Outline for a Research Proposal

The proposal uses a portfolio model. That means that most of the proposal should come from assignments that you did during the semester. You should revise these assignments based on the comments you received on them and your own developing understanding of research methods. There are a few sections where you will have to do original work.

For future reference, you should know that in addition to the sections below you would usually have to include a budget section and a section of the statistical techniques to be used in a proposal to a funding agency. In addition, you would have to fill out a complete set of IRB forms. There are three sample proposals available at the reserve desk of the library. These are more completely developed than I expect from you this semester, but they are by students. Previous students in this class have found it very useful to review those proposals.

• Title Page: The title page should include the title of the study; the names, titles and affiliations of the principal investigator (you); and the date of submission of the proposal.
  
• Abstract: The abstract should describe the topic of the study, the hypothesis, and the method to be used. It should be no more than 400 words (about two-thirds of a page). Much of the abstract can be drawn from the text of the proposal. I recommend writing the abstract last.
  
• Table of Contents: The table of contents should list all of the major subheadings of the proposal and the pages on which they begin.
  
• Introduction:
  This section will be largely based on the internet assignment.
  • Purpose: What research question are you attempting to answer? Why is this research needed? How does it contribute to the field of sociology or social work?
    
  • Background: Briefly review previous work in this area. What have others said about this topic? What theories address it and what do they say? Are past findings consistent or do they disagree? Are there problems with the body of existing research that you feel that you can remedy? You should have at least 4 references to journal articles or SCHOLARLY books. You should have identified these sources in the internet assignment. One of the sources should have been written up for the Theory and Research assignment.
    
  • You may also want to include existing statistics of the extent of the problem or information on how the public feels about it. This information was collected for the internet assignment.
    

    Document your statements with references. See below for documentation information. Make sure to read the Babbie material on avoiding plagarism. The more footnotes, the better, because they indicate that you have looked seriously at the existing literture. In a proposal by a professional researcher almost every statement in this section would have a citation given.
    
    

• Description of the Proposed Study:
  
  • State the hypothesis to be tested. This should come from the unit of analysis/causal hypthesis assignment.
    
  • Give the unit of analysis. Make sure you justify the use of this unit of analysis for the testing of the hypothesis. This should come from the unit of analysis/causal hypothesis assignment.
• Subjects of the Study:
  
  • Describe the population and/or the sampling frame from which specific subjects will be drawn.
    
  • Describe and justify the sampling procedure to be used.
    
  • This section should be a revision of your sampling assignment.
    
  
  
• Methods:
  
  
  • Describe how the research is going to be conducted. What research design is to be employed? (some possibilities are experimental, "quasi-experimental," longitudinal, cross sectional). Justify your selection. This is not part of a specific assignment, but we will discuss it in class.
    
  • Explain how the data are to be collected - survey, participant observation, case study, or through unobtrusive measures such as the use of existing data to be employed. Say why you chose this method. This is not based on an assignment, but will be discussed extensively during class.
    
  • Describe the independent and dependent variables and any control variables to be studied. The dependent and independent variables should correspond to those in your hypothesis. Ideas for control variables should come from the existing literature that you reviewed above or from your own ideas. This should not be a copy of the complete questionnaire, but it should refer the the questionnaire which should be included as an appendix.
    
  • Explain how the key variables will be measured. If you borrow measurement instruments from somewhere else (that is, if you copy questions), make sure to give that source credit. This will probably come from the survey assignment or the long interview assignment.
    
  • Discuss any problems you expect to encounter.
    
  • Point out the limitations of your study.Discuss ethical considerations for your project. Identify any procedures or situations that may be hazardous and discuss the precautions to be taken. If the research utilizes surveys or interviews, describe the steps the researcher will take to protect the privacy, confidentiality and personal security of the human subjects.
  
  
• Collaborative arrangements:
  
  • If the proposed project requires collaboration with other institutions, such as a school or other organization, describe it and indicate how you expect it could be obtained.
• Conclusion:
  
  • What is the potential importance of the proposed research? Is it important for theory, practice or policy? Does it offer new ideas or contribute to the bulk of knowledge in this area? Does it open doors for new research? How does it improve studies within this particular field? This section should refer back to issues raised in the introduction.
• Appendices
  
  Include a copy of your questionnaire or other research instrument. This should be laid out following the guidelines in Babbie. Use the questionnaire or long interview assignment for this.
  
• Bibliography
  
  • Include all works cited in the text of the proposal, including the sources of any existing statistics. Each citation should include the name of the author(s), the date of publication, the title of the article or book, the name of the journal and the volume, number and page numbers of the article (if the source is an article) or the name and location of the publisher (if the source is a book). Whatever format you use, it should be consistent throughout. See below for some models for this.

  Writing and Documenting Your Work

  For this class, all I ask is that you use a consistent format for citations, bibibliography, tables and figures. You may use any of the major styles for this. Some of these documents also discuss the issue of plagarism (as does Babbie, pages A11 to A12). Any plagarism will be grounds for a failing grade IN THE COURSE. Please be careful, and make sure that you have read the guidelines.

  • APA style A web overview of the American Psychological Association's widely used formats
  • MLA style A web overview of the Modern Language Association's widely used formats.
  • MLA Style Citations of Electronic ResourcesA discussion of how to cite materials you find on the internet. This is also discussed in the previous source.
  • CCTC Library Skills and Information Workbook
    This is a well-done guide to finding information in the library.
  • CCTC Guide to Grammar and Writing
    A nice resource to use while editing your assignments. Also, the self-administered quizzes and other materials are good useful even if you aren't editing
  • The Elements of Style
    By William Strunk is a classic, understandable and beautifully written work on usage, composition and other issues. Everyone should read this.
  
  How to Choose a Topic for a Research Proposal
  

Return to the Research Methods home page or the course requirements page.