Working with Trauma Survivors

PSYR 8117 Writing a Quality Prospectus in Psychology The Dissertation Process Steps in the Dissertation Process 1. Select a dissertation topic and write a Premise. 2. Nominate your dissertation supervisory committee (chair and committee member.) 3. Prepare a Prospectus. 4. Complete the Proposal. 5. Meet Walden research standards per University Research Reviewer (URR) approval. 6. Present the Proposal. 7. Get Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval 8. Conduct the research and write your Dissertation 9. Defend your Dissertation! 2 Step 1: The Premise • The premise is a one-to-two-page document that captures your initial investigation of your research topic. • It consists of four parts: the title, problem statement, approach for the study, and references. • It will help you form your dissertation supervisory committee. Walden University. (2012). Dissertation premise. Retrieved from http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/Dissertation_Premise.pdf 3 Step 2: The Dissertation Supervisory Committee • The Dissertation Supervisory Committee is composed of three members: a committee chair, a committee member, and a committee university research reviewer (URR). • It is your responsibility to find the first two members: – Visit the Faculty Expertise Database – Consult with other faculty members, academic advisors – As you move through your program, watch for potential committee members • Start looking for a chair at least two quarters prior to enrollment in the dissertation course and after you have written a solid premise. Walden University. (n.d.) Locating Committee Members Using the Faculty Expertise Directory (FED) Search Functions: A Quick Guide. Retrieved from http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/FED_Guide_for_Students.pdf 4 Step 3: The Prospectus • The prospectus is a continuation of the premise and is typically a 6-10 page document that describes your proposed research study with more depth and details. • It serves as a plan for developing the proposal. • In this class, you will be working on completing a prospectus following the Walden Dissertation Prospectus document and the Dissertation Prospectus Rubric. You may use this prospectus for your dissertation topic, but remember that it may change as you will develop the final version of your prospectus with feedback from your dissertation committee. Walden University. (2012). Dissertation prospectus. Retrieved from http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/Dissertation_Prospectus.pdf Walden University. (2012). Dissertation prospectus rubric. Retrieved From http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/Dissertation_Prospectus_Rubric.doc 5 Step 4: The Proposal • The proposal contains the first three chapters of your dissertation: – Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study – Chapter 2: Literature Review – Chapter 3: Research Method • It presents a detailed plan of your proposed research including a description of your specific research idea, the related literature, and the intended research methodology. • You will consult frequently with your chair as you develop your proposal and you should expect several revisions in this process.

• Typically, once your chair is satisfied with your proposal, your committee member will read it and provide feedback and suggest more revisions as needed. • Once both your chair and committee member are satisfied with your proposal, your URR will read it for the first time. 6 Step 5: The University Research Reviewer (URR) • The university will assign a URR to review your proposal. The URR is typically a faculty member at your school who will ask you to make revisions as needed. • When the URR requests changes to your proposal, your committee will work with you to make the requested revisions. • This process will continue until the URR approves the proposal as meeting university criteria outlined in the Dissertation Minimum Standards Rubric. • After the URR has approved your proposal and has notified the Office of Student Research Administration of this approval, the proposal oral presentation can be scheduled. Walden University. (2012). Dissertation Minimum Standards Rubric. Retrieved from Working with Trauma Survivors http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/Dissertation_Minimum_Standards _Rubric_03.07.2012.doc 7 Step 6: The Proposal Oral Presentation • The Proposal Oral Presentation is a formal discussion of the proposal to identify any concerns to be addressed in the final version of the proposal. The oral presentation takes place as a teleconference, and it is recorded. • Your chair will lead the teleconference and both your chair and committee will participate. Typically, you will prepare a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the content of your proposal and you will orally present it. Then, your committee may ask you questions and make suggestions to add or modify your proposal.

• You can listen to Walden proposal presentations and dissertation oral defenses at: http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Oral-Defense.htm 8 Step 7: The Institutional Review Board (IRB) • Every research study that involves interviewing, surveying, testing, treating, and/or experimentally manipulating human participants or archival data on human subjects is required to have approval from Walden’s IRB prior to beginning the research. • The IRB office will determine if the anticipated benefits of the study outweigh risks associated with the subjects’ participation in it. • Become familiar with Walden’s IRB Application form to understand what type of information you are expected to provide. Typically, a group of IRB reviewers will give written feedback on your project, highlighting unclear areas or procedures and/or requesting more information. While some projects are approved after the first submission, you should expect more than one round of reviews. • Important Note: Please remember that no data may be collected until IRB approval is granted. • Go to http://researchcenter.waldenu.edu/Application-and-General-Materials.htm Then click on IRB Application. 9 Step 8: The Complete Dissertation Working with Trauma Survivors

• Following IRB approval, you can collect, analyze, and report your findings. You will prepare the abstract and write the two final dissertation chapters: – Chapter 4: Results – Chapter 5: Summary, Conclusion, and Recommendations • Similar to the approval process that occurred in your proposal, your chair, committee member, and URR must review and approve the rest of your dissertation chapters. • Each time you submit a new version of your dissertation draft, the committee members and URR have 14 calendar days to evaluate it and return feedback. 10 Step 9: The Dissertation Oral Defense • Upon URR approval of your dissertation and abstract, your document will be submitted to a Writing Center editor for a form and style review and a final check for errors in APA style, spelling, grammar, and related issues. • After this stage, you will present your dissertation via a teleconference in which both the chair and committee member will participate.

The teleconference will be recorded. • This is a formal discussion of the scholarly content of the dissertation followed by an evaluation of it. You may need to revise your dissertation based on the final feedback provided at the teleconference. • After successfully defending your dissertation and making the requested adjustments to your dissertation, your chair will send it to the URR for a final review. After final URR approval, your abstract is sent to the university’s chief academic officer as a final endorsement of the study. 11 .. Working with Trauma Survivors