This page is intended for PA Online Program students working on their Capstone projects, providing complementary content to the Capstone Handbook. You'll find resources on forming your PICO and research question, determining the viability of your selected topic, searching the literature, and more. The Capstone Handbook and your adviser are the authoritative sources on Capstone policy and procedure, but hopefully this page is helpful in working on your project.

There are three sections to this guide: 

• Brainstorming and refining capstone topics
• Writing the research question and searching the literature
• Helpful tools, links, and Yale services

As your program librarian, I can help you: 

• Determine if your topic is viable
• Fine tune a search strategy you've written
• Troubleshoot database issues 
• Access articles using library subscriptions
• Document your searches to write your search methods section
• Get set up with a citation manager like EndNote or Zotero
• Find reference texts like the AMA Style Guide 
• Connect with other Yale services like the Poorvu Center

As your program librarian, I can't approve your capstone topic, do your searches for you, determine levels of evidence for you, proofread your paper, or ensure that your citations are properly formatted.