programming assignment
writing versus summary report writing.
• Use only scholarly peer reviewed research (studies)—see the Tips for Success document that describes how to ensure that you are using peer reviewed sources. Do not risk your Comprehensive Examination by using professional journals that may have slipped through a database—it is the Student’s responsibility to ensure that ALL sources are peer reviewed.
• Follow APA formatting. References that state something like Retrieved from EbscoHost are not following APA and will negatively impact your grade. See section 7.01 in your APA Manual. Look at the Grading Rubric and how incorrect APA may impact your Comprehensive Examination score.
• Review the minimum and maximum page requirement (excluding the title pages and references, 10 pages. No more and no less). Poor APA formatting with extra white space (extra paragraph spacing, widow/orphan control default on), margins larger than one-inch or font other than Times New Roman 12pt may result in a paper not meeting the Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements.

Pay particular attention to the deadlines in the directions under your Course Activity – Written Examination Format.
• That the minimum Comprehensive Examination requirements were met.
• That the papers clearly address the questions.
• That the papers exhibit a theoretically sound and conceptually rich essay that demonstrates knowledge of the fundamental subject areas identified in the four exam questions.
• Critical analysis and synthesis of scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources (studies) to frame your arguments.
• Use of scholarly (peer-reviewed) sources to support any assertions.
• Clear divisions between your writing voice and the literary sources.
• Proper English grammar and punctuation.
• Clean formatting and following the style detailed in the APA Publication Manual 6th Edition.
Academic Integrity Policy:
• Northcentral University requires that Mentors submit all Comprehensive Exams to Turn-it-In as well as conducting a critical review to ensure academic integrity. Students with questions about the academic integrity should review the Northcentral University Academic Integrity Policy and the Tips for Success document section on Doctoral Level Writing.

• It is vital at this level of the program that Students demonstrate high levels of academic integrity—the Tips for Success section on Doctoral Level Writing can help avoid potential challenges.

Purpose of the Comprehensive Examination:

• The Comprehensive Exam questions are a comprehensive assessment of a Student’s knowledge and skills related to your specific discipline and shows that the Student is ready to move forward to the dissertation phase of their learning. In your activity outcomes, Northcentral University identifies the purpose of the Comprehensive Examination:
o Compose a theoretically sound and conceptually rich essay that demonstrates knowledge of the fundamental subject areas of the Student’s academic discipline and specialization.
o Critique existing research and design a methodologically sound approach to research in the Student’s academic specialization(s).
o Apply relevant theory and research from the Student’s specialization coursework to real life situations to solve specific problems and discuss implications.
o Integrate knowledge of ethical practices with principles of professional practice as they apply to specific scenarios within the Student’s academic discipline and specialization.
Examination Submission Details: requires that you write 4-separate papers and submit them in one document in the following format:

• Paper 1 APA title page
• Paper 1 title page with Question 1
• Paper 1 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
• Paper 1 reference list.

• Paper 2 APA title page
• Paper 2 title page with Question 2
• Paper 2 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
• Paper 2 reference list.

• Paper 3 APA title page
• Paper 3 title page with Question 3
• Paper 3 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
• Paper 3 reference list.

• Paper 4 APA title page
• Paper 4 title page with Question 4
• Paper 4 (I suggest the typical scholarly paper format: Introduction, Literature Review, Discussion, Recommendations, and Conclusion)
• Paper 4 reference list.

• The coversheet should not be numbered and starting with the first title page as page 1, you may number all the pages in sequence or you may start with page 1 for the introduction on each paper. You do not need an abstract and should pay particular attention to the requirements.

• One final note: There are several requirements for the Comprehensive Examination in the syllabus (and your Activity Page) that are mandatory such as page length, peer reviewed sources, formatting, etc. I strongly suggest that you create a check list for all the requirements and the grading rubric so that you ensure that you are meeting the requirements of the exam. It is all too easy to get started on writing the papers and miss university requirements that must be met for a passing grade.
Additional errors to avoid:

• As you read the Tips for Success document answer the following self-check questions:

o What method can you use to ensure that you are using scholarly peer reviewed studies?

o What are the differences between summary report writing and doctoral level writing?

o What are Students/writers asking the reader when citing a study’s findings without providing a succinct snapshot of the study’s theoretical framework?

o Are you using data-bases or electronic citation tools only to test the hypothesis garbage-in-garbage-out? Ask yourself if you know your APA well enough to identify when there are errors in the formatting or would you rather use the APA Manual section 7.01 to verify that you are correct?

o What does the APA Manual require in a reference when there is not a doi number available?

Comprehensive Examination Grading Rubric (for each individual paper)
Grading Area Outstanding Acceptable Needs Improvement Score
Focus & Topic Development

(7.5 points) 7.5 points

The Student’s response includes a thorough discussion of the topic.

The Student displays a deep understanding of the theory and content for the topic.

Responses remain focused on the basic theme or topic. 6 points

The Student’s response addresses the topic and includes theoretical and conceptual content.

Additional detail is needed to sufficiently address the topic.

Some tangential information may be included. 0-5 points

The response lacks focus and detail in terms of theoretical and conceptual principles that are essential to this topic.

Responses may be largely tangential and lack focus on the assigned topic. See the Tips for Success on Doctoral Level Writing in the Course Resources
Analysis & Critical Thinking

(5 points) 5 points

The response exhibits analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of the literature covered.

The Student establishes and supports a position on the topic and presents her/his own point of view in the response. 4 points

The response includes some analytic, integrative, and evaluative writing but would be strengthened by more extensive critical thinking and support for the Student’s position on the topic. 0-3 points

The response shows insufficient evidence of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of content that is presented in support of the Student’s position for this topic. See the Tips for Success on Graduate Writing in the Course Resources
Organization, Coherence, Logic, & Flow

(2.5 points) 2.5 points

The response is clear.

It articulates a cohesive discussion of theory and related practice.

It is organized using a logical progression that is easily followed from beginning to end by the reader. 2 points

The response is clearly structured, for the most part, and presented following a logical progression of ideas but some sections are unclear or difficult to follow. 0-1 points

The response lacks clarity and is difficult to follow. See the Writing Scholarly Papers template in the Course Resources
Writing Style

(2.5 points) 2.5 points

The Student uses an appropriate professional tone and vocabulary for the audience. 2 points

The Student uses a professional writing style but may be somewhat informal in tone at times. 0-1 points

The Student uses unprofessional, casual, or inappropriate tone or vocabulary. Follow English writing style conventions and visit the Writing Center as needed
APA Formatting

(2.5 points) 2.5 points

The response is properly formatted throughout in APA writing style. 2 points

Any APA formatting errors are minimal and uncommon. 0-1 points

The response includes numerous APA formatting errors. Use your APA Manual. Do not rely on database references
Word Choice & Sentence Structure

(2.5 points) 2.5 points

The Student used supporting phrases and proper word choice and sentence structure. 2 points

The response is well written but includes some errors in wording and sentence structure. 0-1 points

The response lacks supporting phrases, is poorly worded, and uses poor sentence structure. Follow English writing style conventions and visit the Writing Center as needed
Grammar, Usage, & Punctuation

(2.5 points) 2.5 points

There are minimal, if any grammatical, usage, or punctuation errors. 2 points

There are some grammatical, usage, and punctuation errors. 0-1 points

There are numerous grammatical, usage, or punctuation errors. Follow English writing style conventions and visit the Writing Center as needed
Score (25 points possible—requires 20 points for a passing score)