Research Design Alignment Table

|

Using an alignment table can assist with ensuring the alignment of your research design.

Research Design Alignment Table Video Tutorial (YouTube)

|

Doctoral Research Design Alignment Appointments or Office Hours

Note


. At prospectus stage, not all items in the table below can be identified (e.g., data points, data analysis). Please complete the items that you

have

identified in this prospectus form. During proposal development, you will revisit this form to augment or adjust, as needed, and finalize your research design.

Research Problem, Purpose, and Framework Provide one sentence for each. These must align with all rows.	Research Question(s), Method, & Design List one or more RQs, as needed; select method; identify design. Use a separate form for additional RQs.	Data Collection Tools & Data Sources List the instrument(s) and/or participant characteristics, artifacts, or records that will provide the data for each RQ.	Data Points (Quantitative) List the variables, scales, etc. that will be used for each RQ.	Data Analysis Briefly describe the statistical or qualitative analysis that will address each RQ.
Problem : Replace text with response. Purpose : Replace text with response. Framework : Replace text with response.	RQ1: Replace text with response. Method: Choose method Design: Replace text with response.	Replace text with response.	Replace text with response.	Replace text with response.

Note.

The information in the first column must align with all rows, and each individual RQ row must show alignment across the columns for that row.

Once your Research Design Alignment Table is completed, reflect on your design alignment.

Ask yourself

:

1. Is there a logical progression from the research problem to the purpose of the study?
2. Does the identified framework ground the investigation into the stated problem?
3. Do the problem, purpose, and framework
   
   in the left-hand column
   
   align with the RQ(s) (all rows)?
4. Does each RQ address the problem and align with the purpose of the study?
5. Does the information across
   
   each individual row
   
   match/align with the RQ listed for that row?

Rubric Standard | Aligned > Do the various aspects of the prospectus align overall ? The nature of the study should align with the problem, research questions, and tentative approaches to inquiry.

Appendix

The Doctoral Prospectus

The


Doctoral Prospectus




is a brief document that provides preliminary information about your doctoral research and is used in two ways:

• It serves as the tentative
  
  
  plan for developing the proposal
  
  
  and is evaluated to ensure doctoral-level work (e.g., feasibility, alignment, etc.).
• It provides information used to assign the committee University Research Reviewer.

Prospectus approval from the committee chair, second committee member, and a program-level designee is required for you to move forward and work on your proposal. The plan is subject to change, and parts of your research design may need to be adjusted after you complete your

exhaustive review of the literature

during proposal development.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Title

Quantitative (QN) Example

Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Employee Turnover

Qualitative (QL) Example

Disruptive Innovation Within the Legal Services Ecosystem

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Supporting Literature

Probably the

most important step in the research process is


searching recent, peer-reviewed literature



(government publications acceptable as well)


and reading articles


related to the general area you want to investigate. The area is based on an identified

business problem

. As you read and learn, you will narrow your focus. This is how you will identify a discipline-specific research problem.

First, you’ll need to determine your search terms or

keywords



and the

databases

you should search.


As you conduct your search of the literature, stay organized by keeping a

search log

.

Search Log Example
Database	Search Terms	Results	Notes
Thoreau	online doctoral program completion; limited to peer reviewed, 2019-present	1175	Search too broad; Narrow by using multiple terms
Thoreau	online doctoral program completion AND ABD; limited to peer reviewed, 2019-present	13	Much better; Several relevant articles found
Education Source	Etc.

Example for this Form

The keywords and databases searched included

innovation, employee turnover, ACM, IEEE, ERIC, and SAGE Journals, as well as in a Thoreau multidatabase search.

As you

read and evaluate literature

, you also need to organize your research. A

literature review matrix

is one way to help you visualize what has and hasn’t been done in your field. It will help you understand the scholarly works related to your area of interest. The importance of organizing and recording your review of literature cannot be overstated. You will refer to your notes as you write, so start on the right track from the beginning!

[

Suggestion

: If you keep your search log in an excel workbook, use the second tab in the same workbook for your literature review matrix.]

For this prospectus form

, include


the complete,

APA reference entry and


(a)

an in-text citation,

(b)

what they studied,

(c)

what they found, and

(d)

why this is important in relation to your study. This evidence provides the justification for your research problem. These sources provide


justification


that this problem is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. These references should ideally be from the past 5 years. Citation(s) related to the framework should be included here, too. [

Note

: These are short summaries.During proposal development, you will conduct an

exhaustive

review and

synthesize

your sources, rather than summarize.]

Examples

Giroud, X., & Mueller, H. M. (2017). Firm leverage, consumer demand, and employment losses during the great recession.

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 132

(1), 271-316.

https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjw035

Following the economic downturn of 2008, law firm leaders in the United States experienced increased external pressure to improve operational efficiency through technology adoption (Giroud & Mueller, 2017).

Rubric Standard | Justified >




Is



evidence



presented that this problem is significant to the discipline and/or professional field?