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Overview

The Final Project demonstrates the graduate student’s ability to carry out independent investigation and present the results in clear and systematic format. The following is a guide for the preparation, submission, and acceptance of your Master’s final project to the School of Professional Studies. It should be noted that the final responsibility for the project is the student’s and the College does reserve the right to refuse any manuscript that does not follow the proper writing , style or formatting guidelines.

This guide discusses the entire contents of the Final Project: defining its purpose and indicating the level of detail, sophistication, and style of report writing needed for this academic document.

A research project is considered sound if:

• The report is well organized flowing logically and smoothly, contains appropriate headings and subheadings, and has a professional look.
• The literature review is current and relevant.
• It includes analysis, recommendations and conclusions that contain original opinions based on the research.
• It explains how the learning can be applied to business and it contributes to the body of knowledge in the field.
• The project clearly defines its limitations and scope for further research.

• A poor final project lacks specific recommendations, containing only observations that that are broad or general with no specific guidance as to how to implement it. A strong final project clearly presents its original problem, research approach, findings, analysis, interpretations, conclusions and clear recommendations.

The paper should use proper citation, and emulate the style of the literature you review. The use of colloquialisms and slang is unacceptable. In addition, there is no use of the first person. The composer of the document should refer to him/herself as “the author.”

Content and Quality

It is important to consider the following expectations around the level, scope and quality of work for a graduate-level final project.

This project should demonstrate a high level of critical thinking that is the crowning achievement of the master’s program. This is NOT simply a longer version of an undergraduate term paper or final class paper. A graduate-level final project should meet several minimum requirements.

1. It should clearly demonstrate the student’s ability to think deeply and critically about the topic in question. It is expected that one will evaluate the quality of the information gathered and draw one’s own independent conclusions based on research. There should be significant evidence of original thought.
2. The document should be built around what is traditionally called a “problem statement”-something that goes beyond broad generalities. The statement should take a specific stance on an issue that the paper then sets out to confirm or refute. Addressing controversial topics or new ideas is strongly encouraged. It should be well-defined and clear what the writer’s goal, position, conclusions and recommendations are.
3. At the graduate level, a quality paper should advance the state of knowledge in the discipline and provide value to practitioners in the field. For example, as a result of reading this paper, how can I become a more effective leader and increase the value of Finance, Marketing, HR, etc. to my business?

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using other people’s words and ideas without acknowledging the source, and it isregarded as an extremely serious violation of academic standards.

When you state facts, numbers, data or anybody else’s research, writing or opinion, you must note the source with citation. Remember that anything not correctly sourced, citing the original author, is assumed to be your own work. If it turns out that it is not, then you will be guilty of plagiarism. The burden of proof of originality lies with you, the author.

Make sure your references are in APA format. The author(s) and source(s) of any work that is not your own are clearly identified and cited.

Plagiarism is a serious offense that could result in a student failing the course, and even being expelled from the program. You are responsible for reading, understanding, and fully complying with the Manhattanville College School of Professional Studies on Plagiarism available in the Student Reference Guide.

General Requirements

1. All final projects should adequately cover the intended subject matter and demonstrate the capacity to perform graduate level research. The final version must be well organized and clearly and logically written.
2. The ability to write in graduate level English in a formal research style is a requirement for your research project. Check spelling, grammar and punctuation carefully. Use the spell check and grammar functions on your computer, but do not rely on them exclusively. If there are obvious spelling errors or grammatical errors, the readers will suspect that you did not invest much time in quality control, and they will not waste time in carefully reading your paper. This type of paper usually gets an immediate rejection from the evaluators.
3. The body (Chapters 1-5) of the Final Project must be a minimum of 24 pages.
4. Spacing is double or 1.5.
5. Font is 12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial.
6. Paper is US Letter (8.5″ x 11″).
7. The margins at the binding edges left side should be 1.5″ (40mm) and other margins 1.0” (20mm).
8. Pages should be numbered on the bottom right throughout the final project, starting with the Table of Contents. The Title Page is not numbered.
9. APA format