Guidelines for the Capstone Research Paper
The Capstone Research Project Paper is a critical analysis of an issue relevant to the role of the health administrator. In this analytical research paper, students will complete research to become enmeshed in a topic so that they may restructure and present the multi-faceted views and knowledge of the topic from their own perspective.
1.Students are to complete an analytical research paper of publishable quality focusing on either a current systems issue, a clinical issue, an organizational issue, or a policy issue in healthcare. The following descriptions of issues in healthcare are provided as a frame of reference.
Descriptions of Issues in Healthcare
Systems issues -Features of health services systems that affect the inter-relationship among providers, institutions, and patient populations
Clinical issues -Characteristics of provider and patients and combinations of resources employed in practice settings that affect the process and outcome of care
Organizational issues -Organizational and administrative features of healthcare facilities or systems
Policy –Regulations and protocols that shape the health services system and define its societal functions
2.Students must get approval of their research topic selection from the course faculty PRIOR to beginning the project. This will be accomplished by the submission of a 1-2 page paper outline by Week 3 of the course. The outline will follow appropriate APA format including an appropriate title page and properly formatted reference page. The outline and final project paper will be submitted through Turnitin from the Canvaslink.
3.A title should be selected for the paper that is reflective of the selected issue. The final project paper should be eight pages in length, not to exceed 10 pages, excluding the title and reference pages. The paper will follow appropriate APA format including an appropriate title page and a properly formatted reference page. Page margins should be 1 inch all around. Acceptable fonts are 12 pt Times Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
4.The Research Paper will include the following sections. Students must use the following headings for each section.
Identification of the issue–This section of the paper will identify the issue and any influence factors. It should also address why this issue should be researched.
Background–Students will use this section of the paper to build the foundation for the project. It should include a discussion of the current status of the issue or trend. Both the status of the issue for the student’s current state as well as current national status of the issue should be addressed. The final component of this section should address current impact of this issue on the role of the health administrator.
Problem Analysis/Literature Review–The problem analysis is based on a critical review of published literature,the theories typically used to frame research on the subject area, knowledge available and research methods used with what degree of success. Select at least five research studies from peer-reviewed journals in the field that relate to the topic issue.Students will discuss current research findings related to the issue. The discussion should be more than a summary of the articles. It should be a critical analysis of the research. This review should provide support for selection of the current issue.
Discussion–This section should address limitations of the current research. Because all research has its limitations, it is important to discuss the limitations of the research articles under examination.
Proposed Solutions–This section should address proposed solutions to the correct, address, or bring attention to the selected issue. Although transformational thinking is encouraged, rational solutions should be proposed. This section should also address how the role of the health administrator will be altered based on the solutions proposed.
Conclusions–The conclusion restates the problem the paper addresses and summarizes the writer’s thoughts on the selected issue. This section also offers areas for further study.
Christian Worldview -The last part of the paper should also address how your Christian worldview perspective impacts or frames the issues presented in the paper.
