Guidelines for Research Mentoring

It is anticipated that students will begin the Research Mentoring sequence in their final 2 semesters of coursework so that Research Mentoring B is completed in conjunction with their final semester of coursework. In the first semester of the Research Mentoring sequence (i.e., SED 696-A Research Mentoring), you will work with your Research Mentoring Supervisor to write a comprehensive synthesis of the research literature on a designated topic. It is expected that this topic will form the basis of your dissertation research and that the resulting comprehensive synthesis will be useful to you when you are writing Chapters 1 and 2 of the Dissertation. The purpose of this activity is to develop your skills in reviewing and synthesizing a body of literature. 

During the semester that you are enrolled for Research Mentoring A (SED 696-A), you are required to submit an abstract of your chosen topic, which summarizes the work to be accomplished. Please see the Timelines for Research Mentoring A and B below for dates the Research Synthesis (original and three copies) will be due. When submitted, your Research Mentoring Supervisor and two faculty members will evaluate your synthesis. These three individuals constitute your Research Mentoring Committee. Members will be assigned to your Research Mentoring Committee by the Graduate Adviser in consultation with faculty in the Department of Special Education. They will provide a detailed written report and make a recommendation to the Research Mentoring Supervisor.

Roles and Responsibilities for Research Mentoring A and B

RM A

Students:

• sign up for the course
• submit abstract to supervisor for approval: Fall- September 15th, Spring-February 15th, summer-June 15th.
• submit electronic abstract with supervisor’s signature by due date to GC: Fall-October 1^st and Spring-March 1^st and Summer-July 1st
• submit draft of paper with Intro, Method, and Results sections to supervisor for feedback by due date designated by supervisor 

Supervisors:

• Work with students on the RM A paper during the semester 

Graduate Adviser (GA) and/or Graduate Coordinator (GC):

• circulates electronic abstracts to GSC (GC): Fall-October 5^st, Spring-March 5^th, Summer, July 5th
• forms committees: Fall-October 31^st, Spring-March 31^st, Summer-July 31^st (GA & GC)
• notifies supervisor and committee members in faculty meeting for RM B committee (GA): For Fall-November, Spring-April and Summer-August (notification by email)
• notifies students electronically (GC): Fall-November and Spring-April and Summer August 

RM Committee:

• indicates interest electronically to GC in serving on RM committees by due date: Fall-November, Spring-April, Summer-August 

Executive Assistant (EA):

• receives electronic information from GC about who signed up for RM A: Fall-October 31^st and Spring-March 31^st and Summer-August
• requests grade from supervisors for RM A: when grades are due

RM B

Students:

• sign up for the course
• submit RM B draft of the synthesis to supervisor: Fall-September 15^th and Spring-February 15^th and Summer-June 15th (if the committee is available)
  (Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion sections)
• submit electronic copy of RM B draft paper to committee members with supervisor’s approval: Fall-September 30th and Spring-March 1st and Summer-June 30th
• work with supervisor to make changes based on committee’s feedback
• submit electronic copy of RM B revised paper to committee members with supervisor’s approval: Fall-October 30th and Spring-April 1st and Summer-July 30th
• schedule oral examination with committee and presentation room with EA: Fall-October 30th and Spring-April 1st and Summer-July 15th 

RM Committees:

• provide electronic feedback about the RM B draft paper to supervisor (preferably no more than 2 weeks upon receipt of RM B draft paper)
• read the RM B revised draft in preparation for the oral examination
• complete the Checklist for the Literature Synthesis [revised paper] + the Individual Committee Member Recommendation form and give them to the faculty supervisor at the oral examination meeting 

Supervisors:

• work with students to make changes to RM B draft paper based on the committee’s written feedback in a timely manner
• approve students sending revised paper of RM B paper to committee for oral examination
• give oral examination forms (Checklists for the Literature Synthesis, Individual Committee Member Recommendation forms + Summary of the Committee Recommendations) to the GC following the oral examination meeting [by no later than the last GSC meeting of the semester] 

GA and/or GC:

• sends electronically the RM B Checklist for the Literature Synthesis for revised paper and Individual Committee Member Recommendation form to RM committee + Summary of the CommitteeRecommendations for the oral examination to the committee (GC): Fall-October 30th and Spring-April 1st and Summer-July 30th
• presents the results of the RM B Oral Examination at the final GSC meeting of the semester (GA)
• files final disposition (committee’s decision paperwork) in student’s folder (GC) 

EA:

• receives electronic information from GC about who signed up for RM A: Fall-October 31^st and Spring-March 31^st and Summer-July 31st
• requests grade from supervisors for RM A: when grades are due 

It is expected that most of the submitted research syntheses will require some degree of revision and that this process will be undertaken and completed in the second semester of the Research Mentoring sequence (SED 696-B Research Mentoring). When the written synthesis has been approved, the Research Mentoring Supervisor will schedule an oral qualifying examination with the committee. During the exam, the student will present the research synthesis (20 minutes) and respond to questions from the committee (40 minutes). The purpose of the activities associated with SED 696-B Research Mentoring B is to provide experience in responding to reviewers’ comments and in delivering oral (conference-type) presentations. 

IMPORTANT: Summer enrollment for Research Mentoring is contingent upon faculty availability. You are encouraged to consult with your Research Mentoring Supervisor to determine if summer enrollment is advisable, depending on his/her availability and the likelihood that faculty members will be available to serve on the Research Mentoring committee 

Guidelines for Writing the Synthesis 

1. The length of the synthesis is not prescribed, but typically these reviews will be 40-60 pages in length, excluding references, tables, and figures.
2. Organization and style should follow the format of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020, 8th ed.) including font, font size, and margins.
3. Your synthesis should be presented in a form suitable for possible submission to a peer-reviewed journal in special education, or related discipline.
4. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have taken the necessary background coursework to be able to produce an acceptable synthesis of the literature and pass the associated oral examination. For example, if you are undertaking a review of qualitative studies, then is it imperative that you have taken coursework on qualitative methodology. If, in contrast, you are undertaking a meta-analytic review of the literature then it would seem logical and necessary for you to have taken coursework or completed an independent study course to gain competence in meta-analytic techniques.
5. Your supervisor provides guidance on the intellectual arguments and may offer advice on how to undertake and write a “good” synthesis.
6. A good synthesis should aim to meet the criteria proposed by Schlosser (2003, p. 230).
   1. The topic has to be carefully defined and delimited, so that the inclusion and exclusion of studies can be replicated.
   2. Previous reviews or syntheses need to be described and distinguished from the current synthesis.
   3. The procedures for searching the literature to identify studies and for including them in the synthesis must be operationally defined and described in replicable terms.
   4. The degree to which the studies share the same dependent and independent variables must be reported.
   5. The criteria used to arrive at judgments of effectiveness should be stated so that the reader can replicate the analysis and arrive at the same conclusion.
   6. The co-variation of study outcomes with study characteristics must be examined.
   7. The conclusions of the synthesis need to be supported by the data from the studies reviewed.
   8. Your synthesis should end with directions for future research and specific research questions that remain to be addressed. It is anticipated the student in his or her dissertation research would then pursue one or more of these research questions.

References

American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (8^th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Schlosser, R. W. (2003). Synthesizing efficacy research in AAC. In R. W. Schlosser (Ed.), The efficacy of augmentative and alternative communication (pp. 229-257). New York: Academic Press.