Posted: February 3rd, 2015

Capstone Research Project

Capstone Research Project

Order Description

This summative assignment represents the Capstone Project of the entire Homeland Security and Emergency Management degree program. For this assignment, conduct research on a Homeland Security and Emergency Management topic utilizing the steps of the scientific method. This assignment will have incremental assignments to submit during Week One and Week Two of this course in order to ensure that you are progressing in proper research methodology and scope. The research question and hypothesis approval is due in Week One and a literature review will be due in Week Two. These assignments support the project, but they are graded separately and retain their own values separate from the Capstone research Project.

Conduct an original research project in one of the following topic areas. For reference purposes and review, these key homeland security areas and sub-disciplines can be reviewed at the U. S. Department of Homeland Security website.

Topics
• Counterterrorism activities and programs in aviation security or law enforcement
o General Counterterrorism ( see Department of Homeland Security | Counterterrorism)
o Aviation (see Department of Homeland Security | Transportation Security)
o Law Enforcement (see Department of Homeland Security | Law Enforcement)

Once a topic area has been selected, formulate a research question and supporting hypotheses for approval by the instructor at the conclusion of Week One.

Research question: How have counter-terrorism activities and programs been effective since September 11th terrorist attacks?
Hypothesis 1: The September 11th terrorist attacks have improved aviation security through organized counterterrorism activities and programs.

Use your approved research questions and hypotheses to develop research variables and a literature review for submission during Week Two.
During Week Three, Four and Five, conduct research and write a research paper that is between eight pages in length (excluding the title and reference page) and includes the following basic structure.
1. Identify a key issue and explain the supporting research question in Homeland Security and Emergency Management. (1 page)
2. State one research hypothesis that may answer the research question. You may use one that you formulated for Week One assignment, “Research Project Prep.” (1 page)
3. Establish research variables for analysis and subsequent confirmation or refute of the research hypothesis. (roughly 1-2 pages)
4. Present results of research informing the proposed research variables. This research must be supported by at least eight legitimate academic resources, five of which can be found in the Ashford Online Library. The course textbook will not be considered for the resource requirement. (2 to 3 pages)
5. Analyze the research question and supporting hypothesis. (1-2 pages)
6. Construct a conclusion of research (results and answer of the research). (1-2 pages)
7. Include a reference page, which does not count towards the summative assignment’s page total. The reference page should be as long as needed to accurately account for all utilized research materials. Each item of the reference page should be in APA format and include where the reference was located (i.e., Ashford Online Library, Internet, etc.).
The Capstone Research Project must be at least eight pages in length. You must use at least eight scholarly resources, other than the course textbook, to support your thesis. At least five of these resources must come from the Ashford Online Library. All sources must be properly cited in text as well as on the reference page. The Capstone Research Project must be formatted according to APA (6th edition) style. If you would like to refer to APA samples and tutorials, review the APA Checklist within the Ashford Writing Center, located in the Learning Resources tab in the left navigation bar.

Writing the Capstone Research Project

The Capstone Research Project:
1. Must be a minimum of eight (8) double-spaced pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
o Title of paper
o Student’s name
o Course name and number
o Instructor’s name
o Date submitted
3. Must address one of the topics found in the Capstone Research Project guidelines.
4. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
6. Must use at least eight scholarly resources, including a minimum of five from the Ashford Online Library. Student login ROARTI6356 Password Roman123
7. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
8. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.