HOW TO WRITE A CAPSTONE PROJECT: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
WHAT IS A CAPSTONE PROJECT?
A capstone project is a unique type of assignment, assigned at the high school, college and university levels, which is meant to bring all that you have learned during your studies into one final essay or research project. What is unique about a capstone project is that it requires you to draw on all of the subjects and disciplines that you have studied during your time in a program. Unlike a thesis or a research project, a capstone project is typically multidisciplinary in nature. When you are writing a capstone project, you must thus ensure that you are taking into account all of the areas that you have studied. In writing your capstone project, you must include all or almost all of these approaches to have your capstone project approved.
The multidisciplinary nature of a capstone project is something that you have to take into account when writing your capstone. While writing most of your capstone will focus on your major, given that you are likely to write your capstone project on a topic related to your major, it is important to remember that you must include the other disciplines you have studied. When you are conducting your literature review to build the thesis of your capstone project, you should look at sources from disciplines that you have studied that are outside of your major. If you keep these sources for later, you will find it easier to write your capstone as you will be able to integrate these multidisciplinary elements more easily.
When you are writing a capstone project, you will typically be assigned either a capstone project supervisor or will enroll in a capstone class where other students working on their capstone will also be under the supervision of one professor. You have a significant degree of choice regarding the exact topic that you will pick for your capstone. Typically, your capstone supervisor or class will be associated with your major, and you are likely to be recommended to choose an approach or subject that is related to your major. What separates a capstone project from a traditional research paper or a thesis is that it is multidisciplinary and based on the courses that you have taken.
Choosing a capstone project topic in collaboration with an unemployed professor can ensure that you are writing on a subject that fits with your program and the expectations of your supervisor. This said, remember that you will have to discuss your capstone project with your supervisor and be able to understand what your capstone project is proposing and how it is validating these proposals. Unlike a mere research paper, you must always be able to understand your capstone project and be able to explain it to your professor. Otherwise, you could be accused of committing plagiarism when writing your capstone project.
