The topic is about public trust of female lead public agencies which include the social context and the rapidly changing gender dynamics in American society (#metoo, female candidates in the upcoming election, etc). Not just changes in any social and cultural norm, but focus on norms on gender and public perception.
The final paper must be at least 25 pages (double-spaced) (Times New Roman, 12-point, 1 inch margins, left aligned) excluding a cover page, table of contents, abstract, and references. It should explicitly apply concepts drawn from MPA core course work, readings and professional practice that aid in understanding the political, social, economic and managerial factors relevant to the context and issues identified in your thesis. The outcome should be improved understanding of problem, challenge, issue or phenomena of interest, including a specific professional or regulatory practice in the public or non-profit spheres. An acceptable Turnitin.com similarity rate should be lower than 15%.
The project may also include new lines of inquiry, projected project’s outcomes including some potential recommendations for action that could change an organization’s program or policy.
A minimum of 25 references is required. References must contain at least 20 sources from peer reviewed academic journals.
A Literature Review to locate your study within the context of a broader professional/scholastic literature. 1. Identify a research topic (and state it clearly and concisely)
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2. Conduct a comprehensive and thorough literature search of scholarly and professional journals and books on this topic 3. Identify the key sources that relate to your topic (select up to 20 articles’ titles) 4. Read and analyze 15 of these articles: identify the studies’ setting, design, methods, findings and contribution. Identify important quotes, with their pages 5. Assess each article’s relevance to your general topic or problem. 6. Regroup the articles by themes, approaches or methods. 7. Write an outline of your literature review: organize the information collected, synthesize it. Structure how you will be using each articles as sources of information for your topic’s review. 8. Express your ideas in a clear, concise way, and go over your drafts or preliminary versions several times before finalizing. 9. Formally cite all references consistent with professional standards and guidelines (consult regularly the APA Oviatt library guide to ensure you are on track with regards to your references style) 10. Provide a comprehensive bibliography if all the sources you consulted are not specifically refered to in the body of your text. 11. Add your annotated bibliography (summary of all 20 individual articles you have read) in appendix.
Evaluation criteria: 1- Structure 25% 2- Clarity 25% 3- Pertinence 25% 4- Originality 25%
20 (min) scientific sources (peer-reviewed articles) properly referenced in your text and summarized in appendix; Source’s pertinence to your General Topic Clarity in reporting data from these scientific sources. Quality of the synthesis (judicious use of your 10 sources / good description of what makes these sources important and relevant to your topic) Structure of the text: Clarity and rigor in reporting the content of other authors’ research.
o 15 to to 20 pages, double spaced1, (excluding: cover page, references and appendix) Time new roman, 12 pts 1 inch margins (normal margins) o Includes: – o a list of all your references: all the works you cite in your bibliography (also called list of references) must be included at least once within the body of your paper o in appendix, an annotated bibliography of all referenced articles summarizing a minimum of 15 articles.
Description of research methodology: research’s approach, design, dimensions and strategies • Description of data collection methods and analytical methods (projected) • Discussion of Limitations: o Ethical consideration (confidentiality agreements, strategies for reducing bias, transparency of epistemological positioning) o Validity and Credibility of research (both internal and external) • Expected contributions: 1) Transferability / 2) Projected generalization capacity. • Research Closure Criteria Students should be mindful of their writing’s clarity, their project’s feasibility, pertinence, originality, credibility; design validity as well as transferability.
