Research Proposal
Research Proposal
Instructions
The final research proposal will be a culmination of the weekly assignments into a final research proposal. The proposal is to be written in APA format using the provided templates. The final project proposal is to be submitted as a Word document through the eCourseware Dropbox by the deadline indicated on the course syllabus.
Requirements
The proposal is 8 to 12 double-spaced pages, not counting the cover page, references, or any appendices. The goal is quality of work, not quantity. However, be sure that all sections are detailed and provide enough description to make the study clear to a reader or reviewer with no background knowledge of the study or topic.
Introduction: Address the following related to your topic: • Problem leading to the need for your study (problem statement) • Purpose of study • Philosophical and theoretical perspective(s) with citations • Clearly stated research question(s)
Lit Review: Provide a background and cover each: • Literature related to your general topic • Literature related to each component of your specific study • You may also wish to include a paragraph about how the individual components fit
together (for instance in quantitative, you may want to describe the IV, describe the DV, and then cover evidence suggesting they are related).
Methods: Address the following. Keep in mind I have separated the methodology section from methods for qualitative.
• For quant, the design being used (survey vs experimental) and any relevant details • For qual, the methodology/approach being used (case study, ethnography, phenomenology, etc.)
• The location of research • The participants, including important characteristics, inclusion/exclusion criteria, recruitment and sampling strategies, and the expected number of participants • Data collection procedures
o For quant, describe how you will gather data, including when, where, and for how long (the detailed timeline will come later). Summarize the variables included in your study and then describe each individually, pertaining to how they will be measured (likely using an existing questionnaire)
o For qual, describe how you will gather data, including when, where, and for how long (the detailed timeline will come later). Describe each type of data collection and the specific data sources that will be used.
o For qual, include how data will be recorded for analysis, particularly observational and interview data.
Data Analyses: Provide a description of how you will analyze the data you will collect • For quant, what tools will you use for analysis, how will you prepare the data, and how will you carry out the analyses, in general terms.
• For qual, include a step-by-step breakdown of how you will organize and analyze the data. This might include coding, theme generation, etc. Include how you will go about interpreting the findings, and how you will address qualitative validity of the findings.
Ethical Considerations: Describe necessary ethical considerations, including how you will ensure there are no ethical issues.
Timeline: List out each component of the research process, in order, describing how long you anticipate each part will last.
Budget and Resources: Indicate any necessary resources required for the study and how you will obtain them.
References: Include a reference list in APA format. All citations should be in the references. Likewise, all references should have citations in the body of the paper.
Appendices: Include any self-developed items, such as quantitative items that are not part of the peer-reviewed questionnaires/protocols you described and qualitative items such as interview questions and observational protocols. Published questionnaires and the like are not required for this assignment, since all should be described and cited in the methods section. APA Format
Follow American Psychological Association (APA) format guidelines. The style book is
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: APA. The reference web site is https://www.apastyle.org/. I suggest you review the web site to ensure you are following APA format. Basics include:
• Cover sheet with proper formatting • Double spacing • Proper paragraph indentation • Proper placement of headers and footers • Proper citation within text and reference list • Proper use of tense and grammar