Primarily articles from current journals and periodicals - other materials as appropriate.

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington DC:  Author

Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. (2005). Practical Research: Planning & Design (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Citing Electronic Resources: APA Style. Retrieved July 14, 2003 from http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.html 

Online Guide to Writing and Research. Retrieved July 14, 2003 from http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/welcome.shtml

Procedures for Completing the Research Project Notification and Human Subjects Protection Form. Retrieved June 16, 2003 from http://www.ed.umuc.edu/staff/faculty/detech/pedagogy/proceduresform.html

University Of Maryland University College Policy Manual Policy 130.25: Conducting Research Involving Human Subjects. Retrieved June 16, 2003 from http://www.ed.umuc.edu/staff/faculty/detech/pedagogy/policy%20manual.html

All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at www.ed.umuc.edu/library .to obtain the various resources necessary to develop a Professional Paper.

Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth Inc.

Bowie State University requires all graduate students to complete an advanced research paper. In Europe, this requirement serves as a capstone to the students' programs of study. As such, it is designed to assist students in all degree programs to move beyond the classroom by consulting with experts from their chosen professions and engaging in professional activities. Students are encouraged to participate in the professional associations most likely to either disseminate or publish the results of their advanced research projects. UMUC Europe Graduate Programs faculty and staff refer to these projects as Professional Papers.

Definition of a Professional Paper 

• A Professional Paper is based on research conducted solely by the author. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  1. Academic, professional, or trade journal articles,
  2. Case studies,
  3. Policy analyses, policy proposals, project management reviews, and program evaluations,
  4. Pre-procurement or pre-implementation analyses of new technologies or best practices,
  5. Grant proposals.
• The length, style, and format of the final draft of any Professional Paper are defined largely by the nature of the audience and the standards employed in that particular segment of the profession. Audiences and venues for publication and dissemination of final drafts may include but are not limited to:
  1. The readership of academic, professional, or trade journals, including online journals,
  2. Conferences conducted and organized by professional associations such as ACA or EB-ACA, ASPA, ICMA, AOM, ACM, AITP,
  3. Political institutions (Congress, state legislatures, regulatory boards, city councils, school boards, state mental health boards, etc.),
  4. Management teams (government and non-profit agency directors, boards of directors, CEOs and CIOs, schools principals, etc.), and
  5. Funding organizations (National Science Foundation, National Institutes for Health, National Institute for Mental Health, Rand Institute, Hoover Institute, etc.).
• Any Professional Paper written for UMUC Europe Graduate Programs, regardless of audience, length, style, or format, uses the APA citation style and reference style. Moreover, all students are strogly encouraged to familiarize themselves with current UMUC-Europe/BSU standards on plagiarism, as professional papers are subject to be sent to turnitin.com for authentication.

1. Identify a relevant research question and developing a strategy to answer that question (see the Professional Paper web site for examples of final papers submitted in an equivalent course INSS690 http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~meinkej/inss690/i690home.htm.
2. Identify the audience most interested in the question (examples listed above).
3. Identify literature and other sources of expert information on the question.
4. Present the research question, the research design, the target audience, and a broad outline of the final paper (called The Proposal) to peers and instructor.
5. Obtain permission from UMUC officials to use human subjects if the research design warrants
6. Obtain written permission from the management of the organization(s) involved with the research. Examples include, but are not limited to, military units, government contractors, DODDs schools, and restricted websites.
7. Evaluate feedback received and making changes to the proposal as appropriate.
8. Execute the research design.
9. Write the Professional Paper that clearly and accurately reports the research findings in a format that meets the needs of the audience.
10. Present a draft of the Professional Paper to peers and instructor.
11. Evaluate feedback received and making changes to the final draft as appropriate.
12. Submit the final draft to the target audience.

1. Initiate and complete each of the critical tasks in a timely manner,
2. Be the sole executor of the research design and author of the Professional Paper,
3. Cite all sources of expert information according to the APA style guide,
4. Present and defend the proposal, progress reports, working drafts, and the final draft in a timely manner,
5. Engage in discussions with the classroom instructor and graduate student peers in a professional manner,
6. Evaluate feedback received and make appropriate changes to the proposal, the research design, the literature review, the report of findings, the discussion, and the recommendations,
7. Evaluate feedback received and make appropriate changes to the length, style, and format of the Professional Paper, and 
8. Provide Graduate Programs with an electronic copy of the final draft of the Professional Paper.

• Develop a Research proposal                                      10%
  
• Develop a literature review and research assumptions             10%
  
• Present and submit a draft of the final paper                    20%
  
• Identify appropriate venues for publication or dissemination     10%
  
• Develop and present a Final draft of the paper                   40%
  
• Participate in the review of other proposals and final paper     10%

• the purpose of the research, research questions, and preliminary thesis;
  
• the boundaries of the research area;
  
• an outline of the research sub-topics;
  
• the methodology used, i.e. literature or field research;
  
• a preliminary reading list.

Literature review and research assumptions: A 5 – 6 page paper summarizing the academic and professional literature most relevant to the student’s topic and making explicit the student’s theoretical and conceptual assumptions.

First Draft: Students are expected to discuss their interim results with the group and accept/provide constructive criticism from/for other group members in the course of paper preparation.

Identifying appropriate venues for publication or dissemination: The literature review and first draft should culminate in the student being able to discuss a variety of possible venues for publication or dissemination of his or her research findings.

Final Draft and Presentation of Research: Participants will present their research findings and conclusions to the class using appropriate audio-visual and handout materials.

Class Participation: The essence of a seminar is the exchange of information among peers. Thus, members of the group will be expected to interact on each other's research areas in class plus via the Internet. That interaction should also involve positive comments and recommendations on how research topics can be strengthened.

Making major enhancements to a project begun in a previous course can be an acceptable paper for this course. Students wishing to do so must clearly demonstrate in the initial paper proposal what work has been accomplished in the previous course, and what is proposed to be done for INSS 690 credit. Submission of a previous course's project or paper without substantial additional work is not acceptable.