Reading a Concept

Paper
Group Members:
Mayank Shewakramani
Se Hui Kim
Ezekiel Bernardo
What is a Concept Paper?
O A concept paper is a brief document.
Depending upon the requirements of a
specific academic program, the Concept
Paper may range from as few as 2-3 pages
to as many as 10-20 pages. The essential
point of the Concept Paper is to explain the
importance of a particular research project.
 What is the purpose of a
concept paper?
O The purpose of a concept paper is to
explain, clarify, or theorize a particular
concept so that it can be discussed in the
world of the discourse about it.

O In building up a concept, it is important to

connect theory and experience.
 Theory and Experience
O Theory – comes from the numerous
academic articles written about your desired
topic.

O Experience – comes from the day-to-day

observations made by the researcher.
 The main elements of a
concept paper
O Title page — provides a tentative title for the
dissertation.
O Statement of the Problem — provides the
purpose for the research.
O Preliminary Literature Review — provides
identification of major literature that
supports and validates the topic; focuses on
areas that offer support for new research.
O Goal Statement — provides a broad or
abstract intention, including the research
goals and objectives.
O Research Questions — provides a
preliminary view of the questions the
student will investigate.
O An Abridged Methodology — provides the
student’s best idea on how to conduct the
research and analyze the data.
O Timeline — provides a range of time for
completion of the project, highlighting key
elements for each stage of the project.
O References — provides references to the
material cited in the literature review and
elsewhere in the Concept Paper.
 Some observations on a
concept paper
O One important function of a concept paper
is to marry theory and practice.
O Deductive Reasoning – comes up with
paradigms which can be used to examine
real-life phenomena.
O Inductive Reasoning – produces a theory
from bits and pieces of information.