The editors from the Office of Research and Doctoral Services held a Form & Style Clinic on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Through separate 45-minute-long sessions presented via Zoom, Walden University Form and Style Editors guided attendees through various steps related to the capstone document of a doctoral degree at Walden University.  

Additional details about each session, a copy of the presentation slides, and the recordings (when available) from each session are below.

Transitioning From Coursework: Introduction to the Doctoral Capstone 
Writing a doctoral capstone document can be quite different from the shorter writing and research assignments in courses. The capstone is a book-length document of original scholarly contribution, and this session addresses the ways writing the doctoral capstone differs from writing for graduate courses. The presenter will outline some helpful strategies for how to approach the writing process as students move into the capstone phase. 

After the Approved Prospectus: Next Steps for Your Document 
After a capstone student has an approved prospectus, they begin to develop their official proposal documents. In this instructional session, the presenter will walk students through the steps of downloading and using the capstone template, which is the document students use from the proposal to the final study. Students will also be introduced to the various parts of the template along with available resources including the Form & Style Editors’ Proposal Kit.  

Working With the Capstone Template: Tips, Common Questions, and Resources 
The Walden University document templates provide capstone students with a way to ensure formatting of their final study is consistent with the requirements of the university, APA Style, and ProQuest. In this fourth session of the clinic, an editor will review best practices for using the MS Word template along with tips and suggestions for addressing issues that might arise with the template. Available resources and other materials will be reviewed and an opportunity for Q&A will occur at the end as time allows. 

Researching, Planning, and Writing the Literature Review
All capstone documents include a literature review, which is where students establish their authority on a topic and demonstrate the need for additional research. Students will hear from a presenter with ideas for accessing the literature, tips for how to organize the literature, and strategies for crafting and writing the literature review.