Definition of Professional Paper:

1. A Professional Paper is based on work conducted solely by the student author. Examples include, but are not limited to:

a. Academic, professional, or trade journal articles,
b. Case studies,
c. Policy analyses, policy proposals, project management reviews, and program evaluations,
d. Pre-procurement or pre-implementation analyses of new technologies or best practices,
e. Grant proposals, and
f. Responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs).

2. The length, style, and format of the final draft of any Professional Paper are defined largely by the nature of the audience and the standards employed in that particular segment of the profession. Audiences and venues for publication and dissemination of final drafts may include but are not limited to:

a. The readership of academic, professional, or trade journals, including online journals;
b. Conferences conducted and organized by professional associations such as ACA or EB-ACA, ASCA, AMHCA, APA;
c. Political institutions (Congress, state legislatures, regulatory boards, city councils, school boards, state mental health boards, etc.);
d. Management teams (government and non-profit agency directors, boards of directors, CEOs and CIOs, schools principals, etc.), and
e. Funding organizations (National Science Foundation, National Institutes for Health, National Institute for Mental Health, Rand Institute, Hoover Institute,
etc.).

3. The counseling Professional Paper, written for UMUC Europe graduate programs, regardless of audience, length, style, or format, uses the APA citation style and reference style.

1. Identify a relevant question or topic and develop a strategy to study it.
2. Identify the audience most interested in the question.
3. Identify literature and other sources of expert information on the question.
4. Present the question or topic, the study design, the target audience, and a broad outline of the final paper (called the proposal) to peers and course Instructor.
5. Obtain permission from UMUC Europe officials to use human subjects, if the study warrants.
6. Obtain written permission from the management of the organization(s) involved with the study. Examples include, but are not limited to, military units, government
contractors, DoDEA schools, and restricted websites.
7. Evaluate feedback received and making changes to the proposal as appropriate.
8. Execute the study.
9. Write the Professional Paper that clearly and accurately reports the findings in a format that meets the needs of the audience.
10. Present a draft of the Professional Paper to peers and course Instructor.
11. Evaluate feedback received and make changes to the final draft as appropriate.
12. Submit the final draft to the target audience.

1. Initiate and complete each of the critical tasks in a timely manner.
2. Be the sole executor of the study and author of the Professional Paper.
3. Cite all sources of expert information according to the APA style guide.
4. Present and defend the proposal, progress reports, working drafts, and the final draft in a timely manner.
5. Engage in discussions with the classroom instructor and graduate student peers in a professional manner.
6. Evaluate feedback received and make appropriate changes to the proposal, the study, the literature review, the report of findings, the discussion and the recommendations.
7. Evaluate feedback received and make appropriate changes to the length, style, and format of the Professional Paper.
8. Provide Graduate Programs with an electronic copy of the final draft of the Professional Paper.

• the purpose of the study, questions, and preliminary ideas or thesis;
• the boundaries of the area of study;
• an outline of the sub-topics;
• the methodology used, i.e. literature or field research;
• a preliminary reading list.