Common mistakes made when writing a capstone research project
- Rushing the capstone research project
Trying to squeeze everything into a short period of time and sacrificing the quality of the paper.
- Being repetitive
Don’t rephrase or paraphrase sentences unnecessarily to add fluff to the piece or increase the word count. This will result in a low quality paper.
- Plagiarizing work
Do not copy and paste but rather paraphrase accordingly and make sure to give the appropriate references.
- Staying focused
The capstone research project is extensive and time-consuming so it is easy to get bored with mundane tasks and get distracted. Try not to lose focus as this may result in costly delays. Additionally, sometimes students include so much information that they lose the main points/ focus of the topic. Try to avoid this to avoid delays.
- Not being organized
Not gathering and recording your data in an organized manner may cause delays. Try to avoid this.
- Insufficient analysis
It is not enough to simply state information from your sources but you must also critically analyze and elaborate on each point.
Remember that your capstone research project will be kept by the university for future candidates to review so make sure you put forward your best and most analytical work. Make sure you answer your question thoroughly by reading, summarizing and analyzing your sources properly.
Framework and guidelines for writing a capstone project
Your capstone project framework must fulfil the following characteristics:
- Originality
Read widely and analyze the materials to gain a deep understanding of your capstone topic. Make sure you determine and articulate your own viewpoint on the topic and make your conclusions. Make sure it expresses your creativity and originality.
- Independence
While you will have a mentor or instructor, the capstone project is an individual assignment and should be carried out by you alone.
- Appropriate scope
As the capstone project can be equated to a six-credit course, it is important that you plan to spend the requisite amount of time and energy on completing it. Keep it within a limited, focused and realistic scope, as it must be completed within one semester.
- Orderly and objective process of inquiry
The Capstone project tests your ability to operate within the methods of inquiry. As such, you will have to demonstrate how well you ask appropriate questions, create ideas, identify sources of information, adequately use information, make conclusions, support these conclusions and solve problems using the requisite tools.
- Intellectual stretch
The Capstone Project should make you extend yourself and your intellectual capability, allowing you to learn, grow and expand your knowledge to greater levels.
