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Scholarly Paper Guidelines for Non-Thesis MS Students | University of Maryland Project Management
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SCHOLARLY PAPER GUIDELINES
FOR NON-THESIS MS STUDENTS
The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the preparation of
a scholarly paper, which is required of all M.S. students in the Project
Management Program pursuing the non-thesis option.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The ability to identify, define and research an issue or problem impacting
project management processes is a necessity for an individual engaged in
the professional practice of project management. To develop this, the student
is required to prepare a scholarly paper that examines, in detail, an issue or
problem in project management and provides recommendations or solutions
for addressing the issue or solving the problem. The subject of the paper
should be relevant to the student’s interest and the Project Management
Program No oral presentation to the faculty is required for a scholarly paper.
The level of effort should be at least equivalent to that of a 3 credit hour
graduate course (@160 hours).
SELECTION OF TOPIC AND ADVISER
The selection of a topic is the responsibility of the student in collaboration
with an adviser from the graduate faculty in the Project Management
Program at the University of Maryland at College Park. The research should
involve the systematic investigation of a topic that is significant and timely
and that contributes to the generation of new knowledge and to the solution
of relevant project management problems. It is helpful for the student to
become familiar with the research interests of the faculty and to discuss
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Scholarly Paper Guidelines for Non-Thesis MS Students | University of Maryland Project Management
tentative topics with them. No later than one semester before the student’s
anticipated graduation, the student must choose a topic and select a
professor to serve as adviser. The professor must approve the topic and
agree to serve as adviser.
Suggestion for Report Preparation and Review
The development of a research study for the scholarly paper can generally be
organized into the following phases:
1. Identification of topic and preparation of project plan/schedule
2. Literature review – a detailed literature search should be performed to
identify prior work in the topic area
3. Statement of purpose and objective of the study
4. Development of research methodology
5. Data gathering
6. Evaluation of results and formulation of conclusions
7. Preparation of draft and final report
8. Presentation of report
These phases are closely related to sections or chapters within the report
and indicate milestones at which progress can be evaluated. At the end of
each phase, the student should consult with their advisor to insure that the
project is progressing satisfactorily. Proper scheduling of the research is very
important for its timely completion. It is suggested that, at a minimum, the
student perform the research study over one full semester. The study should
be conducted in the following general sequence:
1. APPROVAL OF SCHOLARLY PAPER TOPIC
1. Select scholarly paper topic
2. Secure agreement from professor to serve as adviser
3. Secure approval of adviser of topic
4. Prepare project plan
2. SUBMIT WORK PLAN
A plan must be prepared that specifies the objectives of the study, the
activities that are to be performed during the study, how the activities are to
be carried out, and a bar chart schedule showing all activities and their
schedule dates.
3. SUBMIT LITERATURE REVIEW
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Scholarly Paper Guidelines for Non-Thesis MS Students | University of Maryland Project Management
A detailed review of the literature relevant to the topic must be conducted.
An annotated bibliography, which identifies the work and provides a
summary of it, must be prepared and may be submitted to the student’s
adviser.
4. STUDENT ADVISER CONFERENCE
The student should meet periodically with his/her adviser to clarify issues
and prevent problems from arising during the study. The student must meet
with his/her adviser no later than eight weeks prior to the student’s
anticipated graduation to insure that the study and its results will satisfy the
scholarly paper requirements and to discuss the current draft of the paper.
The student may request comments on the pre-final draft of the paper before
producing the final.
5. SUBMIT SCHOLARLY PAPER
The final paper should be submitted to the student’s adviser no later than
three weeks before the student’s anticipated graduation, preferably earlier.
6. PRESENT SCHOLARLY PAPER
Scholarly papers are not presented to a committee of the faculty
7. SAMPLE FORMAT
1. Cover (60# Stock)
2. Title Page
3. Abstract
4. Table of Contents
5. Executive Summary
6. Body of the Report
1. Description of the Project
2. Objectives of the Study
3. Methodology
4. Results
5. Conclusions
6. Recommendations for Future Work
7. Appendices
1. References
2. Literature eview
3. Notation (if required)
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Scholarly Paper Guidelines for Non-Thesis MS Students | University of Maryland Project Management
THE MANUSCRIPT
The manuscript should be prepared in accordance with the following
The manuscript must be prepared using a word processor using the
Times Roman or Arial 12-point typeface
The text should be left justified
Margins should be one inch on the top, bottom, and right side. The left
side margin may be up to two inches depending on the format of the
paper
The manuscript must be double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11 – in. paper
All references must be complete and use the following format: last
names and initials of all authors, year of publication, title of paper (in
quotes) or book (underlined, name of periodical (underlined), volume
number, issue number (in parentheses), publisher, city and state or
nation of publication, and inclusive page numbers
All figures must be produced using a computer graphics package and
have figure number and title
Gender-specific words should be avoided. Words like author, researcher,
and engineer, for example, should be used instead of he or she
The paper should be written in the third person
The report must be bound using a Velo or GBC binding system
(Available in the College of Engineering Copy Center)
DISTRIBUTION
One hard and soft copy shall be given to the student’s adviser for evaluation
and grading.
APPLICATION FOR GRADUATION
Students need to comply with all the graduation deadlines required by the
graduate school. Please refer to
http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/deadlines/index.htm for detailed
information.
This article was last updated on November 4, 2015.
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Scholarly Paper Guidelines for Non-Thesis MS Students | University of Maryland Project Management
Project Management Center for Excellence • A. James Clark School of Engineering •
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