Research proposal
This assignment is something that you will be able to draw upon moving forward in the program.
A Research proposal is a very common start to a research project as it helps to frame the importance of the project itself and show the knowledge gaps that currently exist in the literature.
Typically after a solid research proposal is written, the paper unfolds from there as you have a clear framework to follow moving forward.
This assignment requires you to write a proposal that states your research question and your research strategy for addressing it.
As mentioned throughout your previous assignments you may draw upon each one to help you build your proposal.
Research Proposal: The research proposal must be between 8-10 pages in length not including the title page or references.
Use the required components as subheadings in your research proposal(to ensure you address all required elements) – Abstract; Introduction; Literature Review; Theoretical Framework; Research Design and Methods; Conclusion; Reference List
Your title page should include your name, the working title of your research project, the course number and course name, the name of your professor, and the date.
You also need to have an abstract as the first page immediately after your title page.
An abstract should address the following five areas – Statement of Purpose; Methodology; Sources;Limitations; and Expected Outcome (i.e., Hypothesis).
It should be around 250 words in length.
I have provided some additional information and an example abstract you can use as a template in the Week 7 Learning material, and I have created a learning activity to give you practice in writing your abstract in Week 7 to set you up for success on this part.
Your proposal must have the following sections:
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Introduction: The introduction is where you identify your specific research question and where you set the general context for the study. In this section, you need to include:
Literature Review: This short preliminary literature review section reviews the literature important to your specific research question. The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same or similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in a larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this case. It provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it relates to your specific research question. In this section, you should:
Here is my guidance for how to address each of the main sources you are using for this project in your Literature Review.
Your treatment of each source in your Literature Review only needs to be about 3-5 sentences long.
Provide a short paragraph of 3-5 sentences addressing each source.
Make sure you address how and to which particular Independent Variable(s) each source relates.
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References — Provide complete citations for all sources addressed in the Literature Review at the end of the paper using the reference list format with parenthetical citations.
As the second part of your literature review, you should also discuss the theoretical framework to be used in the study. You should ensure you cover the following in your discussion:
End your literature review by identifying and addressing the “gap(s)” in the existing literature.
Gaps in the existing literature tend to be related to one or more of the following areas:
This is an opportunity to promote the importance of your proposed research to show how your work can and will make an original contribution to the existing literature and knowledge related to this topic.
How will your research fit within this larger body of knowledge?
What are you doing differently?
What gaps will your research fill?
Once you have identified the gap(s) in the existing literature and explained how your work will address it/them, this will provide an excellent foundation for your research and analysis of your topic
From here you would then include a transition into your methodology section.
NOTE: Literature reviews can be a bit tricky to write. Think back to how you wrote your short theory lit review in week 4. Chances are you already started to write in a style similar to what one does when completing a literature review. Check out this video (the same one you were guided to in week 4) to help you further prepare to write this section of your proposal. This will not be the last time that you are asked to write a literature review in your academic career so it is important to master this skill.
Theoretical Framework: Identify, describe, and justify the substantive theory you using. You must:
· Summarize theory or model to be used, (include a diagram if appropriate)
· Explain how it has been used and why it is appropriate for your research project
· Identify current knowledge gaps and how your research will help to fill one or more of these knowledge gaps
Research Design and Methods: Describe how you will answer your research question or test the hypothesis. This section describes your overall research design and how you plan to collect, synthesize, and interpret your data. It should include:
Conclusion: Reemphasizes the importance of your study and ties the proposal together.
Emphasizing how your proposed work will address gaps in the existing literature you have identified previously is a verycompelling way to conclude your research proposal (since it shows how your work will add to/enhance the existing body of knowledge on the subject/topic you are addressing).
Reference List: As with all academic papers you need to reference the works that you have cited (direct quotes or paraphrases) in the text of your document and incorporate a complete reference list or bibliography at the end. This list needs to be in the style used within your field. APA= Criminal Justice, Turabian for all others in this course.
Remember that the references you use demonstrate your knowledge of the topic area. This research proposal is meant to convince your professor that you not only have identified a worthy question in need of investigation but that you are also capable of carrying out the research involved to successfully answer that question. At the very least you should have referenced 12-15 peer-reviewed sources in this proposal.
Since multiple writing styles are in use within this course, please note which style you are using within your assignment on your title page. This will help me cater my comments to the style you are using. The style you use needs to be the one that is used within your program of study.
Format:The standard academic format will suffice: one-inch borders on all four sides, double-spaced, with times new roman 12-point font.
The research paper must be submitted as a Word Document Attachment in the Assignments section of the classroom by Sunday, 11:59 pm EST at the end of week 8. Entitled (NameFINALW8.doc) and upload in the Assignments sections.
Answer preview to Research proposal
APA
2400 WORDS
