Instruction
The assignment (8-10 pages) requires you to think of a new social science study in an international context and explain how you would conduct the research. You will use work and feedback from prior assignments to complete this proposal. Please ensure that you have a running head and page number on EACH page.
This paper is 100% HYPOTHETICAL. NO ONE should actually be conducting any field research or data collection outside the scope of the instructions below. It is in your BEST interest to review the tab on Blackboard “Research Proposal Instructions and Submission” early on in the semester to plan ahead.
A suggested outline is below
1 Cover Page (1 page)
2 Abstract (1 page)
a. 100-150 words
b. a list of 3-5 keywords are optional
3 Literature Review (3-4 pages)
a. Subsection 1
b. Subsection 2
c. Subsection 3
4 Theory (1⁄2- 1 page)
5 Methods (4-5 pages)
a. Research Design b. Question
c. Hypothesis
d. Data Collection
6 Ethical Considerations (1⁄2 - 1 page)
7 Measurement Issues and Limitations (1⁄2 - 1 page)
8 Introduction/Conclusion (1⁄2 - 2 pages)
9 APA formatting
10 Extra Credit (Appendix 1-2 pages)
11 You may include a consent form and/or survey questions for 1 additional point towards your final paper.
Consent forms must be filled out with the relevant parts, correctly and logically. Survey questions, 10 max., that are logically a style of questions we covered in class, appropriate to your study.
Important components you will need to cover include the following
• Explain the prior research on your topic, and how your project intends to fill a gap left by this prior
research.
• Explain your methods of research inquiry clearly and fully.
• Include sections on or reference to hypotheses, research questions, validity, sampling, variables, ethics,
units of analysis, operationalization, and specifics on your type of method selected: e.g.
control/experimental groups (if applicable), or survey items (if applicable).
• You must have at least 10 references.
• You may only use academic sources to reach this quota – books, journal articles, and organizational websites.
• You may NEVER cite Wikipedia or any other non-official website.
• You may use newspapers and media content, but only AFTER your academic source quota has been
met. You must cite every source within the text of the paper and include every source on your reference page. Spelling, grammar, and writing style DO count.
Instructions for Conducting A Literature Review By Dr. Mangai Natarajan
Choosing a topic is the first step in the process of research. Start with a general area of interest and then narrow down to a specific research question. Try to focus on a subject of current importance.
The literature review is an important step in preparing a research paper. Conducting a literature review will (i) help you become familiar with a body of knowledge, (ii) show you the path of prior research, (iii) help you integrate and summarize what is known in the area of your interest, and (iv) help you learn from others. In sum, a literature review must: be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you are developing; synthesize results into a summary of what is and is not known; identify areas of controversy in the literature; formulate questions that need further research
Method of proceeding: Having chosen your topic, access our library sources through internet and locate studies that have been undertaken on the topic. You need to go back at least 10 years in the literature. First of all, get a printout with an abstract or summary of each study. The abstract should provide information about the following: The purpose of the study; the nature of the methodology; the kind of data collected; the main results; the significance of the study. This will not only help you learn about the topic but will also help you narrow down a short-list of articles/books/reports for closer study. Locate these short-listed books, journal articles and reports in the library. (There are many international journals in the library and suggestions are given in Module 1 of this syllabus). Then read them and take careful notes from each. You may want to use a notebook or 3 X 5 index note cards. The review of related literature will bring you up-to-date on the previous research in the area. You should organize your review of the literature around major themes and issues. You should summarize the research in terms of a particular theme that was striking and important. This will form your thesis statement.