The Social/Behavioral Science Qualifying Paper

The qualifying paper is 20–30 pages in length (double spaced, standard margins, excluding bibliography), and must conform in form and standard to literature reviews in major disciplinary journals. Completed by the spring semester of the third year (and within one year of completing all course work), the qualifying paper serves as a final lead-in to the dissertation process.

Two possible approaches for the qualifying paper include:

1. Take a social work or social welfare issue as a point of departure and focus on how a social/behavioral science theory offers explanation or insight. Examples include: causes of adolescent childbearing, the debate on measuring poverty, the ability of economies to afford social expenditures, the etiology of a specific type of substance abuse, and problems of leadership in various organizational structures.
    
2. Investigate a social/behavioral science theory or framework, its research trends and knowledge gaps, and implications for social work practice or social policy. Examples include: a specific topic in organizational theory, key concepts in comparative theories of personality, learning, or human development, or a particular development in historical research or political science.

Basic Guidelines for the Qualifying Paper
While there are no absolute requirements (topics and fields call for different strategies), the Doctoral Program offers the following guidelines:

1. A range of theories
   Regardless of the specific social science topic selected, the paper should include a review of the range of theories that address the relationships among constructs relevant to the phenomena in question. Exhaustive investigation of all theories on the topic is not expected, but the paper should evidence familiarity with commonly known and prevailing theories. The student can expand or critique a given theory but the paper should go beyond a simple description of a single theoretical approach. Comparative analysis of the merits and limitations of the major theories examined, rather than a mere inventory of theories, is also expected.
    
2. Dominant issues
   The paper should review the main issues in the social science literature on the selected topic. To ensure optimal coverage, the paper should be interdisciplinary in scope. For instance, a topic such as the “psychology of child abuse” might include sociological, economic, and anthropological perspectives on the issue.
    
3. Research
   The paper should demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of the empirical research base that underlies and contributes to the leading theories reviewed.
    
4. Application to social welfare
   The paper should either identify influences that theories might have on existing policy and/or practice or draw on these theories to develop recommendations for policy and/or practice.

Qualifying Paper Readers
Students must enlist two faculty readers to evaluate the qualifying paper; one must be a CUSSW faculty member, while the other must be social scientist. The latter is usually a faculty member with whom the student has taken a social or behavioral science course. Students should meet with their readers several times prior to completing the qualifying paper, and should consult with the readers whenever necessary. Readers must critique and approve early outlines of the paper, any subsequent drafts, as well as the final draft.

Problems that arise because of sabbaticals, retirement, unavailability etc. (if such events occur during the qualifying paper process) should be brought to the Doctoral Chair for resolution. The student may want to consult with their faculty advisor in order to choose appropriate readers.

Evaluation of the Qualifying Paper
Each faculty reader evaluates the completed qualifying paper as “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” If unsatisfactory, a student may make necessary revisions and resubmit the paper. The qualifying paper evaluation form must be signed by both faculty readers and submitted to the Doctoral Office in order for the student to receive credit for the qualifying paper requirement.