psych final proposal
The Final Research Proposal
November 28th, 2022
University of Houston
The Final Research Proposal What is a Research Proposal
With a research proposal, you are proposing what you want to research; what you want to look at and exactly how you plan to do it
The proposal gives the background for the study, why it is relevant and how it contributes to the field. It also details methods and expected outcomes.
Throughout the semester, we have been writing each piece separately. Now it is time to put everything together
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
Title page
Title of paper centered and in bold print
Your name
Course number and name
Instructor’s name
Assignment due date (December 11, 2022)
Abstract
The abstract begins on a new page, with ‘Abstract’ as the heading, centered and in bold
The abstract is one block of text, it is not indented.
Introduction
Begins on a new page
The heading is the title of your paper – centered and in bold
The introduction includes 3 main things
An introductory paragraph
The literature review
A final paragraph introducing your study design and hypothesis
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
The Introduction
The introduction includes 3 main things
an introductory paragraph
the literature review
A final paragraph introducing your study design and hypothesis
Describe the goals of the present study, and how they flow from or seek to refine or question previous work.
State the variables of interest and how you are operationalizing them.
Describe in detail the predictions that your theory or perspective makes about the results of the current study.
List the formal hypotheses that you have about the expected outcomes.
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
Unique contribution
What is the unique contribution that your study would be adding to the research area in which you are interested?
How will your study be different compared to the others conducted on the same (or similar) topic?
Conceptual definitions of independent/predictor and dependent/criterion variables
Be sure you clearly state what your variables will be and give definitions for each of them (i.e., state how are these variables are being defined in your study because as you know, the definition of the same variable can be different from one study to the next)
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
Hypothesis/hypotheses
What are you predicting in your study or how will the variables be related?
Example --> It is hypothesized that the more sleep a person gets the night before an exam, the better he/she will perform on that exam the next day.
Expected results
State the results that you expect to obtain after conducting the proposed study
Example --> It is expected that participants who get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before an exam will get the highest scores on the test, while participants who get no sleep the night before will score the lowest on the exam.
In this research proposal, you should be explicit about not only your expected results, but also the other possible outcomes of your study
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
In this research proposal, you should be explicit about not only your expected results, but also the other possible outcomes of your study
Reasons why these results are expected
It’s not sufficient that you simply give the expected results, but you should also include a brief explanation as to why you expect those particular results to occur
Try integrating some of the past research you discussed in your literature review to give support to your justification for your expected results
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
How to organize a research proposal
Method Section
Immediately follows the introduction. Wherever the introduction ends, press enter and begin the Method section
Remember the Method heading is centered and in bold
Discussion
Immediately follows the Method section. Wherever the method section ends, press enter and begin the discussion section
Remember the Discussion heading is centered and in bold
References
The references goes on its own separate page
Remember to adhere to APA formatting!
The Final Research Proposal Adhering to APA Format
Running head and page numbers
Under current APA guidelines, the header of the paper is just the title of your paper shortened to 50 characters
Header goes to the far left of the page and the page number goes to the far right of the page
The header and page number should be on every page
Main headings
Main headings are centered and in bold
This includes the Abstract, Introduction, Method, Discussion and References headings
Sub-headings
Sub-headings are aligned to the far left of the paper and are also in bold
An example of sub-headings would be the different headings for the different parts of the Method section (i.e., Participants, Procedure, Measures, etc.)
Reference page
Hanging indents
Article name is in regular normal font
Journal name is in italics
The Final Research Proposal Common Writing Mistakes
Common Writing Mistakes
Scientific writing is straightforward, clear and concise
Stay away from informal language
No fluff words, no overly descriptive words
Do not include your own opinions, beliefs or feelings
Be sure to write in an informal tone
Do not write in first person
No ‘I’, ‘You’, or ‘We’
NO QUOTES!!!!
Try your absolute hardest to not use direct quotes
Paraphrase, paraphrase, paraphrase
In-text citations do not follow APA format or are missing completely
If you do not properly cite your claims, you are plagiarizing!!
Even the introductory paragraph of your introduction needs to have citations!!
The Final Research Proposal Common Writing Mistakes
Common Writing Mistakes
There were a lot of grammar mistakes and issues of tense
Please proof-read or have your paper edited by a peer or the writing center
You are graded on grammar, sentence structure, syntax, etc.
Pay attention to what tense you are using and be consistent throughout the paper
Narrating your paragraphs
I saw and commented on this a lot
Do not tell the reader what you are doing or where you are at. Just do it
Example, “In this first article” or “I will next discuss the second study”
Try to avoid listing articles by their name. Mention them by their author and date.
If you are going to list the articles by their name, you need to make sure you adhere to APA format
Do not assume the reader knows who the authors are or what their study was about.
Don’t say, “Jane found blank blank blank to be true”
Whose jane? Why is she relevant/credible?
Say, “The researcher Jane” or “In a study conducted by Jane…”
If you mention their findings, give at least a little bit of context
The Final Research Proposal Common Writing Mistakes
Common Writing Mistakes
Some of you guys are not writing a Literature Review. You are writing as if it was a book report. Do not just write a summary of each article.
What is the collective literature saying about your topic?
Review the PowerPoints and the lectures covering how to write a literature review
Read the sample papers
Go to the Academic Writing Center
The Final Research Proposal Method Section
Do not explain why you chose a certain population, experimental design, etc. Also, do not explain the limitations of those choices.
Save this for the discussion section!!
Method section simply details the studies methodology
Do not use past tense.
Your study has not been conducted yet. Use future tense
Do not use contractions
don’t, can’t, aren’t, won’t, etc.
If you cite a source, you must have a reference page
The Final Research Proposal Common Writing Mistakes: Method Section
Common Writing Mistakes
APA format!!!! Learn to live and breathe it!!
Headings are bolded and centered
Subheadings are bolded and aligned left of the page
Each measure should have its own paragraphs
Paragraphs need to be indented!!
Not sure why so many of you guys are not indenting your paragraphs
Font size stays the same throughout the paper
Debriefing! Specifically state that participants were debriefed at the conclusion of the study. Do not allude to it.
Mention the specific statistical test(s) that you plan to use to analyze the data
The Final Research Proposal Common Writing Mistakes: Method Section
Materials or Measures
Example: How to detail the specific measures used
Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS; Hong & Page, 1989). The HPRS looks at reactance on four different factors (freedom of choice, conformity reactance, behavioral freedom, and reactance to advice and recommendations). There are 14 items total, with answer choices ranging from one (disagree completely) to five (agree completely). Sample items include “Regulations trigger a sense of resistance in me” and “When someone forces me to do something, I feel like doing the opposite.” Higher scores indicate stronger feelings of reactance
The Final Research Proposal Selecting the Appropriate Statistical Test
Research Studying Two Variables (Bivariate Research)
| Independent Variable | Dependent Variable | Statistical Test |
| Nominal Right-handed; left-handed | Nominal Vegetarian – yes/no | Chi-square |
| Nominal (2 groups) Right-handed; left-handed | Interval/Ratio Grade point average | t test |
| Nominal (3 groups) Study time (low, medium, high) | Interval/Ratio Test score | One-way Analysis of Variance |
| Interval/Ratio Optimism score | Interval/Ratio Sick days last year | Pearson Correlation |
The Final Research Proposal Selecting the Appropriate Statistical Test
Research with Multiple Independent Variables
| Independent Variable | Dependent Variable | Statistical Test |
| Nominal (2 or more variables) | Interval/Ratio | Analysis of Variance (factorial design) |
| Interval/Ratio (2 or more variables) | Interval/Ratio | Multiple Regression |
| Quasi-Experimental Design | Description |
| One-group posttest only design | This design does not have a control group with which to make comparisons Participants are manipulated by the IV and then measured on the DV |
| One-group pretest-posttest design | This design does not have a control group with which to make comparisons Participants are given a pretest, manipulated by the IV and measured on the DV |
| Nonequivalent control group design Often involves matching participants on a particular variable before assigning them to groups | This design does have a separate control group but without random assignment there are selection differences Participants, either in the treatment group or control group, are measured on the DV |
| Nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design Often involves matching participants on a particular variable before assigning them to groups | This design does have a separate control group but again participants are not randomly assigned to groups Participants, either in the treatment group or control group, are measured on the DV before the IV is introduced and again after the DV is introduced |
| Interrupted time series design Can include the addition of a control group to strengthen design | Examining a series of measurements made over an extended time period both before and after the treatment is introduced |
The Final Research Proposal Selecting the Appropriate Statistical Test
| Developmental research design | Description |
| Cross-sectional | Participants of different ages are studied at only one point in time Cohort – a group of people that share similar participant characteristics |
| Longitudinal | The same participants are observed at different points in time as they grow older |
| Sequential | A hybrid of the above two methods Participants are grouped by age. Each group is studied in a longitudinal manner – meaning over an extended period of time |
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