Justifying the Research Problem
- next task of the researcher after having defined clearly the problem of his study
- whether he will conduct the study to meet an academic requirement (such as thesis), or
- propose it for funding by private or government institution
Various ways of presenting the researcher’s justification
the ff. guide questions will be helpful:
1. Is the problem a current and timely one?
2. Is it widespread?
3. Does it affect a special group of people such as mothers or children?
4. Does it relate to ongoing programs of the government?
5. Does it relate to broad social, economic, and health issues, such as unemployment?
6. Who else is concerned about the problem – top government officials, medical doctors, or other
professional?
7. What are its direct and indirect, short, and long-ranging contributions to the welfare of a group of
people or to the whole society?
The Research Objectives
Objective
- an effect that is desired or expected to be achieved by an activity, project or program
Research Objectives
- refer to statements of the purpose for which the investigation is to be conducted
- they describe the aims or goals to which are expected to be attained at the end of the research
process
- stated after the well-defined research problem
How to write a Capstone Research Project with Ease
Capstone Project
- is an academic paper that serves as a summary of student’s experience
- written as a part of college course
- another way to sum-up skills and competencies the student has gained during the course.
may be presented in various forms:
case studies
research papers
surveys
outcome-based evaluation
Defense
- a presentation frequently made of their project
- the aim of such presentation is to improve public speaking skills and help students clearly express
their thoughts.
Portfolio
- created along with the presentations
- accompany your presentation with additional materials, and help listener understand how you
come to your conclusions
How to write Capstone Research Paper
Step by step:
1. Think of the topic.
2. Create a capstone project proposal.
3. Gather Information,
4. Come up with a structure.
5. Make a timetable.
6. Get to the writing.
7. Proofread the text.
Think of the topic.
- think about a topic that interested you the most and seem manageable
- think about situations where your knowledge from the course can be applied
Create a capstone project proposal.
- usually it is a paper of 200 words or more
include the ff. points for your proposal:
1. Tell about the topic you want to choose and why you want to write about the particular topic.
2. Highlight the scope of information available and sources.
3. Tell about the research that you plan to so inyour project and what methods you plan or use,
analyze a certain process, pick certain products.
4. List the required workplace.
5. Set the aims that you wish to achieve with the project.
Gather Information.
- identify the sources and search for information related to your topic
- look through textbooks from you course
- highlight the key articles related to your topic
- group the articles by categories
Come up with a structure.
- a clear structure will help you logically divide your work and concentrate on each part
Typical structure of a capstone project:
1. Title Page
2. Introduction
3. Literature Review
4. Methods
5. Results and Discussion
6. Conclusions and Recommendations
Make a timetable.
- create a calendar with tasks and deadlines
- correct the schedule over time, as one task you can complete faster, while the other one may take more
time than you have planned.
Get to the writing.
- come up with a strong problem statement that is specific and narrow enough.
- introduction is written last
- don’t forget to state the major problem and list the limitations of the study
In the literature review:
- summarize your findings of the existing information on the topi
- make general conclusions and a brief analysis of each source
- keep being critical of the sources and not the gaps in the information
In the methods:
- analyze the process of your research
- justify the methods you chose
- discuss the positive and negative sides of the chosen method
In the results:
- describe the data you received during the research
- Statistics and data can be visualized in tables
- add descriptions and an interpretation of data
In the conclusion:
- sum-up your findings and make recommendations
- find the connection of your results with the initial issue
Proofread the text.
- reread the first draft and make corrections
- make sure they are complete and logically right
- add important sentences so that text will be complete
- look through for incorrect grammar, typos, and other mistakes
- make sure the tone of your work is totally academic
- format the text in accordance with the requirements to make it look neat and well structured
- ask someone to look through your writings and ask for feedback
Difference between a Capstone and a Thesis
Capstone project
- addresses a specific problem, issue, or concern in your field of study
- focuses on a narrow, specific topic whereas
Thesis
- attempts to create new knowledge
- addresses a broader, generalized issue
Capstone Project: Coursework Application
- tests your understanding of core concepts in your field of study and requires you to apply them to
situations.
- may require you to produce a solution to a business or scientific problem.
- don’t require original research, but you must perform background analysis, conduct library
research, examine similar projects and review best practices.
- may be completed individually or in small group
Tasks/Activities in a Typical Capstone Project
1. Identifying a need for product, service, process, or system.
2. Forming a team.
3. Identifying competitive products and services, performing a patent search, and identifying
required resources.
4. Refining the topic and generating a project proposal that include a specification, a task list or a
work breakdown, and a schedule.
5. Preparing a design.
6. Developing and fabricating the product, process or service.
7. Developing a test plan that complies with a specification.
8. Testing the system, product, process, or service.
9. Examining the business viability aspects of the product.
10. Preparing a final report and making a presentation including a demonstration of the product,
process or service.
What are the benefits of a Capstone Project?
1. Prepares you for a real-life challenges
Includes any possible challenges, loopholes or information gap. Once you solve a particular problem,
you gain confidence to face these scenarios in real-life too.
2. Sharpen research and reasoning skills
You learn how to prioritize things, how to break the problem into solvable chunks, how to sequence
your research activities and also arrange your findings in coherent manner.
3. Gives you a competitive advantage
There has to be something that gives an edge to your profile over the ordinary ones. Mentioning one
or more capstone project does the trick.
4. Equips you to handle interviews and case study with confidence
5. Includes discipline and team spirit
When each of you take up a responsibility, there has to be a sense of discipline for task completion.
