RESEARCH PROPOSAL



RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Research constitutes a significant portion of your mentorship experience. A research proposal is designed to help you outline the concept of your independent research project and serve as a guide. Writing a proposal:

• affords you an opportunity to think through your project carefully, as well as clarify and define what you want to research;

• provides you with an outline to guide you through the research process;

• serves as a contract between you and your Mentorship Coordinator as you work toward the research requirement for successful completion of your senior seminar credit; and

• provides documentation to your Mentorship Coordinator so that she may provide proper feedback on your progress.

Developing your proposal includes the following:

• selecting a topic

• narrowing and focusing your topic

• formulating research objectives or questions and ideas for analysis

• outlining the key literature in the topic area

• deciding on research methodology/data collection

• proposing an approach to data analysis

• developing a timeline for your project

• developing resources you will need

• developing a bibliography using Noodle Tools Account

Your proposal is a starting point; throughout your research you will probably adjust certain aspects. By keeping a recorded proposal, you will be able to trace the development of your ideas and measure your own progress.

Format and Required Components for Research Proposal:

General Format:

• Times New Roman Font

• 11pt. or 12pt. Font size

• Double Spaced

• APA (Unless your mentor requires a different format)

Title Page: see online examples (mlwgsmentorship.)

• Student X: Science Proposal and Feedback

• Student Z: General Proposal and Feedback

Proposed research question or statement: In developing a strong research question or statement, a number of factors should be taken into account.

• Do I know the field and its literature well?

• What are the important research questions in my field?

• What areas need further exploration?

• Could my study fill a gap? Lead to greater understanding?

• Has a great deal of research already been conducted in this topic area?

• Has this study been done before? If so, is there room for improvement?

• Is the timing right for this question to be answered? Is it a hot topic, or is it becoming obsolete?

• A research focus should be narrow, not broad-based.

o Example:

▪ “What can be done to prevent substance abuse?” is too large a question to answer.

▪ “What is the relationship between specific early childhood experiences and subsequent substance-abusing behaviors?”

Background and framework: Explains why you selected your topic – what prompted your interest in the topic; why you felt it was important to find an answer to the question; identifies any links with previous research; states research objectives, questions or hypothesis; provides a summary of information you have found concerning your topic (think of the research that has already been done in the field, highlight any theories that may exist, identify new theories, etc.). A review of the relevant literature you have read so far sets your research in context. It identifies the direction you will take from among the possible theoretical directions. Include a bibliography at the end of your proposal.

Research methodology: In this section you will identify the methodology that underpins your research and provide a rationale for your approach. How are you going to obtain your data? What problems might you encounter? Outline whether your research is qualitative or quantitative; whether you are using triangulation, statistics, interviewing, questionnaires, experiments, observations, etc.

Resources: identify a list of possible primary and secondary resources (journals, valid internet sources, interviews, books, textbooks, reference books, etc.); keep a running bibliography of all your resources.

Analysis and discussion: This section suggests what you are going to do with the data. What is the aim of your research? What tools for analysis are you doing to use? Are there limitations to your research?

Timeline: create a schedule to guide you and keep you on track.

Bibliography: keep a running bibliography along the way, using an appropriate and consistent citation method. Use of Noodle Tools required.

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