Programs:

DSW Capstone Project

Information on the Prospectus is located on the DSW page of the Office of Research and Doctoral Services website.

To prepare for the form and style review, use the following checklist, which is the same checklist we use when we review capstone manuscripts and the checklist we return to the student and committee along with their completed review.

To accompany the doctoral capstone template document, here is some information to note when first beginning to use the template.

• The document may contain various front matter elements (i.e., two title pages, the abstract, a Dedication page, and an Acknowledgements page), a Table of Contents (TOC), Lists of Tables and Figures, the document body text, a References list, and Appendices.
• Students should ensure that the text in brackets [ ] on the two title pages is changed to reflect their own information and then remove the brackets. This includes the title, name, degrees earned, degree program, and date of anticipated completion.
• Begin using the template by copying and pasting the text from a working document into the appropriate headings of the template and references to the reference list.

How to tag headings (so that headings show up in the TOC):

1. Most headings are already placed into the document. Headings students add (i.e., primarily for the literature review and results chapters and sections) should be added by creating a new heading and tagging it so that it appears in the TOC when updated.
2. Add a heading by first ensuring that the pilcrow [ ¶ ] is turned on—this allows the writer to see hidden formatting in the document that should not be deleted (e.g., page breaks and section breaks).
3. Add the heading by placing the cursor where the heading should be inserted and creating a hard return.
4. Then type the text for the heading and highlight it with the cursor, ensuring that you do NOT highlight the pilcrow.
5. Once the text is highlighted, choose the appropriate APA Style heading from the Styles box on the Home tab. This is called tagging a heading. HINT: The Styles tab may need to be expanded by clicking on the small box with the arrow at the bottom of the Styles section. 

How to update the TOC (to bring in new headings and update page numbers):

1. Once new headings have been added or text created or inserted such that the page numbers have shifted, the TOC should be updated.
2. Update the TOC by clicking on it with the cursor so that the section becomes grey.
3. Then, right click (or control click on a Mac) and choose “Update field.”
4. Depending on whether headings or just text has been added, choose “Update entire table” or “Update page numbers only.”

Template and Formatting Resources:

• Form and Style Document Formatting Expectations, including information on APA, margins, pagination, etc.
• SMRTguide on Fixing Errors in the TOC
• Academic Skills Center (ASC) Capstone Template Formatting Videos
• For questions regarding layout formatting in the doctoral capstone, contact capstoneformatting@mail.waldenu.edu 

A DSW capstone project is a formal manuscript written to address a problem in social work practice. Walden DSW projects consist of four sections.

You can access the Office of Research and Doctoral Services website for information on the process, checklists, and rubrics for the capstone project, and you can also access samples of published dissertations through the Walden Library. If you have writing or APA questions for the proposal or final capstone project, contact editor@mail.waldenu.edu.