I. Specifics

A. Page length and format
1. The text of the proposal may be a maximum of 15 pages
• Double spaced
• 12 point, Times New Roman font
• 1” margins for top and bottom, 1.25” for left and right

B. You must properly cite all of your sources. Use APA format, and include a reference page.

II. Type of research
A. This is a proposal for empirical research. In other words, some “observation”
of the real world must be proposed.

B. The research can be exploratory, descriptive or explanatory.

1. Given that most of you are “novices” with regards to research, I would
suggest focused on exploratory or descriptive research. Since explanatory
research tends to be a bit more “interesting,” I will leave this option open.

a. I am willing to help those interested in explanatory research
develop appropriate research hypotheses.

III. Content of the research proposal

A. Required elements—all research proposals must have:

1. An introduction
• As “introduction” suggests, this section should introduce the research topic and generally define the issue to be covered.

2. Literature Review
• A literature review is literally a review of the relevant literature on your topic. What has past research found? Are you replicating something from past research studies, or are you addressing an area of the literature that hasn’t been covered.
• I expect the literature review to contain scientific literature. Including stuff from “general” web sites is fine to broadly define your area of study, but you must also include/describe/cover the scientific literature. This literature is typically found in periodicals (academic journals) and also in books.
• At the end of your literature review, you should identify your research question(s). That is, given what you reviewed, what specifically are you going to study, and what do you expect to find? You can do this more (e.g., “Research question #1….”) or less explicitly.

3. Research Methods
• This section explains how you will attempt to answer your research question. That is, what how will obtain your “observations.” Note that your research methods should make sense in light of your research questions. Most research methods sections are further divided as follows:
o Data—what is the sample, where did it come from….
o Measures—explicit statements regarding how you will measure your dependent and independent variables

IV. General Thoughts

• Use section sub-headings to break up your text.
• Do not have one paragraph that runs the length of a page.
• Avoid using “I” or “you” in the text (personal pronouns generally)
• DO NOT PLAGARISE
• Take advantage of my offer to proof components of your research proposal.

IV. Schedule for proofing research proposals (note, none of these will be formally graded).

Research topic and research questions (can be written informally)
• Will this be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory?
• What is the general topic, and what questions do you hope to answer by conducting the research October 24th
Introduction section
• This section should introduce the topic to the reader, and in a very general sense, describe the proposed research. November 9th
Literature review
• Describe the scientific research conducted in this area. By the end of this section, it should be clear how your proposal fits with what is already known about the topic. November 24th
Methods section
• Describe the nuts and bolts of your research. How will you make your observations? What is the unit of analysis? What are the variables of interest and how will they be measured? December 7th