In week 1 you explored the general topic of interest for your envisioned dissertation study and received some feedback from your instructor. In week 2, you explored resources you may use in developing the academic base for your premise. This week, your assignment is to combine these elements to form the premise paper for your dissertation study. This submission will be graded.

To complete this assignment, incorporate readings, feedback from your instructor, and any additional work you have done this week on your topic and problem statement. Be sure to consider the methodological approach you envision for your dissertation study.

Support your Assignments with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.

(I attached week 1 and 2 assignment for a reference AND PREMISE GUIDE)

THIS IS A QUALITATIVE STUDY!

 

Must be apa 7 edition 

turn it in required 

Running head: POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS 1

POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS 5

Police Brutality against African Americans

Ashley Wilson

Walden University

Police Brutality against African Americans

Selection of Research Topic

This topic was selected due to a nationwide concern about police brutality against African Americans. One of the recent events of police brutality against African Americans is that of George Floyd who was killed in the hands of the police. Mr. Floyd was a 46-year-old African American male who was detained after a worker of a convenience store phoned the police to report that George had bought cigarettes using a fake $20 bill. Mr. Floyd was pinned on the ground his body unconscious with no signs of life (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). Video evidence showed that a series of actions that violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department had resulted to the death of Mr. Floyd. This is one of the many incidents of violation of police policies when it comes to arresting African Americans and this paper would attempt to address why this is so.

Personal Interest

My personal interest is to uncover the reasons behind why most police officers decide to violate their work ethics and policies when it comes to dealing with African American arrests. I would like to understand what goes through in the mind of a white police officer, when spotting an African American crime suspect, when they make a move to arrest them, and what happens when they arrest them (Kovera, 2019). I decided to pick this research topic to provide more insights and to cover the gaps in literature that do not address the dynamics of a Caucasian police arresting an African American person.

Problem that makes it Worth Studying

The main problem that makes this topic worth studying is that most researches is that there is gaps in literatures that aim to explain the effects of racial stereotypes on how non-white police officers made arrests on African Americans (Kovera, 2019). This research would also study literatures concerning the history of the police force and attempt to identify and understand whether there are policies that motivate police officers to be brutal towards African Americans. It is worth studying this topic because the rate of police brutality towards African Americans is getting out of hand and a solution that addresses the root cause of the problem needs to be realized.

Significance

Conducting a study on police brutality towards African Americans is worth studying because it is a social issue that needs to be addressed to the core (Kovera, 2019). We need to understand why after the implementation of policies that rally for racial equality there are still instances of racial inequality and racial stereotypes particularly in the United States.

Relation of the Topic to Criminal Justice

The issue of police brutality against the African American population evidences the racial inequalities and racial stereotypes present in the criminal justice system. Not only do the African Americans experience brutality and even meet their deaths on the hands of the law enforcers, some of them get wrongly convicted for a crime they did not commit due to the racial inequalities present in the criminal justice system (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). The issue of police brutality towards the African American population cripples the delivery of justice towards the victims and the offenders. While the African Americans being arrested may be truly guilty of committing a crime, being brutal towards them is not delivering justice to the victims. The role of the police in the society is to enforce law and order and not to administer justice. Administering justice is the role of the criminal courts (Sigelman et al., 2017). This topic aims to uncover the racial disparities and stereotypes about African Americans and how it affects the delivery of justice towards the said population.

References

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in America. Journal of African American Studies, 17(4), 480-505.

Kovera, M. B. (2019). Racial disparities in the criminal justice system: Prevalence, causes, and a search for solutions. Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), 1139-1164.

Sigelman, L., Welch, S., Bledsoe, T., & Combs, M. (2017). Police brutality and public perceptions of racial discrimination: A tale of two beatings. Political Research Quarterly, 50(4), 777-791.

Running head:
POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICAN
S

1

Police Bru
tality against African Americans

Ashley Wilson

Walden University

Running head: POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST AFRICAN AMERICANS 1

Police Brutality against African Americans
Ashley Wilson
Walden University

Running head: POLICE BRUTALITY AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES 1

POLICE BRUTALITY AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES 8

Factors behind African American Males Being Victims of Police Brutality

Ashley Wilson

Walden University

Factors behind African American Males Being Victims of Police Brutality

Introduction

A huge percentage of African American males have fallen victims of racial profiling and police harassment and brutality. While one of the main factors behind such incidents is attributed to racism, there are still many factors that motivate police officers to be brutal towards African Americans. These other factors include lack of accountability by the police force, poor socioeconomic backgrounds of victims, and negative perception of the police by African American males.

Annotated Bibliography

Brunson, R. K. (2017). “Police don’t like black people”: African‐American young men’s accumulated police experiences. Criminology & public policy, 6(1), 71-101.

The research article analyzed surveys conducted on African American males and other racial minority groups regarding their perceptions of the police (Brunson, 2017). The article analyzes the experiences that racial minority groups have with violence and harassment with the police for doing nothing illegal or being in the wrong. The article also attempts to find a connection between the perceptions of the racial minorities towards the police and the factors that make them victims of police brutality (Brunson, 2017). The article concludes that most of the racial minority groups, especially African Americans are being racially profiled by the police and that most of the police officers are subtle racists. This article is related to the research question in terms of defining the reasons behind why the police do not like people of color or have harsh encounters with them.

Smiley, C., & Fakunle, D. (2016). From “brute” to “thug:” The demonization and criminalization of unarmed Black male victims in America. Journal of human behavior in the social environment, 26(3-4), 350-366.

The research article confirms that Blackness has been directly associated with criminality in the United States of America. The main factors that led to the criminalization of African Americans are stereotypes, myths, and racists ideologies (Smiley & Funkule, 2016). The criminal justice system has for the longest time in the American history been fueled by racial violence, prejudices and misconceptions that have been created and disseminated through the media. The research paper goes on further to claim that whenever a major crime has been committed Black males are allegedly considered to be ‘persons of interest’ and ‘suspects’. The article investigates the history of criminalization of African American males and its relationship with the modern day unarmed victims of law enforcement brutality. This article relates to the research topic in the sense that it investigates the history of criminalization of African American males in an attempt to find out why the said population falls victims of police brutality at disproportionate rates.

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in America. Journal of African American Studies, 17(4), 480-505.

The research article examines the findings provided by the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP) to determine how the public perceived the police and how race and racism played a part in it. The research paper attempts to provide insights on the rate of police brutality in America according to NPMSRP. The research paper also attempts to understand the perceptions of the public, especially African American males, about the police department (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). The research paper finally concludes that the public, especially African Americans have contempt for law enforcement, are suspicious of law enforcement, they view law enforcement as agents of police brutality. For racially superior groups, most of them confessed that they had respect for law enforcement and trusted them to do their jobs effectively. This article relates to the research topic in the sense that it attempts to connect how racism is a factor behind the disproportionate rates at which African American males are victims of police brutality.

Desmond, M., Papachristos, A. V., & Kirk, D. S. (2016). Police violence and citizen crime reporting in the black community. American sociological review, 81(5), 857-876.

The research article confirms that high profile cases of police violence is experienced in disproportionate levels, by African American males. The disproportionate rates of African American males being victims of police brutality has raised security concerns over lower citizen crime reporting patterns since most of them fear being racially profiles. The research paper focuses on the most publicized case of police brutality against unarmed black man, Frank Jude, who was affected by the 911 police call (Desmond et al., 2016). After the broadcasting of the incident of Frank Jude’s beating by the police, the residents of Milwaukee and its neighborhoods became reluctant to report crimes leading to low crime reporting rates. The research paper discusses the effects of police brutality against unarmed African Americans on the crime reporting rates in the United States. This article relates to the research paper in the sense that it discusses how police brutality affects the overall security of a neighborhood and the factors driving the police to become brutal towards unarmed African American males.

Wu, Y. (2014). Race/ethnicity and perceptions of the police: A comparison of White, Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans. Policing and society, 24(2), 135-157.

The research focuses on racial minority groups, that is, the Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans and their perceptions of the police. The research paper attempts to investigate what racial minority groups felt about how the police solved their crime problems, racial profiling, and bias of law enforcement (Wu, 2014). The paper also attempts to discover the factors that make most of racial minority groups, to have negative perceptions of the police. The research paper found out that educational attainment and employment status as one of the main factors that drive police brutality towards African American males. This research article relates to the research topic because it investigates the perceptions that racial minority groups have towards the police and the factors driving their perceptions.

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2015). Armed and dangerous? An examination of fatal shootings of unarmed black people by police. Journal of Pan African Studies, 8(4), 45-78.

Between the years 1995 and 2015, 78 black males and females were murdered by the members of law enforcement. The research attempts to follow up if the police officers involved in the killings were indicted. The research paper research questions were, (1) How does the murder of an unarmed African American male support White Supremacy? (2) How does the killing of an unarmed black man affect the society’s trust in the police? (3) What do non-indictments of the police suggest about the lives of Africa Americans? (Chaney & Robertson, 2015). The research article concludes that the death of unarmed African American males undermines the confidence of the public in the police and increases their concerns over the police becoming a threat to their security. This article investigates the events where unarmed black men were shot by the police in an attempt to understand the events leading to the police’s excessive use of force towards the said population.

Worden, R. E. (2015). The causes of police brutality: Theory and evidence on police use of force (Vol. 2, pp. 149-204). Routledge, New York, NY, ed.

The research article attempts to find information on the causes of violence by the police towards unarmed African Americans. The information obtained, indicating the causes behind police brutality towards African American males can be used to make administrative, governmental, and managerial police reforms. The research article looks at police behavior and the factors behind their behaviors (Worden, 2015). The article connected behavioral theories on police behavior with evidence on the use of force by law enforcement members towards unarmed African American males. This research article relates to the research topic because it addresses the causes of police brutality towards unarmed African American males.

Smith, W. A., Hung, M., & Franklin, J. D. (2011). Racial battle fatigue and the miseducation of Black men: Racial microaggressions, societal problems, and environmental stress. The Journal of Negro Education, 63-82.

According to the research article, African American males are the most vulnerable racial and gender group in the United States. According to the American Human Development Report, African American males have poor health conditions due to racial battle fatigue, miseducation, problems in the society, and environmental stress (Smith et al., 2011). According to the research article, most of African American males have fallen victims of police brutality, an experience that deteriorates the physical and mental health conditions of an individual. Furthermore, the research indicated that police brutality affects individual both mentally and physically especially because victims do not seek medical attention after the incident. This research article addresses the effects of police brutality on unarmed African American males, and the factors causing the police to be brutal towards the said population.

Weitzer, R. (2015). American policing under fire: Misconduct and reform. Society, 52(5), 475-480.

The current most exposed police assassinations of African American males have sparked an unparalleled amount of public discussion concerning policing in the U.S. Commissions have been formed to investigate police misconduct and the current reforms have been subjects of debated. The article confirms that the confidence of the public in the police gets undermines especially after a controversial incident of police brutality being heavily publicized. The article also talks about how incidents of police brutality have been politicized, with activists on one hand and the police on the other (Weitzer, 2015). The research paper also goes on further to explain how the activities that go on after a widely publicized incident of police brutality affect the rates of police brutality towards African American males. This research article publishes the findings of commissions formed to address the issue of police brutality towards racial minority groups, and attempts to find the reasons behind the police’s excessive use of force towards the population.

Gilbert, K. L., & Ray, R. (2016). Why police kill black males with impunity: Applying public health critical race praxis (PHCRP) to address the determinants of policing behaviors and “justifiable” homicides in the USA. Journal of Urban Health, 93(1), 122-140.

The research paper focuses on finding the root causes of excessive use of force by the police towards African American males. The criminalization of African American males in the history of the United States has resulted into an increase in dangerous policing behaviors and has also created an unequitable environment where African American males have a low chance of survival in the hands of African American males (Gilbert & Ray, 2016). The research article develops a framework that can be used to improve research and interventions to address the inequalities observed in the recent trend of ‘justifiable homicides’ by the police force. This research article relates to the research topic in the sense that is investigates and provides the reasons behind why the police kill black males with without being incarcerated for it.

Conclusion

The above research articles address the issues of racial stereotypes and myths and the criminalization of African American males. Each of the research articles discusses a different concept but all address the issues of police brutality towards African American males. These literatures aim at improving knowledge on the issue of police brutality towards African American males, and what policy makers can do to address the excessive use of force by law enforcement.

Running head:
POLICE BRUTALITY AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES

1

Factors behind African American Males Being Victims of Police Brutality

Ashley Wilson

Walden University

Running head: POLICE BRUTALITY AND AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES 1

Factors behind African American Males Being Victims of Police Brutality
Ashley Wilson
Walden University

Walden University

Dissertation

Premise

Dissertation Premise Page iii

Contents
The Premise ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

Completing the Premise ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1

Your Supervisory Committee ………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

My Doctoral Research (MyDR)……………………………………………………………………………………… 2

An Annotated Outline ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Sample Quantitative Premise

……………………………………………………………………………………………. 5

Sample Qualitative Premise

……………………………………………………………………………………………… 9

The Litmus Test ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13

Dissertation Premise Page

1

The Premise

The Dissertation Premise document is used in two ways:

• To identify a preliminary topic (problem) for your dissertation. This topic should be the
product of an initial investigation on your part but will be subject to change and

refinement and will inform the development of your prospectus.

• To help assign the faculty members who will guide your development of the
Dissertation Prospectus. This process varies across different programs, so please follow

the guidance in your program of study.

Completing the Premise

The Dissertation Premise consists of four parts: title, problem statement, approach for the

study, and references. An annotated outline is included in this guide and should be used to create

your premise document. You will also find a sample premise herein to serve as a model for your

work, and a preformatted template is available on the Writing Center’s Doctoral Capstone Form

and Style website.

Your primary goal for the premise is to narrow your dissertation topic such that you have

provided a general sense of the direction of your research by identifying an initial problem to

study. At this point, you do not need to know everything about the research project, especially

the details of your methodology. Many of those specific decisions are made during the proposal

development phase of your dissertation, although some consideration of how you will execute

your study is appropriate from the beginning.

All documents related to your dissertation, including the premise, should follow the guidelines in

the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and

should be saved in either a , x, or .rtf file format. When completed, please follow the

submission guidelines for your program. You may also want to review the Litmus Test for a

Doctoral-Level Research Problem, which has been provided at the end of this guide and is

available on the Center for Research Quality site.

Every doctoral student’s journey is a little different at Walden, so it is difficult to say exactly

when to start the Dissertation Premise. Some students have an idea for a possible topic when

they enroll, but many others begin seeing gaps in the existing research and strategies for

addressing them as they complete their coursework and research training. Be sure to check your

program of study and follow the guidance in your courses and from your program leaders.

Your Supervisory Committee

Students can find more information about the committee formation process on the Capstone

Committee Process page of the Center for Research Quality website.

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/formandstyle/programs/phd

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/formandstyle/programs/phd

http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/committee

https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/committee

Dissertation Premise Page

2

My Doctoral Research (MyDR)

As you are working on your Dissertation Premise, you should also begin familiarizing yourself

with the My Doctoral Research (MyDR) system and other resources on the Center for Research

Quality website. The MyDR system was designed to assist you and your committee in navigating

your doctoral research journey, from the very beginning through the final approval. The various

landing pages in MyDR will track your progress and will serve as a central location for resources

to support that progress. The MyDR system is used to establish a process flow tool in which you

exchange and store faculty evaluations and feedback on your work as you progress along that

journey.

Students are entered into the MyDR system when both committee chair and second member have

been approved and assigned by your academic program. Please be aware that your Dissertation

Prospectus will be the first document that you submit for approval in MyDR, and a specific

guide for creating a prospectus can also be found on the Forms page.

http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/mydr

http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/mydr

http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/mydr

http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/phd

Dissertation Premise Page 3

An Annotated Outline

The Premise document includes a title page (page 1) followed by pages containing the required

elements in the premise. Please use the Premise template on the Writing Center website.

Title Page

The recommended title length is 12 words or fewer to include the topic, the variables and

relationship between them, and the most critical keywords. Double-space the title if over one line

of type and center it under the word “Premise.” Please note that your dissertation title will likely

change as the project evolves, so allow yourself the flexibility to adapt your title, as necessary.

Include your name, your program of study (and specialization, if applicable), and Banner

ID number—double-spaced and centered under the title.

Title

Start with “Premise” and a colon, and then include the title as it appears on the title page.

Double-space if over one line of type and center it at the top of the page.

Problem Statement

Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a review of research

findings and current practice and that contains the following information:

1. A logical argument for the need to address an identified gap in the research literature
that has relevance to the discipline and area of practice. Keep in mind that a gap in the

research is not, in and of itself, a reason to conduct research. Make sure to clarify the

problem that led you to the gap. The situation being experienced in a societal population

or discipline is described within the problem statement.

2. Preliminary evidence that provides justification that this problem is meaningful to the
discipline or professional field. Provide at least five key citations that highlight the

relevance and currency of the problem. These references need not all be from peer-

reviewed journals but should be from reputable sources, such as national agency

databases or scholarly books, and should ideally be from the past 5 years.

3. Assure that the problem is framed within and primarily focused on the discipline
(program of study).

Note:

A social problem involves an issue that affects a specific population/discipline. It is the issue

that students see “on the ground” so to speak. The social problem is often what prompts students

to think about a topic of interest drives their dissertation topic. Usually such a topic is one that

students identify with, sometimes having personally experienced some aspect of the problem as

it exists in the world. All too often, students want to solve a specific social, organizational,

clinical, or practical problem rather than explore a research problem.

A research problem is a focused topic of concern, a condition to be improved upon, or troubling

question that is supported in scholarly literature or theory that you study to understand in more

detail, and that can lead to recommendations for resolutions. It is the research problem that

drives the rest of the dissertation: the purpose, the research questions, and the methodology. It is

the research problem that is identified in the Problem Statement of the prospectus.

http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/549.htm

Dissertation Premise Page 4

Approach for the Study

Identify a possible research approach that is appropriate for the tentative topic identified

in the problem statement, along with any initial thoughts on methodology:

• Quantitative, including your quantitative design

• Qualitative, including your qualitative approach

• Mixed methods, primarily quantitative

• Mixed methods, primarily qualitative

• Other: Specify

References

On a new page, list your references formatted in the correct style (sixth edition of the

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, modeled at the end of this

guide) for all citations within the Dissertation Premise.

Dissertation Premise Page 5

Sample Quantitative Premise

1

Premise

Differences in the Quality of Problem Statements Written Throughout the Capstone

Process

Alpha B. Gamma

General Studies program – General specialization

A00000000

[Per Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

formatting, include page numbers at the top right corner of each page.]

2

Premise: Differences in the Quality of Problem Statements Written Throughout the

Capstone Process

Problem Statement

Conducting a supervised independent research project is a unique feature of

completing a doctoral degree (Lovitts, 2008; Luse, Mennecke, & Townsend, 2012). In

their book on doctoral education, Walker, Golde, Jones, Conklin-Bueschel, and

Hutchings (2009) highlighted the need to develop more “pedagogies of research” (p.

151) to support teaching graduate students to be scholars. Although much is known

about how research training works in traditional doctoral programs, emerging research

suggests that the online environment offers some unique challenges and opportunities

for doctoral students (Baltes, Hoffman-Kipp, Lynn, & Weltzer-Ward, 2010; Kumar,

Johnson, & Hardemon, 2013). Of the many aspects of a research project, development

of the problem statement is arguably a key step because it sets the context for the entire

dissertation (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013; Luse, Mennecke, & Townsend, 2012). Many

students are ultimately successful in defining the central argument for a dissertation, but

little research has been conducted on how that process happens in a distributed, online

environment. This research will fill this gap in understanding by focusing specifically on

the development of problem statements by students in online doctoral programs

throughout the capstone process. This information should help academic programs and

members of supervisory committees to support the success of online doctoral

candidates.

Approach for the Study

This study will use a quantitative approach. It may involve objective ratings of

student work products across time.

References

Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013) Constructing research questions: Doing interesting

research. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.

Baltes, B., Hoffman-Kipp, P., Lynn, L., & Weltzer-Ward, L. (2010). Students’ research

self-efficacy during online doctoral research courses. Contemporary Issues in

Education

Research, 3, 51–58.

Kumar, S., Johnson, M., & Hardemon, T. (2013). Dissertations at a distance: Students’

perceptions of online mentoring in a doctoral program. The Journal of Distance

Education, 27, 1–12.

Lovitts, B. (2008). The transition to independent research: Who makes it, who doesn’t,

and

why. Journal of Higher Education, 79, 296–325.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jhe.0.0006

Luse, A., Mennecke, B., & Townsend, A. (2012). Selecting a research topic: A

framework for doctoral students. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 7,

143–152.

Walker, G. E., Golde, C. M., Jones, L., Conklin-Bueschel, A., & Hutchings, P. (2009).

The formation of scholars: Rethinking doctoral education for the twenty-first

century. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jhe.0.0006

Dissertation Premise Page 9

Sample Qualitative Premise

1

Premise

How Online Doctoral Students Develop a Dissertation Problem Statement

Alpha B. Gamma
General Studies program – General specialization
A00000000
[Per Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
formatting, include page numbers at the top right corner of each page.]

2

Premise: How Online Doctoral Students Develop a Dissertation Problem Statement

Problem Statement

Conducting a supervised independent research project is a unique feature of
completing a doctoral degree (Lovitts, 2008; Luse, Mennecke, & Townsend, 2012). In
their book on doctoral education, Walker, Golde, Jones, Conklin-Bueschel, and
Hutchings (2009) highlighted the need to develop more “pedagogies of research” (p.
151) to support teaching graduate students to be scholars. Although much is known
about how research training works in traditional doctoral programs, emerging research
suggests that the online environment offers some unique challenges and opportunities
for doctoral students (Baltes, Hoffman-Kipp, Lynn, & Weltzer-Ward, 2010; Kumar,
Johnson, & Hardemon, 2013). Of the many aspects of a research project, development
of the problem statement is arguably a key step because it sets the context for the entire
dissertation (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2013; Luse, Mennecke, & Townsend, 2012). Many
students are ultimately successful in defining the central argument for a dissertation, but
little research has been conducted on how that process happens in a distributed, online
environment. This research will fill this gap in understanding by focusing specifically on

the development of problem statements by students in online doctoral programs. This

information should help academic programs and members of supervisory committees to

support the success of online doctoral candidates.

Approach for the Study

This study will use a generic qualitative approach (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). It

may involve interviews with a representative group of doctoral graduates who have

successfully defended their dissertations and whose work was highly ranked by

faculty.

References

Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013) Constructing research questions: Doing interesting
research. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.

Baltes, B., Hoffman-Kipp, P., Lynn, L., & Weltzer-Ward, L. (2010). Students’ research self-

efficacy during online doctoral research courses. Contemporary Issues in Education

Research, 3, 51–58.
Kumar, S., Johnson, M., & Hardemon, T. (2013). Dissertations at a distance: Students’
perceptions of online mentoring in a doctoral program. The Journal of Distance
Education, 27, 1–12.

Lovitts, B. (2008). The transition to independent research: Who makes it, who doesn’t, and

why. Journal of Higher Education, 79, 296–325.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jhe.0.0006ht

Luse, A., Mennecke, B., & Townsend, A. (2012). Selecting a research topic: A framework

for doctoral students. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 7, 143–152.

Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and

implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

Walker, G. E., Golde, C. M., Jones, L., Conklin-Bueschel, A., & Hutchings, P. (2009).

The formation of scholars: Rethinking doctoral education for the twenty-first

century. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The Litmus Test

The Litmus Test for a Doctoral-Level Research Problem was designed to guide doctoral students

and faculty in formulating a research problem. The distinguishing characteristic of doctoral-level

research (versus master’s-level research) is that doctoral research must make an original

contribution to the field; however, students may struggle to identify what research will

authentically contribute to their field or discipline. The most critical step for such a contribution

is to first identify a doctoral research problem with the four hallmarks noted here. Identifying a

doctoral-level research problem is necessary, but not sufficient, to produce doctoral-level

capstone.

Hallmarks of the Doctoral Research Problem

In Walden University’s scholar–practitioner model, a research problem shows promise of

contributing meaningfully to the field or discipline only if the answer to all of the following

questions is “Yes.”

1. Justified?
Does evidence support that this problem is significant to the professional field? Evidence—

relevant statistics (e.g., expressing an inequality, financial impact, lost efficiency),

documentable discrepancies (e.g., two models that are difficult to reconcile), or other

scholarly facts—must point to the significance and urgency of the problem. The problem

must be an authentic “puzzle” that needs solving, not merely a topic that the researcher finds

interesting.

2. Grounded in the Research Literature?
Can the problem be framed to enable the research to either build on or counter previously

published findings on the topic? For most fields, being grounded involves articulating the

problem within the context of a theoretical or conceptual framework. Although many

approaches can ground a study in the scientific literature, the essential requirement is that the

problem is framed such that the new findings will have implications for the previous

findings.

3. Original?
Does the problem reflect a meaningful gap in the research literature? Addressing the

problem should result in an original contribution to the field or discipline.

4. Amenable to Scientific Study?
Can a scholarly, systematic method of inquiry be applied to address the problem? The

framing of the problem should not reveal bias or present a foregone conclusion. Even if the

researcher has a strong opinion on the expected findings, the researcher must maximize

scholarly objectivity by framing the problem in the context of a systematic inquiry that

permits multiple possible conclusions.

Dissertation Premise Page 13