The Alternate Plan Paper is oriented toward the use of secondary research. In a typical Alternate Plan Paper, related literature examining the breadth and length of the problem is critically reviewed and evaluated to provide a thorough, extensive, academic orientation to a problem. The selection, discussion and evaluation of the available literature on the topic should provide the background for the student to summarize and draw sound conclusions, to develop alternative recommendations for the solution to the research problem, to suggest strengths and weaknesses of the available data, and to indicate directions for future research.
Research for the Alternate Plan paper may be less extensive than research required to complete a thesis. However, the research should be significantly greater in quality and quantity than that for the standard graduate term paper. Individual graduate programs may have more specific requirements for an alternate plan paper.
An extended internship that has been specifically approved by the academic unit involved and the Graduate Dean may also be accepted for the APP requirement. In such cases, a thorough analytical account of the literature and of the internship experience evaluating the academic and practical impact of that experience on the individual shall constitute the Alternate Plan Paper.
The length of the Alternate Plan paper will obviously vary according to topic and the availability of previous research in the area. If the Alternate Plan Paper assignment is not text/paper based, the project materials should be accompanied by written process evaluation and outcome analysis. An Alternate Plan Paper does not require that a proposal be endorsed by the Graduate Dean. However, students need approval from their advisor and, if required, an examining committee for all APP projects. If the research involves human subjects, the student must obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Students successfully completing an Alternate Plan Paper following this plan will have an endorsement/ acceptance page signed by the appropriate evaluator(s). In some cases, the Alternate Plan Paper is completed in conjunction with a regularly scheduled course, internship, or practicum, as an integral requirement of the course. More than one paper may be required by the academic unit to complete the Alternate Plan Paper requirement.
It is the responsibility of the individual professor who supervises the writing, the student's major adviser, and the examining committee to require work of acceptable quality and sufficient scope. Students should work closely with their advisor at all stages of the development of the Alternate Plan Paper. Please see the sections of this document concerning research involving human participants and formatting/style for additional information about the Alternate Plan Paper.
