Identify a substantial number of key sources that will contribute to the project-dissertation’s future literature review.

THE RESEARCH PROSPECTUS
Introduction to the Research Prospectus
A research prospectus constitutes an important step in the development of a complete project-dissertation proposal. It is a brief formal academic statement in which you:
1. clarify what you intend to research,
2. justify the need for that research,
3. estimate the potential value of the research to both the Church and the academic community,
4. indicate in general terms how you intend to execute the research,
5. identify a substantial number of key sources that will contribute to the project-dissertation’s future literature review,
6. anticipate the content-outline of that literature review.
Developing a research prospectus is a time-consuming and energy-demanding task. You cannot complete this assignment without considerable engagement with (1) the precedent and methodological literature, and (2) critical reflection. The work required to produce this preliminary statement of research intent will pay dividends in the DMN 8123 course when you develop the full proposal and, shortly thereafter, the complete project-dissertation itself.
A well-crafted prospectus will enable your instructor and classmates to quickly offer helpful critique early in the research-planning process. This feedback, in turn, will help you to develop an effectively conceived and crafted proposal for the project-dissertation. Research proposals that are broad, vague, superficial, or general are of little value to the academic community and you. The prospectus facilitates an important corrective for such wasted effort.
A successful prospectus must be worded concisely. You can achieve this goal by carefully choosing your words and then thoroughly self-editing the document. Work closely with the course instructor to resolve questions prior to submitting the prospectus as the first assignment for the DMN 8113 course.

The Prospectus Template
The prospectus must (1) include all of the elements described below, (2) be presented in the order given, and (3) reflect the form and style guidelines presented in the 8th edition of Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
Name and Date: State both.
Tentative Title . State the title in one concisely worded, yet detail-rich, phrase (not a complete sentence).
Background to the Study. Describe in no more than three concisely worded paragraphs your interest in, and qualifications for, pursuing the envisioned research.
Purpose of the Study. State the study’s purpose in one sentence, clearly identifying why the study is needed. This statement must, in essence, address the question, “Why are you pursuing this study?” After stating the purpose sentence, you may elaborate on the purpose in one to two paragraphs if you wish.
Problem Statement. State the research problem in one sentence (worded as a question) that clearly identifies what you do not know. Introduce the problem in a few sentences; all sentences must fit naturally within one paragraph. The problem-statement sentence must be easily identified and placed as the last sentence in the paragraph.
Research Questions/Hypotheses. After crafting a one-paragraph introduction to this section, list at least three research questions (or theoretically informed hypotheses). Often the first question will focus on the biblical-theological foundation for the study.
Each research question (or hypothesis) may need to be elaborated by two or more sub-questions. The use of sub-questions is especially helpful if multiple types (or sources) of data are needed to resolve the “parent” research question (or hypothesis). For this reason, each research method selected must be focused on, and logically paired with, one research question (or hypothesis) or one sub-question. The example provided on the following page elucidates the use of sub-questions in the prospectus.
Example: A research question focused on the subjective options of a group of participants may need two research methods to fully resolve it:
• focus group interviews, used to capture preliminary data relevant to the issue
• semi-structured interviews with a limited number of focus-group participants, used to follow up on key issues identified during the focus-group interviews
Neither of these research methods would be linked to the major (i.e., “parent”) research question. Rather, the research method of focus-group interviews would be linked to sub-question 1, while semi-structured interviews would be paired with sub-question 2.
Significance of the Study. Explain in no more than three paragraphs why you believe the proposed study will be of value to, the academic community, the Church in general, and your ministry in particular.
Basic Nature of the Proposed Study. Choose only one option below. Note that this element of the template is focused only on empirical data. The three options below do not include the methods involved in reviewing the precedent literature and biblical-theological inquiry and reflection (eliminate the two options that do not apply):
 Quantitative: only quantitative empirical method(s) will be used
 Qualitative: only qualitative method(s) will be used
 Mixed methods: both quantitative and qualitative empirical methods will be used
Methodology. Complete the “Research Methodology Options” table that follows, deleting all rows (i.e., all methods) that do not apply to your proposed study. Note especially the column entitled “Proposed Research Method.” All research methods listed in that column, with the exceptions of “Critical Integrative Analysis,” and Exegetical-Hermeneutical Study,” are discussed in some detail in the research-methodology texts selected for this course.
Literature Review Outline. Develop a tentative outline of your future literature review, listing all first-level and second-level headings. This outline must clearly reflect a “broad-general” to “narrow-specific” design, following a pyramid motif. One of the primary objectives of a scholarly literature review is to establish from the precedent literature the need for fresh research in order to address a “hole” (lacuna) in the body of knowledge on a given topic. This objective must be reflected in this outline.
In particular, the last few headings listed in the outline must identify the literature-relevant topics that are most closely related to your anticipated project-dissertation. Your creativity and knowledge of the precedent literature must be reflected in this outline. However, do not cite sources in this outline.
Bibliography. Cite in a properly formatted bibliography at least twenty-five sources that are directly related to your research topic and, thus, will make an important contribution to your future literature reviews. These sources will inform the details in the literature review outline (see above). While some of these sources should be books, approximately half must be recently published academic journal articles, and two must be recently published doctoral dissertations or doctoral research projects.

Research Methodology Options. [Delete rows that do not apply to your prospectus.]
Proposed Research Method Type Studying What
or Who? For Which Research Question?
Appreciative Inquiry Qual.
Case Study Qual.
Content Analysis Qual.
Historical Research Qual.
Interview
(e.g., semi-structured) Qual.
Participant-Observation Qual.
Phenomenological Study Qual.
Action Research Mixed
Q-sort Methodology Mixed
Correlational Research Quant.
Observational Research Quant.
Quasi-experimental Design Quant.
Survey Quant.
Other: ___________________ ?
Critical Integrative Analysis
(for reviewing the precedent literature) —
Exegetical-Hermeneutical Study —

Key Terms in a Project-Dissertation Prospectus
Purpose of the Study
In general terms, the purpose of any study is discovery. Through unbiased and systematic discovery, a researcher seeks to resolve the problem that is concisely stated in a problem statement (see the following section) by answering the question posed in that statement.
An example of a purpose statement follows:
This study will develop an empirically supported model of leadership formation in an urban church plant that combines non-formal mentoring and formal leadership education delivered in a distance-education medium.
In the full proposal, an informative introduction to both the purpose and problem statements will be essential in order to elucidate the topic and engage the reader. Both statements must be worded similarly, so as to establish a singular focus for the study.
The Problem Statement
A well-crafted problem statement should clearly describe the scope of the study, as delineated in the following five descriptors:
1. It must be “doable” (manageable within the student researcher’s time and financial constraints);
2. It must be significant to both the church and the academic community;
3. It must suggest where and with whom the study will be conducted (e.g., “cell group leaders and their spouses at First Assembly of God in ____”);
4. It suggests a method for its resolution (e.g., “when measured by____”);
5. It suggests the time period that will be investigated (e.g., “from March 2012 through February 2013”), where this information reflects a clear delimitation for the study.
Research Questions
Useful research questions are characterized by the following four descriptors:
1. They are mutually exclusive in content (i.e., they do not overlap);
2. They address all logical extensions of the problem statement, and only what is suggested by that statement;
3. They contain only one central issue per question: the researcher must avoid developing complex or two-part research questions, unless he or she utilizes sub-questions;
4. They may indicate the use of multiple research methods, particularly when sub-questions are used; in such cases, a multi-disciplinary approach to the problem’s resolution will be essential.