Capstone Project

Students in the MSCR program are required to complete a capstone project that applies the principles and methods learned in the coursework to a real-life clinical study. The goal of the capstone project is to demonstrate the student’s understanding of the clinical research process from both a theoretical and a practical point of view. The capstone project is not a literature review.

Students conduct their research in a wide variety of settings, including academic medical centers and local drug or device companies. Students generally identify their research mentor and develop their capstone proposal while they are completing their course work or practicum. The capstone research must involve the analysis and interpretation of data. Students are encouraged but are not required to conduct primary data collection. The capstone proposal, research mentors and readers must be approved by the MSCR Program Director and Assistant Director prior to starting the capstone project.

For more information please see:

IMPORTANT DATES:

Capstone Proposal – Due 2 MONTHS PRIOR to the Capstone Due Date:

Graduation Date Proposal Due Date Near Final Capstone to Readers Complete Capstone Due Date
January 2025 10/4/2024 11/20/2024 12/4/2024
May 2025 2/3/2025 3/19/25 4/2/25
August 2025 5/12/2025 7/18/2025 8/1/2025

 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • Each section of the Capstone Paper should be submitted upon conclusion so that the paper is developed with the Readers input throughout the process
  • You must allow your readers sufficient time to review and make comments to your paper.
  • Your approved, near final paper must be completed  2 weeks prior to the due date.
  • Near Final Paper includes all the section of your Capstone project including: BACKGROUND, METHODS, RESULTS & DISCUSSION

The FIRST STEP in the capstone project process is developing and presenting the MSCR-Capstone-Proposal to the MSCR Director and Assistant Director for approval prior to embarking on the project. The proposal is usually 1-2 pages and describes the nature of the research, with a clear statement of the research question or hypothesis.

The proposal should include:

  • A clear description of the specific primary outcome measure that will be used to answer the study question
  • A brief description of the planned statistical analysis
  • A description of your role in the research- at a minimum, your role should include formulating and conducting the analysis, and interpreting and writing up the results
  • A proposed timeline for completion

Capstone Readers

Each MSCR student must select at least two readers for their capstone project including the research mentor and a GMS Faculty member.

Capstone Forms

After you meet with the Director, the Assistant Director and have identified your readers, the next steps are to complete the GMS Capstone Form  and the MSCR Capstone Form.

IRB Review

The IRB must pre-review any activities that meet the definition of research involving human subjects or the definition of clinical investigation if these activities will be conducted by anyone acting as an employee or agent of Boston Medical Center or Boston University Medical Campus. The IRB must also pre-review any activities involving the use of protected health information (PHI) by anyone acting as an employee or agent of Boston Medical Center or Boston University Medical Campus, even if the use does not constitute BMC or BU engagement in human subjects research. For more information.

Required Plagiarism Check Prior to Thesis/Dissertation Submission

All capstone, thesis and dissertation documents must be scanned using Turnitin plagiarism detection software prior to final submission to your Program/ Department and the Registrar.

  • Turnitin similarity report must be approved by your mentor, advisor, first reader (BU faculty) or external committee member(s) depending on the GMS program.
  • Turnitin similarity report must be submitted to your program director prior to thesis/dissertation submission to the registrar
  • This is the student’s responsibility.

Turnitin Directions:  Turnitin compares your work with existing online publications and allows you to confidentially check your written work for potential plagiarism.  With a close inspection of the Turnitin results, you may also identify incorrect quotations and missing citations. All students have access to the online tool throughout their time in GMS.   Directions and tips for usage can be found here.

Google Doc Turnitin Draft Coach:  If you use Google Doc for writing your paper, you also have the option to use Google Doc Turnitin Draft Coach for checking the initial drafts of your work. However, note that as a requirement for submitting your thesis or dissertation, you should generate and download the Turnitin similarity report through this GMS Plagiarism Check Blackboard course.

Oral Presentation

NOTE: Students are required to attend at least two Capstone presentations in order to graduate

Once the near final draft is approved by the readers, the student will give a 20 minute oral presentation on the capstone project to the readers, research mentor, MSCR students and faculty members, and any other interested parties. The purpose of the oral presentation is to demonstrate the student’s ability (1) to describe clearly the research question, methods, and results, (2) to demonstrate his/her understanding of study design and analytic principles and methods, and (3) to place his/her research into a clinical context. The presentation is followed by a brief question and answer period. Oral presentations will take place 1-2 weeks after the Capstone due date.

Capstone Submission for Graduation

The FINAL STEP in the Capstone process is to submit to the Assistance Director a final approved, SIGNED copy of the abstract adhering to the GMS formatting guidelines.  The abstract will then be submitted to the GMS Registrar, along with the requisite graduation paperwork, as confirmation of the successful completion of the Capstone Project. **Please note, you will submit your signed abstract ONLY AFTER your Readers have agreed that your Capstone paper is in its near final form.