FREE PLAGIARISM
submit a 2,000-word Research Plan consisting of:
• • A research question
• • An introduction
• • A research aim
• • Three research objectives
• • A literature review
• • A method
• • Ethical considerations
• • An appendix at the end of the plan showing the form of research that will be taken (this is not included in the word count).

 This plan will include references to literature from the reading list and from relevant books and papers sourced independently, which will be used to support decisions you have made.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) that this assignment is testing:

1. Understand the principles of research and critical thinking, including the process of formulating questions, constructing arguments, testing hypotheses and interpreting findings

2. Critically assess the relevance, strengths and weaknesses of different methods in media, communication and marketing research

3. Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative methods and their application to communication research

Assessment Criteria
1. Competence of planning and use of critical literature:
– Formulated sensible and achievable question, aims and objectives.
‐Used relevant critical and secondary sources to place the research in a wider critical context (lit review) and to support research approach (method).
‐Chose a suitable methodology for the question and provided an achievable and appropriate data collection plan.
‐Considered the ethical implications of the research.
2. Content and layout: –
‐Supplied each aspect of the plan requested in the correct order, following the templates provided.

This is a template for Assignment 1. Please follow the indication below for the components of this Assignment and then DELETE THIS PAGE before submission. Formative feedback on each component will be given each week in class and/or during tutorials.
QUESTION
You will be assessed on your ability to formulate a sensible, logical and achievable question; consider the limitations and parameters of your research when formulating the question.

INTRODUCTION – 150 words (recommended)
Briefly introduce why you have chosen your question, and where your research fits in the wider field. This often references the same literature as in the literature review, so use this as a summary argument which will be developed further later in the plan.

RESEARCH AIM – Two or three sentences maximum
A broad statement of the intended outcome of the project.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES – typically 3 objectives, a sentence or two per objective
Objectives are the steps that you need to take to answer your research question. You could view these as a concise list of tasks that need to be completed to accomplish the goals of the project. However, these cannot be methodological (i.e. to do a lit review, to collect data, and so on). Starting points that may be used include, but are not limited to, the following: To consider, to explore, to compare, to investigate, etc.

LITERATURE REVIEW – 1000 words (recommended)
This should lay out the background to the study including citation of appropriate literature sources. It should place your own research in the context of previous research and explain how it will contribute to the body of knowledge in your chosen area. Some literature should be theoretical and critical in nature (as you have used in other essays), but you may also include contextual sources such as statistics, newspaper articles and online sources to provide a background for your chosen topic of study.

RESEARCH METHOD – 750 words (recommended)
This section should consist of a rationale for choice of research design and a description of the methodology employed including the numbers of participants employed /amount of content considered, and details of sampling strategy utilised. The results and discussion which come about from the data collection (Assignment Two) will be wholly informed by the method you have chosen. If done correctly the results and discussion should happen naturally and be easy to relate back to the relevant literature. This section should be critically underpinned by relevant methodological sources.

ETHICS – 50 Words
A consideration of the ethical implications of your research is needed here. If you are dealing with a sensitive topic that involves speaking to a third party (interview, focus group), you will need to refer to unit tutors for approval before performing the research.

APPENDIX
You will have chosen one of the following discussed research formats, and in the appendix you will need to provide proof that your research has been planned and prepared for. If you complete the Appendices template fully, you will have provided all of the data required.

Content analysis -­‐ quantitative analysis which focuses on newspaper stories/social media/advertising/politics etc. Could be comparative, must be a realistic aim (eg, if you have chosen to analyse twitter responses to a trending story, you may have to limit your study to a particular date/hashtag/time limit).

Thematic analysis – qualitative analysis of a book/film/advert/TV show. Could be comparative, must be a realistic aim (eg, if you have chosen a TV show, it would be sensible to only pick one episode/story arc/character rather than a whole series).
Survey – a paper based or online survey generating at least 40 responses.
Number of participants:
When and where it will take place: online!!
Number of focus groups (please also note if this will be two different groups or one group that you will interview twice):
Date of Pilot Study:
Questions that will be asked:
How long it should last: