Abstract

[Dissertation Title]

by

[your official name]

MA, [university], 20XX

BS, [university], 20XX

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

[name of program]

Walden University

[last month of term you graduate] 20XX

 Abstract

Insert abstract here. The abstract should be no more than one page in length. The abstract

must be double-spaced with no paragraph indents or breaks. First, describe the overall

research problem being addressed and indicate why it is important to research or practice.

Next, identify the purpose and/or research questions and hypotheses, the theoretical or

conceptual foundation, the research design, and data analysis procedures (where

applicable). In the abstract for the final study, be sure and identify the key results,

summarizing the main conclusions, and provide recommendations for research and/or

practice (where applicable). Conclude the abstract with a statement on the potential

implications for positive social change, including the social determinants of health (where

applicable). Do not include references or citations in the abstract. Per APA Style, spell

out numbers nine and below, and use numerals for numbers 10 and above. If a number is

the first word of a sentence, always spell it out. Review additional Form and Style

instructions and tips for writing the abstract, including a suggested formula for

approaching the material that should be presented. For more guidance on writing the

abstract, consult the abstract materials from the Office of Research and Doctoral Services

website.
 [Dissertation Title]

by

[your official name]

MA, [university], 20XX

BS, [university], 20XX

Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

[name of program]

Walden University

[last month of term you graduate] 20XX

 Dedication

This is an optional page for a dedication. If you include a dedication, use regular

paragraph formatting as shown here (not centered, italicized, or otherwise formatted). If

you do not wish to include this page, delete the heading and the body text.
 Acknowledgments

This is an optional page for acknowledgments. It is a nice place to thank the

faculty, family members, and friends who have helped you reach this point in your

academic career.

If you do not wish to include this page, delete the heading and the body text, but

leave the section break that you see below this text.

No page number appears on any of the pages up to this point.

 Table of Contents

List of Tables......................................................................................................................

List of Figures......................................................................................................................

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study....................................................................................

Introduction....................................................................................................................

Background....................................................................................................................

Problem Statement.........................................................................................................

Purpose of the Study......................................................................................................

Research Question(s) and Hypotheses...........................................................................

Theoretical and/or Conceptual Framework for the Study..............................................

Nature of the Study........................................................................................................

Definitions......................................................................................................................

Assumptions...................................................................................................................

Scope and Delimitations................................................................................................

Limitations.....................................................................................................................

Significance....................................................................................................................

Summary........................................................................................................................

Chapter 2: Literature Review...............................................................................................

Introduction....................................................................................................................

Literature Search Strategy..............................................................................................

Theoretical Foundation..................................................................................................

Conceptual Framework (as Appropriate).......................................................................

i
 Literature Review Related to Key Variables and/or Concepts......................................

Sample APA Level 2 Heading.................................................................................

Another Sample APA Level 2 Heading...................................................................

Summary and Conclusions............................................................................................

Chapter 3: Research Method................................................................................................

Introduction....................................................................................................................

Research Design and Rationale.....................................................................................

Methodology..................................................................................................................

Population................................................................................................................

Sampling and Sampling Procedures........................................................................

Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection (as

Appropriate).................................................................................................

Pilot Study (as Appropriate)....................................................................................

Intervention (as Appropriate)..................................................................................

Archival Data Use (as Appropriate)........................................................................

Instrumentation and Operationalization of Constructs............................................

Data Analysis Plan.........................................................................................................

Threats to Validity.........................................................................................................

Ethical Procedures.........................................................................................................

Summary........................................................................................................................

Chapter 4: Results................................................................................................................

Introduction....................................................................................................................

ii
 Pilot Study (if Applicable).............................................................................................

Data Collection..............................................................................................................

Treatment and/or Intervention Fidelity (as Appropriate)...............................................

Results............................................................................................................................

Summary......................................................................................................................

Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations............................................

Introduction..................................................................................................................

Interpretation of the Findings.......................................................................................

Limitations of the Study...............................................................................................

Recommendations........................................................................................................

Implications..................................................................................................................

Conclusion...................................................................................................................

References..........................................................................................................................

Appendix A: Title of Appendix.........................................................................................

The Table of Contents (TOC) above must be updated to reflect the headings and
pagination within your own document. First, you must ensure that you have applied the
appropriate Styles tags to all APA Level 0, 1, and 2 headings. To update the TOC,
RIGHT CLICK anywhere in the Table of Contents, select UPDATE FIELD, then select
UPDATE ENTIRE TABLE or UPDATE PAGE NUMBERS ONLY, and click OK. This
should populate the TOC with all headings tagged as APA Level 0, 1, and 2 within your
document.

Troubleshooting tip: Sometimes, if a heading is very short, the dot leader will not appear
for that heading when the TOC is first generated. If this occurs for a particular heading,
place your cursor after that heading in the TOC and hit the Tab key; the dot leader should
then appear.

iii
 List of Tables

Table 1. A Sample Table Showing Correct Formatting....................................................10

Table 2. Another Sample Table.........................................................................................10

The List of Tables above must be updated to reflect any tables in your document. If you
do not have any tables, delete this page (including the page break at the end of the page).

To update the above List of Tables, you must ensure that you have used the Insert
Caption method to label your tables, following the instructions at the end of this template.
Once you have done this, to update the List of Tables, RIGHT CLICK anywhere in the
List of Tables, select UPDATE FIELD, then select UPDATE ENTIRE TABLE or
UPDATE PAGE NUMBERS ONLY, and click OK. This will populate the List of Tables
with your table numbers and titles.

If you follow this method, the table number and title will come in without a period
between them, and there will be a mix of bold, italic, and plain font. Clean up the List of
Tables manually by selecting all of the text and removing bolding and italics, then enter a
period after each table number and one character space before the table title, as shown in
the model in the template.

iv
 List of Figures

Figure 1. Sample Figure....................................................................................................11

Figure 2. Another Sample Figure......................................................................................11

The List of Figures must be updated to reflect any figures in your document. If you do
not have any figures, delete this page, but be careful not to delete the Section Break at
the end of the page, as doing so will disrupt the pagination of the template.

To update the above List of Figures, you must ensure that you have used the Insert
Caption method to label your figures, following the instructions at the end of this
template. Once you have done this, to update the List of Figures, RIGHT CLICK
anywhere in the List of Figures, select UPDATE FIELD, then select UPDATE ENTIRE
TABLE or UPDATE PAGE NUMBERS ONLY, and click OK. This will populate the
List of Figures with your figure numbers and titles.

If you follow this method, the figure number and title will come in without a period
between them, and there will be a mix of bold, italic, and plain font. Clean up the List of
Figures manually by selecting all of the text and removing bolding and italics, then enter
a period after each figure number and one character space before the figure title, as
shown in the model in the template.

v
 1
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study

Introduction

Begin text here. Refer to the PhD Quantitative Checklist on the Office of

Research and Doctoral Services (ORDS) Doctoral Capstone and Project Resources page

(under “PhD Documents > Dissertation Checklists”) for guidance on the content of the

specific sections of Chapter 1.

When placing your cursor on this text, you will see in the Styles menu that this

paragraph is tagged “Body Text.” That means it will automatically appear double-spaced

with the first line indented, per Walden style. The seventh edition of the APA manual

advises one character space between sentences.

You can find the Styles menu in most recent versions of Microsoft Word by

clicking on the Home tab on the standard toolbar; Styles is one of the areas you will see

there. Click on the arrow icon in the lower right corner of the Styles area, and a drop-

down menu of styles will appear.

To apply this template’s formatting to the text of your paper, simply highlight the

paragraph(s) or heading you want to format and choose the appropriate tag from the

Styles menu. The list of style tags includes levels of headings, block quotes, APA

references, and body text.

If you make a mistake and something changes that you did not want to change,

use the Undo command. In MS Word, you can Undo Typing by pressing Ctrl (Control) +

Z on a PC or (Command) + Z on a Mac. Alternatively, on the Quick Access toolbar,

next to the Save icon, click on the left-facing arrow icon for Undo Typing.
 2
For guidance on APA Style rules, go to the Doctoral Capstone Form and Style

website; also consult the Form and Style Review Checklist.

Background

Begin text here.

Problem Statement

Begin text here.

Purpose of the Study

Begin text here.

Research Question(s) and Hypotheses

Begin text here.

Theoretical and/or Conceptual Framework for the Study

Begin text here.

Nature of the Study

Begin text here.

Definitions

Begin text here. The following examples show the standard layout for definitions

in dissertations at Walden:

Name of term: Definition of term.

Name of another term: Definition of term.

Assumptions

Begin text here.

 3
Scope and Delimitations

Begin text here.

Limitations

Begin text here.

Significance

Begin text here.

Summary

Begin text here.

 4
Chapter 2: Literature Review

Introduction

Begin text here. Refer to the PhD Quantitative Checklist on the ORDS Doctoral

Capstone and Project Resources page for guidance on the content of the specific sections

of Chapter 2.

Literature Search Strategy

Begin text here.

Theoretical Foundation

Begin text here.

Conceptual Framework (as Appropriate)

Begin text here.

Literature Review Related to Key Variables and/or Concepts

Insert the text for this section here. Report the literature in past tense, as in “Jones

(2022) argued,” not “Jones (2022) argues.”

Sample APA Level 2 Heading

If you wish to add subheadings to organize your literature review, the first level of

subheadings will be APA Level 2. If your APA Level 2 subheadings have additional

subheadings under them, use APA Level 3 subheadings (and APA Level 4 subheadings,

if needed), as illustrated below.

Another Sample APA Level 2 Heading

APA Level 3 Heading

Text begins here.

 5
APA Level 4 Heading. Text begins here. The following is an example of a block

quote:

This is an example of a block quote. Note that there are no quotation marks

around the quoted material because the block formatting indicates it is a direct

quote. Use block formatting for all quotes of 40 or more words. Include the

citation after the final punctuation for the quote, as shown. The author and year

may precede the quote, with the page number(s) in parentheses after the final

punctuation. There is no punctuation after the citation. (Author, date, p. #)

If you use lists in your document, be aware that there are APA guidelines for list

format (see APA 6.49–6.52). Here is an example of how to present information in a

vertical numbered list.

1. In the body of your paper, use this format when presenting information as a

vertical numbered list.

2. A numbered list is appropriate when the order of the items in the list is

important.

3. Use complete sentences only for items in a numbered list.

Here is an example of how to present information in a vertical bulleted list:

 This is an example of a bulleted list.

 It follows the same format as for a numbered list, with the bullet point

indented the same as a paragraph indent.

 Bulleted items may be written as complete sentences or as phrases. See APA

6.52 for more details.

 6
Summary and Conclusions

Begin text here.

 7
Chapter 3: Research Method

Introduction

Begin text here. Refer to the PhD Quantitative Checklist on the ORDS Doctoral

Capstone and Project Resources page for guidance on the content of the specific sections

of Chapter 3.

Research Design and Rationale

Begin text here.

Methodology

Begin text here.

Population

Begin text here.

Sampling and Sampling Procedures

Begin text here.

Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection (as Appropriate)

Begin text here.

Pilot Study (as Appropriate)

Begin text here.

Intervention (as Appropriate)

Begin text here.

Archival Data Use (as Appropriate)

Begin text here.

 8
Instrumentation and Operationalization of Constructs

Begin text here.

Data Analysis Plan

Begin text here.

Threats to Validity

Begin text here.

Ethical Procedures

Begin text here.

Summary

Begin text here.

 9
Chapter 4: Results

Introduction

Begin text here. Refer to the PhD Quantitative Checklist on the ORDS Doctoral

Capstone and Project Resources page for guidance on the content of the specific sections

of Chapter 4.

Pilot Study (if Applicable)

Begin text here.

Data Collection

Begin text here.

Treatment and/or Intervention Fidelity (as Appropriate)

Begin text here.

Results

Begin text here. Tables 1 and 2 reflect APA (7th ed.) rules for table formatting

and labeling. Note that all tables and figures should be mentioned by number in the

narrative text (e.g., “Table 1 includes …”) before they appear in the document. The point

size of table text can be smaller than body text (which is 12 point) but no smaller than 8

point. You may change the font inside tables to a sans serif font such as Arial if you wish.
 10
Table 1

A Sample Table Showing Correct Formatting

Stub heading Column A Column B Column C Column D

Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4

Note. From “Attitudes Toward Dissertation Editors,” by W. Student, 2020, Journal of

Academic Optimism, 98, p. 11 (https://doi.org/10.xxxxxxxxx). Copyright 2020 by

Academic Publishing Consortium. Reprinted with permission.

Table 2

Another Sample Table

Stub heading Column A Column B Column C

Row 1
Row 2

Figures 1 and 2 reflect APA formatting rules for figure labels. As with tables,

refer to a figure by number in the narrative text preceding the placement of the figure.
 11
Figure 1

Sample Figure

Figure 2

Another Sample Figure

Summary

Begin text here.

 12
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Introduction

Begin text here. Refer to the PhD Quantitative Checklist on the ORDS Doctoral

Capstone and Project Resources page for guidance on the content of the specific sections

of Chapter 5.

Interpretation of the Findings

Begin text here.

Limitations of the Study

Begin text here.

Recommendations

Begin text here.

Implications

Begin text here.

Conclusion

Begin text here.

 13
References

Insert references here. Examples of some common types of references follow.

These sample entries are tagged with the “APA Reference” style tag, which

means the line spacing and hanging indent are automatic. Apply the “APA Reference”

style tag to your entries.

Pay special attention to italics, capitalization, and punctuation. The style tag does

not govern those aspects of the entry.

Sample Entries

Journal article with DOI (even if accessed in print form)

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (1994). Title of article. Title of Periodical,

xx(x), xxx–xxx. https://doi.org/xxxxxx . . .

Nonperiodical (authored book with a DOI)

Author, A. A. (1994). Title of work. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx . . .

Chapter 10 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological

Association, seventh edition, includes numerous examples of reference list entries. For

more information on references in APA Style, consult the APA website or the Walden

Doctoral Capstone Form and Style page on APA References.

 14
Appendix A: Title of Appendix

Insert appendix content here. Appendices are ordered with letters (Appendix A,

Appendix B, etc.) rather than numbers. If there is only one appendix in your document,

label it Appendix (rather than Appendix A), per APA rules.

The appendices must adhere to the same margin specifications as the body of the

dissertation. Photocopied or previously printed material may have to be shifted on the

page or reduced in size to fit within the area bounded by the margins.

If the only thing in an appendix is a table or figure, the table or figure title serves

as the title of the appendix; no label is needed for the table or figure itself, and it is not

included in the List of Tables or List of Figures.

If an appendix contains a table or figure in addition to other content (e.g.,

narrative text, other tables and/or figures), label each table or figure in the appendix with

the letter of the appendix and a whole number (e.g., Table A1, Table A2, Figure A1,

Table B1, etc.). Items that are individually labeled as tables or figures within appendices

must be included in the List of Tables or List of Figures. However, because the table and

figure numbering format in this case includes the appendix letter and a numeral, the

Insert Caption method for labeling will not work, and you will likely need to create labels

and add entries for these items to the List of Tables or List of Figures by hand.

If you include in an appendix any prepublished materials that are not in the public

domain, you must also include permission to do so.

 15
Using the Insert Caption Method to Label Tables and Figures

(for APA 7 and Walden Doctoral Capstone Templates and Guidelines)

These instructions explain how to use the Insert Caption method to label tables

and figures per APA Style (7th ed.) so that you can easily import this information into the

existing List of Tables and List of Figures within the template.

When working with formatting aspects of a document, the pilcrow should be

activated so you can see the formatting marks in the document. The pilcrow is the

backwards P (¶) found in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.

Table Number and Title

Create an APA compliant table.

 Select the table by clicking on the crosshair located near the top left corner of

the table or by manually selecting all of the contents of the table.

 Click the References tab.

 Click Insert Caption found in the Captions group.

 Confirm that the Label box says Table, and that Position is above selected

item, then click OK.

 Holding down the Shift key, press the Enter key once.

 Turn on italics and type the title of the table.

 Select the word Table and the number, then apply the bold style.

 Your table now has a table number and title that can be imported into the List

of Tables.
 16
Figure Number and Title

Create a figure by inserting an image into the template that was created in another

document. Figures should always be a single picture that cannot change. Now create the

figure number and title.

 Select the figure by clicking on it.

 Click the References tab.

 Click Insert Caption found in the Captions group.

 Confirm that the Label box says Figure, and that Position is above selected

item, then click OK.

 Holding down the Shift key, press the Enter key once.

 Turn on italics and type the title of the figure.

 Select the word Figure and the number, then apply the bold style.

 Your table now has a figure number and title that can be imported into the List

of Figures.

For further assistance with these instructions, please contact

[email protected]