, by themes and patterns, or by other approaches as deemed appropriate according for a qualitative project. The key components included in this section are:
- A detailed description of the data analysis procedures.
- An explanation of how the raw data relates to the clinical questions(s) asked in the project for a quantitative project.
- Explain how data and findings were organized by chronology of phenomena, by themes and patterns, or by other approaches as deemed appropriate according for a qualitative[A48] project.
- A discussion of the identification of sources of error and their effect on the data.
- An explanation and justification of any differences in why the data analysis section does not match what was approved in Chapter 3 (if appropriate).
- An analysis of the reliability and validity of the data in statistical terms, for quantitative projects.
- A description of the approaches used to ensure validity and reliability, for qualitative projects.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURES This section presents a description of the process that was used to analyze the data. If clinical question(s) guided the project, data analysis procedures can be framed relative to each clinical question. Data can also be organized by chronology of phenomena, by themes and patterns, or by other approaches as deemed appropriate according for a qualitative project. | |||
| Describes in detail the data analysis procedures. | |||
| Explains and justifies any differences in why the data analysis section does not match what was approved in Chapter 3 (if appropriate). | |||
| Provides validity and reliability of the data in statistical terms for quantitative methodology. Describes approaches used to ensure validity and reliability for qualitative projects. | |||
| Identifies sources of error and potential impact on the data. | |||
| For a quantitative project, justifies how the analysis aligns with the clinical question(s) and is appropriate for the DPI project design. For a qualitative project justifies how data and findings were organized by chronology of phenomena, by themes and patterns, or by other approaches as deemed appropriate. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready).[A49] |
Results[A50]
This section, which is the primary section of this chapter, presents a summary and analysis of the data in a non-evaluative, unbiased, organized manner that relates to the clinical question(s). List the clinical question(s) as you are discussing them in order to ensure that the readers see that the question has been addressed. Answer the clinical question(s) in the order that they are listed for quantitative studies. You can organize your data in several different ways for qualitative studies including: by clinical question, by chronology of variables, by themes and patterns, or by other approaches deemed appropriate for the project.
The key components included in this section are:
- The data and the analysis of that data should be presented in a narrative, non-evaluative, unbiased, organized manner by clinical question(s).
- The section should also include appropriate graphic organizers, such as tables, charts, graphs, and figures.
- The amount and quality of the data or information is sufficient to answer the clinical question(s) is well presented, and is intelligently interpreted.
- Qualitative: Findings are coded by major themes and subthemes using section titles if thematic analysis was used. They are presented in order of significance, if appropriate. The method of qualitative analysis will inform how the data will be displayed.
- [A51] : Data sets are summarized including counts and examples of participant’s responses. Outlier responses are explained as appropriate.
- Quantitative: Findings are presented by clinical question using section titles. They are presented in order of significance, if appropriate.
- Quantitative: Results of each statistical test are presented in appropriate statistical format with tables, graphs, and charts.
- Quantitative: For inferential statistics, p-value and test statistics are reported.
- Quantitative: Control variables (if part of the design) are reported and discussed. Outliers, if found, were reported.
The results must be presented without implication, speculation, assessment, evaluation, or interpretation. Discussion of results and conclusions are left for Chapter 5. Refer to the APA Style Manual for additional lists and examples. In quantitative practice improvement projects, it is not required for all data analyzed to be presented; however, it is important to provide descriptive statistics and the results of the applicable statistic tests used in conducting the analysis of the data. It is also important that there are descriptive statistics provided on all variables. Nevertheless, it is also acceptable to put most of this in the Appendix if the chapter becomes too lengthy.
Required components include descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics describe or summarize data sets using frequency distributions (e.g., to describe the distribution for the IQ scores in your class of 30 pupils) or graphical displays such as bar graphs (e.g., to display increases in a school district's budget each year for the past five years), as well as histograms (e.g., to show spending per child in school and display mean, median, modes, and frequencies), line graphs (e.g., to display peak scores for the classroom group), and scatter plots (e.g., to display the relationship between two variables). Descriptive statistics also include numerical indexes such as averages, percentile ranks, measures of central tendency, correlations, measures of variability and standard deviation, and measures of relative standing.
Inferential statistics describe the numerical characteristics of data, and then go beyond the data to make inferences about the population based on the sample data. Inferential statistics also estimate the characteristics of populations about population parameters using sampling distributions, or estimation. Table 2 presents example results of an independent t test comparing Emotional Intelligence (EI) mean scores by gender.
Table 2
t Test for Equality of Emotional Intelligence Mean Scores by Gender
| t test for equality of means | |||
| t | df | p | |
| EI | 1.908 | 34 | .065 |
For qualitative project, it is important to provide a complete picture of the constant comparative analysis conducted or of the coding pursued to arrive at a set of themes or conclusions about the subject. In qualitative projects, if thematic analysis is used, the questions to ask include the following:
- [A52] themes occur in interviews and field notes?
- Does the project provide samples that the themes exist by using interviews or field notes?
- What topics were mentioned most often?
- What issues were most important to the people in the project?
- How do the participants view the topic of project?
- What kinds of relationships are apparent? (e.g. strict inclusion, cause-effect, function, sequence)?
- How can the categories identified in the data be ordered into meaningful, grounded theories?
After completing the first draft of Chapter 4, ask these general questions:
- Are the findings clearly presented, so any reader could understand them?
- Are all the tables, graphics or visual displays well-organized and easy to read?
- Are the important data described in the text?
- Is factual data information separate from analysis and evaluation?
- Are the data organized by clinical questions?
Chapter 4 can be challenging with regard to mathematical equations and statistical symbols or variables. When including an equation in the narrative, space the equation as you would words in a sentence: x + 5 = a. Punctuate equations that are in the paragraph, as you would a sentence. Remember to italicize statistical and mathematical variables, except Greek letters, and if the equation is long or complicated, set it off on its own line.
Refer to your APA manual for specific details on representation of statistical information. Basic guidelines include:
- Statistical symbols are italicized (t, F, N, n)
- Greek letters, abbreviations that are not variables and subscripts that function as identifiers use standard typeface, no bolding or italicization
- Use parentheses to enclose statistical values (p = .026) and degrees of freedom t(36) = 3.85 or F(2, 52) = 3.85
- Use brackets to enclose limits of confidence intervals 95% CIs [- 5.25, 4.95]
Make sure to include appropriate graphics to present the results. Always introduce, present, and discuss the visual organizers in narrative form. Never insert a visual organizer without these three steps.
A figure[A53] is a graph, chart, map, drawing, or photograph. Below is an example of a figure labeled per APA style. Do not include a figure unless it adds substantively to the understanding of the results or it duplicates other elements in the narrative. If a figure is used, a label must be placed under the figure. As with tables, refer to the figure by number in the narrative preceding the placement of the figure. Make sure a table or figure is not split between pages. Below[A54] is another example of a table for you to review. It describes the characteristics of a servant leader.
The Servant Leader
| Trait | Descriptors |
| Values People | By believing in people By serving other’s needs before his or her own By receptive, non-judgmental listening |
| Develops People | By providing opportunities for learning and growth By modeling appropriate behavior By building up others through encouragement and affirmation |
| Builds Community | By building strong personal relationships By working collaboratively with others By valuing the differences of others |
| Displays Authenticity | By being open and accountable to others By a willingness to learn from others By maintaining integrity and trust |
| Provides Leadership | By envisioning the future By taking initiative By clarifying goals |
| Shares Leadership | By facilitating a shared vision By sharing power and releasing control By sharing status and promoting others |
Note. Derived from Laub, J. (1999). Assessing the servant organization: Development of the servant organizational leadership assessment (SOLA) instrument (Doctoral Practice improvement project). Available from ProQuest Practice improvement project and Theses Database. (UMI No. 9921922)
Figure[A56] 1. An example of a strong negative correlation for SAT composite score and time spent on Facebook for 11th grade high school students enrolled in IMSmart SAT Prep Course.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| RESULTS This section, which is the primary section of this chapter, presents an analysis of the data in a nonevaluative, unbiased, organized manner that relates to the clinical question(s). List the clinical question(s) as you are discussing them in order to ensure that the readers see that the question has been addressed. Answer the clinical question(s) in the order that they are listed. | |||
| The analysis of the data is presented in a narrative, nonevaluative, unbiased, organized manner by clinical question(s). | |||
| Includes appropriate graphic organizers such as tables, charts, graphs, and figures. | |||
| The amount and quality of the data or information is sufficient to answer the clinical question(s) is well presented, and is intelligently analyzed. | |||
| Qualitative: If using thematic analysis, findings are coded by major themes and subthemes using section titles. They are presented in order of significance, if appropriate. If using other qualitative data analysis approaches, data analysis is displayed using techniques specific to the method used. | |||
| Qualitative: Data sets are summarized including counts and examples of participant’s responses for thematic analysis. For other approaches to qualitative analysis, results may be summarized in matrices or visual formats appropriate to the method of analysis. Outlier responses are explained as appropriate. | |||
| Quantitative: Findings are presented by using section titles. They are presented in order of significance, if appropriate. | |||
| Quantitative: Results of each statistical test are presented in appropriate statistical format with tables, graphs, and charts. | |||
| Quantitative: For inferential statistics, p-value and test statistics are reported. | |||
| Quantitative: Control variables (if part of the design) are reported and discussed. Outliers, if found, were reported. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Summary
This section provides a concise summary of what was found in the project. It briefly restates essential data and data analysis presented in this chapter, and it helps the reader see and understand the relevance of the data and analysis to the clinical question(s). Finally, it provides a lead or transition into Chapter 5, where the implications of the data and data analysis relative to the clinical question(s) will be discussed. The summary of the data must be logically and clearly presented, with the factual information separated from interpretation. For qualitative studies, summarize the data and data analysis results in relation to the clinical question(s). For quantitative studies, summarize the statistical data and results of statistical tests in relation to the clinical question(s). Finally, provide a concluding section and transition to Chapter 5[A57] .
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| Summary This section provides a concise summary of what was found in the project. It briefly restates essential data and data analysis presented in this chapter, and it helps the reader see and understand the relevance of the data and analysis to the clinical question(s). Finally, it provides a lead or transition into Chapter 5, where the implications of the data and data analysis relative to the clinical question(s) will be discussed. | |||
| Summary of data is logically and clearly presented. | |||
| The factual information is separated from analysis. | |||
| Qualitative: Summarizes the data and data analysis results in relation to the clinical question(s). | |||
| Quantitative: Summarizes the statistical data and results of statistical tests in relation to the clinical question(s). | |||
| Provides a concluding section and transition to Chapter 5. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. |
Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
This section introduces Chapter 5 as a comprehensive summary of the entire project. It reminds the reader of the importance of the topic and briefly explains how the project intended to contribute to the body of knowledge on the topic. It informs the reader that conclusions, implications, and recommendations will be presented.
Chapter 5 is perhaps the most important chapter in the practice improvement project manuscript because it presents the investigator’s contribution to the body of knowledge. For many who read evidence-based literature, this may be the only chapter they will read. Chapter 5 typically begins with a brief summary of the essential points made in Chapters 1 and 3 of the original DPI project and includes why this topic is important and how this project was designed to contribute to the understanding of the topic. The remainder of the chapter contains a summary of the overall project, a summary of the findings and conclusions, recommendations for future practice, and a final section on implications derived from the project.
No new data or citations should be introduced in Chapter 5; however, references should be made to findings or citations presented in earlier chapters. The investigator can articulate new frameworks and new insights. The concluding words of Chapter 5 should emphasize both the most important points of the project and what the reader should take from them. This should be presented in the simplest possible form, making sure to preserve the conditional nature of the insights. Refer to the Grand Canyon University practice improvement project rubric for guidance on the content of this chapter.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
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| INTRODUCTION Provides an overview of why the project is important and how the project was designed to contribute to our understanding of the topic. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready).[A58] |
Summary of the Project[A59]
This section provides a comprehensive summary of the overall project that describes the content of the project to the reader in the simplest possible terms. It should recap the essential points of Chapters 1-3, but it should remain a broad, comprehensive view of the project. It reminds the reader of the clinical question(s) and the main issues being evaluated, and provides a transition, explains what will be covered in the chapter and reminds the reader of how the project was conducted.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT Reminds the reader of the clinical question(s) and the main issues being evaluated. | |||
| Provides a transition, explains what will be covered in the chapter and reminds the reader of how the project was conducted. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Summary of Findings and Conclusion
This section of Chapter 5 is organized by clinical question(s), and it conveys the specific findings of the project. The section presents conclusions made based on the data analysis and findings of the project and relates the findings back to the literature, significance of the project in Chapter 1, advancing scientific knowledge in Chapter 1. Significant themes/ findings are compared and contrasted, evaluated and discussed in light of the existing body of knowledge. The significance of every finding is analyzed and related to the significance section and advancing scientific knowledge section of Chapter 1. Additionally, the significance of the findings is analyzed and related back to Chapter 2, and ties the project together. The findings are bounded by the DPI project parameters described in Chapters 1 and 3, are supported by the data and theory, and directly relate to the clinical question(s). No unrelated or speculative information is presented in this section. This section of Chapter 5 should be organized by clinical question(s), theme, or any manner that allows summarizing the specific findings supported by the data and the literature. Conclusions represent the contribution to knowledge and fill in the gap in the knowledge. They should also relate directly to the significance of the project. The conclusions are major generalizations, and an answer to the practice problem developed in Chapters 1 and 2. This is where the project binds together. In this section, personal opinion is permitted, as long as it is backed with the data, grounded in the project methods and supported in the literature.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Summary of Findings and Conclusions This section is organized by clinical question(s), and it conveys the specific findings of the project. It presents all conclusions made based on the data analysis and findings of the project. It relates the findings back to the literature, significant chapters in Chapter 1, and advancing scientific knowledge in Chapter 1. | |||
| Organized by the same section titles as Chapter 4, clinical question(s) or by themes. | |||
| Significant themes/ findings are compared and contrasted, evaluated and discussed in light of the existing body of knowledge. | |||
| Significance of every finding is analyzed and related to the significance section and advancing scientific knowledge section of Chapter 1. | |||
| The conclusion summarizes the findings, refers back to Chapter 1, and ties the project together. | |||
| The findings are bounded by the DPI project parameters described in Chapters 1 and 3. | |||
| The findings are supported by the data and theory, and directly relate to the clinical question(s). | |||
| No unrelated or speculative information is presented in this section. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Implications[A60]
This section should describe what could happen because of this project. It also tells the reader what the DPI project results imply theoretically, practically, and for the future.
Additionally, it provides a retrospective examination of the theoretical framework presented in Chapter 2 in light of the practice improvement project’s findings. A critical evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the project, and the degree to which the conclusions are credible given the methodology, project design, and data, should also be presented. The section delineates applications of new insights derived from the practice improvement project to solve real and significant problems. Implications can be grouped into those related to theory or generalization, those related to practice, and those related to future projects. Separate sections with corresponding headings provide proper organization.
Theoretical implications[A61] .
Theoretical implications involve interpretation of the practice improvement project findings in terms of the clinical question(s) that guided the project. It is appropriate to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the project critically and include the degree to which the conclusions are credible given the method and data. It should also include a critical, retrospective examination of the framework presented in the Chapter 2 Literature Review section in light of the practice improvement project’s new findings.
Practical implications[A62] .
Practical implications should delineate applications of new insights derived from the practice improvement project to solve real and significant problems.
Future implications[A63] .
Two kinds of implications for future projects are possible: one based on what the project did find or do, and the other based on what the project did not find or do. Generally, future DPI projects could look at different kinds of subjects in different kinds of settings, interventions with new kinds of protocols or dependent measures, or new theoretical issues that emerge from the project. Recommendations should be included on which of these possibilities are likely to be most fruitful and why.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Implications This section should describe what could happen because of this DPI project results. It also tells the reader what the research implies theoretically, practically, and for the future. | |||
| Provides a retrospective examination of the theoretical framework presented in Chapter 2 in light of the practice improvement project’s findings. | |||
| Critically evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the project, and the degree to which the conclusions are credible given the methodology, project design, and data. | |||
| Delineates applications of new insights derived from the practice improvement project to solve real and significant problems. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Recommendations
Summarize the recommendations that result from the project. Each recommendation should trace directly to a conclusion.
Recommendations for future projects[A64] .
This section should contain a minimum of four to six recommendations for future DPI projects, as well as a full explanation for why each recommendation is being made. Additionally, this section discusses the areas of project that need further examination, or addresses gaps or new patient or system needs the project found. The section ends with a discussion of “next steps” in forwarding this line of DPI project evaluations. Recommendations relate back to the project significance and advancing scientific knowledge sections in Chapter 1.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Recommendations for Future PROJECTS This section should contain a minimum of four to six recommendations for future DPI projects, as well as a full explanation for why each recommendation is being made. The recommended project methodology/design should also be provided. | |||
| Contains a minimum of four to six recommendations for future projects. | |||
| Identifies and discusses the areas that need further examination, or addresses gaps or new patient or system needs the project found. | |||
| Suggests “next steps” in forwarding this line of evidence and clinical implications. | |||
| Recommendations relate back to the project significance and advancing scientific knowledge sections in Chapter 1. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your Chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Recommendations for practice[A65] .
This section should contain two to five recommendations for future practice based on the results and findings of the project, as well as a full explanation for why each recommendation is being made. It provides a discussion of who will benefit from reading and implementing the results of the project and presents ideas based on the results that practitioners can implement in the work or educational setting. Unrelated or speculative information that is unsupported by data is clearly identified as such. Recommendations should relate back to the project significance section in Chapter 1.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Recommendations for Future Practice This section should contain two to five recommendations for future practice based on the results and findings of the project, as well as a full explanation for why each recommendation is being made. | |||
| Contains two to five recommendations for future practice. | |||
| Discusses who will benefit from reading and implementing the results of the project. | |||
| Discusses ideas based on the results that practitioners can implement in the work or educational setting. | |||
| Unrelated or speculative information unsupported by data is clearly identified as such. | |||
| Recommendations relate back to the project significance section in Chapter 1. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Barzun, J., & Graff, H. F. (1992). The Modern Investigator: A classic work on research and writing completely revised and brought up to date. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Brands, H. W. (2000). The First American: the Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Doubleday.
Calabrese, R. L. (2006). The elements of an effective practice improvement project & thesis: a step-by-step guide to getting it right the first time. Lanham, MD: Roman & Littlefield Education.
Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Hacker, D., Somers, N., Jehn, T., & Rosenzweig, J. (2008). Rules for writers. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Nock, A. J. (1943). The Memoirs of a Superfluous Man. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association[A68] . (2010) Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (6th edition) (ISBN 10: 1-4338-0559-6; ISBN 13: 978-1-4338-0561-5; ISBN 10: 1-4338-0561-8).
Sprague, J., & Stuart, D.(2000) The speaker’s handbook, Harcourt College Publishers.
Strunk, W. I., & White, E.B. (1979). The elements of style. New York: Macmillan Publishing, Inc.
| Criterion | Learner Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Chairperson Score (0, 1, 2, or 3) |
Comments or Feedback |
| Reference List Reference entry exists for each in-text citation. | |||
| Provides a minimum of 50 references with minimum of 85% of the 50 references within the last 5 years. Additional references may be provided and do not have to have 85% within the past 5 years. | |||
| Range of references includes founding theorists, peer-reviewed articles, books, and journals (approximately 90%). | |||
| Reference list is formatted according to APA 6th Edition. For every reference there are in-text citations. For every in-text citation there is a reference. | |||
| Section is written in a way that is well structured, has a logical flow, uses correct paragraph structure, uses correct sentence structure, uses correct punctuation, and uses correct APA format. | |||
| NOTE: Once the document has been approved by your chairperson and your committee and is ready to submit for AQR review, please remove all of these assessment tables from this document. Score 0 (not present); 1(unacceptable; needs substantial edits); 2 (present, but needs some editing); 3 (publication ready). |
Appendix A[A69] [A70]
The Parts of a Practice improvement project
GCU uses the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition for its practice improvement project formatting and style guide. The GCU practice improvement project template complies with APA 6.0 with exceptions as noted in the template and in this formatting guide. A practice improvement project has three parts: preliminary pages, main text, and supplementary pages. Some preliminary or supplementary pages may be optional or not appropriate to a specific project. The learner should consult with his or her practice improvement project chairperson and committee regarding inclusion/exclusion of optional pages.
Preliminary Pages. The following preliminary pages precede the main text of the practice improvement project.
- Title Page
- Author’s Name
- Copyright Page (optional)
- Approval Page
- Abstract
- Dedication Page (optional)
- Acknowledgements (optional)
- Table of Contents
- List of Tables (if you have tables, a list is required)
- List of Figures (if you have figures, a list is required)
Main Text. The main text is divided into five major chapters. Each chapter can be further subdivided into sections and subsections based on the formatting requirements for each college.
- Chapter 1: Introduction to the Project
- Chapter 2: Literature Review
- Chapter 3: Methodology
- Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results
- Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
Supplementary Pages. Supplementary pages follow the body text, including reference materials and other required or optional addenda.
- References
- Appendices
- Vitae (optional)
- Glossary (optional)
- List of Abbreviations (optional)
Keep in mind that most formatting challenges are found in the preliminary and supplementary pages. Allocate extra time and attention for these sections to avoid delays in the electronic submission process. Also, as elementary as it may seem, run a complete spell and grammar check of your entire document before submission.
Appendix B
Title of Appendix
[A1]American Psychological Association (APA) Style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, footnotes, and the reference page. For specifics, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, second printing. For additional information on APA Style, consult the APA website:
NOTE: All notes and comments are keyed to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, second printing.
GENERAL FORMAT RULES:
Practice improvement projects must be 12 –point Times New Roman typeface, double-spaced on quality standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11") with 1-in. margins on the top, bottom, and right side. For binding purposes, the left margin is 1.5 in. [8.03]. To set this in Word, go to:
Page Layout >
Page Setup>
Margins >
Custom Margins>
Top: 1” Bottom: 1”
Left: 1.5” Right: 1”
Click “Okay”
Page Layout>
Orientation>
Portrait>
NOTE: All text lines are double-spaced. This includes the title, headings, formal block quotes, references, footnotes, and figure captions. Single-spacing is only used within tables and figures [8.03].
The first line of each paragraph is indented 0.5 in. Use the tab key which should be set at five to seven spaces [8.03].
To set correct spacing between paragraphs in Word, go to:
Page Layout>
Paragraph>
Spacing>
Before: 0 pt
After: 0 pt
[A2]Formatting note: The effect of the page being centered with a 1.5" left margin is accomplished by the use of the first line indent here. However, it would be correct to not use the first line indent, and set the actual indent for these title pages at 1.5".
[A3]If the title is longer than one line, double-space it. As a rule, the title should be no more than 12 words. Titles should be descriptive and concise with no abbreviations, jargon, or obscure technical terms. The title should be typed in uppercase and lowercase letters [2.01].
[A4]For example: Jane Elizabeth Smith
[A5]Delete yellow highlighted “Helps” as project develops.
[A6]Date of Dean’s signature. Until then, use the current date to fill this space. This page is counted, not numbered, and should not appear in the Table of Contents.
[A7]NOTE: This is an optional page. If copyright is not desired, delete this page. The copyright page is included in the final practice improvement project and not part of the proposal.
[A8]For example: © by Jane Elizabeth Smith, 2012
This page is centered. This page is counted, not numbered and should not appear in the Table of Contents.
[A9]The Signature Page is only included in the final practice improvement project and not part of the proposal.
[A10]If the title is longer than one line, double-space it. The title should be typed in upper and lowercase letters.
[A11]For example: Jane Elizabeth Smith
[A12]Date of Dean’s signature. Until then, use the current date to fill this space. Upon final submission, this date should match the date on the title page.
On the first line of the page, center the word “Abstract” (boldface font, italics, underlining, or quotation marks).
Beginning with the next line, write the abstract. Abstract text is one paragraph with no indentation and is double-spaced. This page is counted, not numbered, and does not appear in the Table of Contents.
Abstracts do not include references or citations.
The abstract should be between 150-250 words (or one page).
The abstract is only included in the final practice improvement project and not part of the proposal.
- Please ensure the following content is within your abstract:
- Rationale/Background: Provide one to two statements describing the nature of the project topic and introducing the problem.
- Purpose: State the purpose of the project. Please make sure your purpose statement is the same throughout the manuscript.
- Theoretical Framework: Include approximately one to two statements summarizing the theoretical framework.
- Project Method and Design: Include approximately two to four statements summarizing the methodology and design.
- Data Results: Identify the population and the sample size. Briefly describe the approach for data analysis and results of statistical tests. State whether the results were statistically significant and include numeric values.
- Implications: Conclude the abstract with one to two statements describing how the results of your project directly impacted practice at your site, and recommendations for what should be done in the future based on the findings of the project.
[A15]Librarians and investigators use the keywords to catalogue and locate vital research material.
[A16]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A17]Title in bold font
[A18]Title is bolded.
This is an example of a Table of Contents “boiler plate.” Freely edit and adapt this to fit the particular practice improvement project. In Word, “overtype” edits and adaptations.
NOTE: The Table of Contents must be 12-point Times New Roman typeface, double-spaced.
Unlike the body of the practice improvement project, the Table of Contents is right justified,( i.e., not ragged right). Dot leaders must be used. Title is bolded.
The Table of Contents reflects the specific levels of organization within the practice improvement project. All major (chapter) headings must be worded exactly the same and occur in the same order as they do in the GCU practice improvement project template. Any heading that appears in the Table of Contents must appear in the text, and any heading in the text must appear in the Table of Contents.
Subheadings differentiate subsections of each chapter, are single-spaced and upper and lowercase.
- indent first- level subheadings 3 spaces
- indent second-level subheadings 6 spaces
- continue to indent 3 spaces for subsequent level subheadings
The headings and subheadings in the Table of Contents must exactly match the text body.
The Table of Contents pages are counted and show a Roman numeral page number at the top right. The page number is justified with a 1 in. margin on each page. The page number should not be listed in the Table of Contents.
This is an example of a List of Tables “boiler plate.” Freely edit and adapt this to fit the particular practice improvement project. In Word, “overtype” edits and adaptations.
The List of Tables follow the Table of Contents.
The List of Tables is included in the Table of Contents and shows a Roman numeral page number at the top right. The page number is right justified with a 1 in. margin on each page. Dot leaders must be used. The title is bolded.
On the List of Tables, single-space table titles, double-spaced between entries. See 5.01-5.19 for details and specifics on Tables and Data Display.
All tables are numbered with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are first mentioned. [5.05]
This is an example of a List of Figures “boiler plate.” Freely edit and adapt this to fit the particular practice improvement project. In Word, “overtype” edits and adaptations.
The List of Figures follows the List of Tables.
The List of Figures is included in the Table of Contents and shows a Roman numeral page number at the top right. The page number is justified with a 1 in. margin on each page. The title is bolded.
Figures include graphs, charts, maps, drawings, cartoons, and photographs [5.21]. In the List of Figures, single-space figure titles and double-space between entries. See 5.20-5.30 for details and specifics on Figures and Data Display.
All figures are numbered with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are first mentioned. [5.05] The figure title included in the Table of Contents should match the title found in the text.
[A22]This heading is tagged with APA Style Level 1 heading [3.03].
[A23]Consider where you are in the process when determining past or present tense. If your project has been implemented, and you have finished your data collection, then the entire manuscript should be written in past tense.
[A24]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A25]This heading is tagged with APA Style Level 2 heading [3.03].
[A26]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A27]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A28]Make sure you customize this. It is either Clinical Question or Clinical Questions depending on whether or not you have more than one.
[A29]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A30]This is how each of your terms should be listed in this section.
[A31]This section should be a minimum of 20-25 pages.
[A32]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A33]Please note that you may also use seminal works and other relevant literature that supports your topic concept.
[A34]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A35]This heading is tagged with APA Style Level 3 heading [3.03].
[A36]This heading is tagged with APA Style Level 4 heading [3.03].
[A37]This heading is tagged with APA Style Level 5 heading [3.03].
[A38]Caution! Make sure you do not overuse titles in the literature review. You can use them in certain instances, but do not rely on them to convey content.
[A39]Use INSERTàPage Break to set new page for new chapter. Do not use hard returns to get there.
[A40]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A41]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A42]Use INSERTàPage Break to set new page for the reference list.
[A43]Edit the style (FORMAT-->STYLE--> Modify-->(drop down box that says format)-->Paragraph--> set indentation Left 0.25", Special = hanging; by= 0.5" THEN click on TABS (lower left corner) and make sure it is set at .75" edit the style (FORMAT-->STYLE--> Modify-->(drop down box that says format)-->Paragraph--> set indentation Left 0.25", Special = hanging; by= 0.5" THEN click on TABS (lower left corner) and make sure it is set at .75"
[A44]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A45]Each table must be numbered in sequence throughout the entire practice improvement project (Table 1, Table 2, etc.), or within chapters (Table 1.1, Table 1.2 for Chapter 1; Table 2.1, Table 2.2 for Chapter 2 etc.).
[A46]Statistical symbols in tables must be italicized
[A47]Permission must be obtained to reprint information that is not in the public domain. Letters of permission are included in the appendix. [See 5.16]
[A48]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A49]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A50]When reporting statistics in the narrative, be sure to italicize statistical and mathematical variables, e.g., F test, t test, population size N, p = .03. Use commonly accepted abbreviations for statistical symbols [A50].
[A51]Please note that most DPIs are quantitative. You may see reference to qualitative and mixed methodologies throughout the curriculum and in the templates as there are rare exceptions. Please consult with your chair if you feel your project is qualitative or mixed methods so that appropriate approvals may be obtained.
[A52] Numbered or bulleted lists are indented .5 inch from the left margin. Subsequent lines are indented further with a hanging indent. Each number or bullet ends with a period.
[A53]See 5.20-5.30 for details on correct APA style.
[A54]You must reference tables in the text prior to displaying the graphic.
[A55]In addition to numbering the table, name the table.
[A56]“In general, high quality graphics software handle the technical aspects of constructing figures.” [5.22].
Each figure must be numbered in sequence throughout the entire practice improvement project (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.), or within chapters (Figure 1.1, Figure 1.2 for Chapter 1; Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2 for Chapter 2, etc.).
[A57]Use INSERTàPage Break to set new page for new chapter. Do not use hard returns to get there.
[A58]All of the criterion tables must be removed prior to all AQR, IRB, and final submissions.
[A59]This section should be a minimum of three paragraphs.
[A60]This section should be a minimum of three paragraphs.
[A61]This heading is tagged with APA Style > Level 3, i.e., 12 pt Times New Roman, Indented, Boldface, Lowercase Heading. [See 3.03]
[A62]This heading is tagged with APA Style > Level 3, i.e., 12 pt Times New Roman, Indented, Boldface, Lowercase Heading. [See 3.03]
[A63]This heading is tagged with APA Style > Level 3, i.e., 12 pt Times New Roman, Indented, Boldface, Lowercase Heading. [See 3.03]
[A64]This heading is tagged with APA Style > Level 3, i.e., 12 pt Times New Roman, Indented, Boldface, Lowercase Heading. [See 3.03]
[A65]This heading is tagged with APA Style > Level 3, i.e., 12 pt Times New Roman, Indented, Boldface, Lowercase Heading. [See 3.03]
[A66]The Reference list should appear as a numbered new page at the end of the practice improvement project. The Reference heading is centered at the top of the page and is bolded.
The Reference list provides necessary information for the reader to locate and retrieve any source cited in the body of the text. Each source mentioned must appear in the Reference list. Likewise, each entry in the Reference list must be cited in the text.
This page must be entitled “References.” This title is centered at the top of the page. Do not use bold, underline, or quotation marks for this title. All text should be in 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced.
NOTE: References must use a hanging indent of 0.5” and be double-spaced. Examples of common references are provided below. See APA 6.0 Edition Chapter 7, 6.22 for specific reference formatting instructions. For more information on references or APA Style, consult the APA website: at http://apastyle.org
[A67]After completing the Reference list, it is important to cross-reference the in-text citations with the items in the Reference list to be certain that all in-text citations are in the Reference list and all items in the Reference list have an in-text citation. Using the Ctrl-F function helps to search for references within the practice improvement project.
NOTE: If the author is not named, list the reference by the title.
The appendices follow the reference list and typically include materials relevant to the DPI project and referenced in the main text, (e.g. raw data, letters of permission, institutional review authorization, surveys or other data collection materials).
Each appendix must begin with a new page, have its own letter designation A, B, C…etc., and a descriptive title.
The appendix heading is centered, with a 1” top margin and is upper and lower case.
The content or text for each appendix follows right after the title and must fit the practice improvement project margins specifications: 1.5” left, 1” top, right, and bottom.
Text spacing for appendix content depends on the nature of the appendix material. The format of the material should be clean and consistent.
[A70]Appendix A should be the Ten Strategic Points when submitting the proposal. When the final paper is submitted, the Ten Strategic Points should be deleted and the GCU IRB Letter of Approval should be included as Appendix A.
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