Ask OASIS Proposal Kit
These resources are for doctoral students who are at the proposal stage and working on their official proposal documents.
Working on the proposal means that students have a solid topic approved by their committee and can move on to developing the details of their study. This kit focuses on writing the introduction, reviewing the literature, and proposing research design and method for the study. All Walden proposals, whether from professional doctorate degrees or PhD degrees, cover three main areas: introduction to the study, literature review, and discussion of the research design and method.
Students in different programs will see variations in the required number of chapters or sections in the proposal. To begin writing, students should first download the appropriate template for their program, the appropriate checklist and/or rubric, and any other documents that programs have published for guidance.
A student’s committee chairperson, second committee member, and the URR oversee the doctoral process, directing content development and assuring the capstone meets program guidelines.
In addition, the Doctoral Capstone Resources website includes all of the capstone support services provided by the university in one convenient place.
This page can serve as a starting point once a doctoral student has an approved prospectus (or premise, for DNP students) and has begun writing the proposal. These tips and links focus on writing three main areas of the document: introduction, literature review, and research design and method discussion.
The following pages in this proposal kit cover three broad questions students should ask when they begin the proposal, and the final page provides links to resources across the university.
- Writing the IntroductionThe introduction frames the background and problem. Students have likely already covered this in the prospectus and/or other preproposal capstone documents submitted for approval.
- Writing the Literature ReviewThe next main area of the proposal is describing and synthesizing the current literature. It is important for students writing this part of the proposal to cover all areas relevant to the topic and problem. In particular, students should:
- discuss the study's relationship to existing work from previous researchers and
- establish the gap in the literature or in practice.
- Writing the Method and Design of the StudyThe final element of the proposal is the discussion of the research design and method the doctoral student intends to use. The discussion includes:
- the purpose of the study,
- the contribution to research or practice, and
- the social change implications.
- Presubmission Proposal Writing ChecklistThe elements in this checklist help students ensure solid academic writing and APA style in the manuscript when they submit their proposal to faculty.
- Proposal and Capstone ResourcesThis kit also includes general proposal writing and capstone resources available from:
- Writing Center,
- Library,
- Academic Skills Center, and
- Office of Research and Doctoral Services (ORDS).