PADM 5910/5950: MPA Capstone: Getting started

Welcome!  Get started on your research for your literature review and consulting project.

Some helpful hints...

• Questions? Don't hesitate to Ask A Librarian! We can answer your questions via email, or set up a time to meet in-person or via Zoom.
• Begin by familiarizing yourself with current and available information and generating keywords and phrases about your topic. Then, search for those keywords and phrases using:
  • The Library Catalog (for books and other general information resources)
  • Databases and other specialized resources in this guide
• Set up your research strategy and information management
• Research background information about your topic
• Do a preliminary literature search in major databases
• Discover web resources,"grey literature" (non-peer-reviewed scholarly and substantive info), government info, statistics, etc. 
• Gather or generate analysis of your own information
• Be sure to evaluate what you are finding! 

NCSU Libraries has a great overview of the literature review process in the video below.

1. Research Topic
   • The Topical area where the research question falls under
2. Research Problem/Objective
   • Specific problem on which the research question is formulated
3. Research Question
   • The actual question the researcher seeks to answer via a research study
4. Hypothesis
   • Predictive statement about expected outcome of the research

• Can it hold your interest?
• Can it pass the "so what" test?
• Is the research question well-grounded in existing research?
• Are all the terms in the research unambiguous and operationally definable?
• Is answering the research question feasible given the constraints of time, budget, expertise, personnel and ethics?