The practicum generally results in a long research paper. This requirement enables students to conduct independent research on a limited scale at the level of quality expected for a thesis, although the resulting paper is much shorter in length. The research should be comparable to that which results in a publishable article.

Based on a consultation with the student's supervisor, the practicum may take one of several forms, including but not limited to: a self-contained paper or empirical study of publishable quality that may or may not be a component of thesis work; the development of a theoretical model upon which the thesis is to be based; a proposal for pilot research in the student's thesis area that includes a focused literature review, research design, and protocol.