Selecting Appropriate Capstone Sources

What is the best way to decide if you're finding the best research to include in your capstone document? Along with consulting your faculty members and the Walden University Library, take a look at these tips that will help you decide what stays in, and what should get cut from your references list. 

In this Blog post, I want to share a few tips for selecting and using appropriate sources in scholarly writing, most especially doctoral capstone writing. Proper source selection and use is important for writers of every stripe. It is especially important, however, for capstone writers because of the rigorous expectations they must meet. As with your research design, source selection and use are a key means by which readers evaluate and interpret your work.

Effective source selection on your topic informs you of current developments and shifts in thinking in your field. It is also how you develop proficient knowledge and become versed in the language of your field. Source selection and use is also a key means of learning about research protocol and method. Keeping a keen eye on how others have designed their studies and approached data collection and analysis will give you confidence as you make these decisions yourself.

Today, I want to share some tips for selecting appropriate sources in your capstone document. These tips are based on my experience as a dissertation editor and as a former faculty member and instructor.

Tip 1: Understand the different types of sources. Literature varies in terms of its audience, purpose, authorship, publication process, and other factors. General categories include peer-reviewed, popular, trade, and governmental. Throughout your research and writing process, you need to be mindful of different types of literature.


Tip 2: Prioritize peer-reviewed sources in your study. Because of the rigor involved in this type of publication process, scholarly work that is peer-reviewed is generally more credible than other sources. Experts in the field have carefully evaluated all facets of a manuscript and, oftentimes, demanded multiple revisions before determining that it is worthy of publication. The breadth and depth of peer-reviewed studies will provide you with a richer basis for crafting your argument and designing your study than other types of literature. Additionally, reviewing peer-reviewed literature is key to developing your own scholarly acumen.

Tip 3: But, evaluate and incorporate a range of sources, as appropriate, in your writing. In your capstone writing, you need to develop expert knowledge on your topic and research methods. That means conducting an exhaustive literature review, in which you learn how others are negotiating, discussing, and deliberating your study topic and problem. You should be reviewing newspaper articles, white papers, program evaluations, and so on as part of this process. You may not incorporate all of this reading into your final document, but you will be more knowledgeable and well-versed on your topic if you do so.

Tip 4: Don’t forget about books. Journal articles will probably constitute most of the sources for your study, and with good reason. But, don’t neglect books, both peer-reviewed and popular ones, even if these may sometimes be more challenging to obtain.

Tip 5: Limit uses of secondary sources. As a capstone writer, you need to be fully in command of the content that you incorporate in your study. As you learn about your topic and become well-versed in key vocabulary, theories, concepts, and methods for your study, you will, no doubt, draw on writers’ interpretations of others’ work. You need this information. However, I recommend that you only use secondary sources when you cannot access primary ones. You need to read the source material yourself and clarify your understanding of it. Your writing will be more accurate and perceived as credible by readers if you do so, and it will convey more of your own voice.

Tip 6: Acknowledge the limits of your review of the literature. When discussing the rationale for your study, be careful to avoid saying that no research been conducted on a certain topic. Yes, you are expected to be exhaustive in your review of the literature, but you cannot say with 100 % assurance that you consulted every relevant source on your topic. That is why I recommend writing “based on my review of the literature” when making statements such as “researchers have not studied x” or “no studies have been conducted on y.” Adding such a clause acknowledges to readers that other work might exist. Taking care to do so, and, also, being as clear as possible when describing your search process makes things more transparent, which, again, reinforces your credibility.

Reviewing the literature on your topic can be a daunting task. But, hopefully, this list gives you some helpful guidance and reminders that make the process as smooth as possible.

Tara Kachgal  is a dissertation editor in the Walden University Writing Center. She has a Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and teaches for the School of Government's online MPA@UNC program. She resides in Chapel Hill and, in her spare time, serves as a mentor for her local running store's training program.

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