In general, a compelling research proposal should document your knowledge of the topic and demonstrate your enthusiasm for conducting the study. Approach it with the intention of leaving your readers thinking to themselves—Wow! That’s an exciting idea and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

 

Building upon feedback received on earlier assignments (Problem Statement Exercise & Prospectus), in this assignment students will work individually, in pairs or a group of three to expand their literature review related to the research topic they chose and deliver a “formal” proposal and justification for doing the research.

It is very important that you follow the assignment exactly as described below!

1. Work smart, expand upon earlier formative work! ☺ Expected length: minimum 10 pages
2. Your literature review and proposal should have the following features:
3. Title: not too long (aim for 12 words or less) and keep it descriptive.
4. Abstract: summarize study’s focus and intent ( 100 words).

• Introduction: state your research problem, justify the selection of this topic in the study of communication and give an overview of your proposal’s main points.

1. Literature Review: provide the context or “genealogy” of your topic as a subject of scholarship. Examine research literature for each variable you have selected (either separately or together, depending on the nature of past research). Remember, in your review of past research, you must:
   Cite literature pertinent to your problem statement [& relevant to your specialization].
   • Compare the arguments, theories, methodologies and findings.
   • Contrast the articles, are there areas of disagreement, controversy, or debate?
   • Critique the literature as a whole for approach, findings, methodologies,
   • Connect the literature to your own research topic.
2. Research Question(s): state the nature of the problem explicitly, present your research question(s) &/or hypothesis (as appropriate) and explain any/all key concepts &/or operational definitions.
3. Research Design & Methods: outline the research design/strategy and method(s) of analysis. Your design and method(s) should be unmistakably tied to the specific aims of your study.

• Conclusion: summarize the importance &/or significance of your proposed study and provide a brief summary of the entire study. proposal and give a bottom line statement of the notion(s) suggested in the proposal.
• References: complete citations of all works cited (minimum: 12) in the writing of the proposal presented in proper APA Style Sources specifically quoted, paraphrased or referenced in the text of the proposal should be indicated in bold.

3. Write the paper well (check grammar, punctuation, spelling, and provide section headings as appropriate). Use the required template!
4. You will be evaluated on the following criteria:

              Title is easy to understand and descriptive of the research topic. Abstract is an accurate summary of the study’s focus, problem, proposed method and intended purpose &/or outcomes. (10 points)

              Introduction & Problem Statement presents the central problem statement in direct and obvious language, satisfies all the requirement for being a worthwhile problem to examine and the topic of study proposed relates to that problem. Important scholarly sources are cited in support of the research problem. Methods proposed to analyze the research problem are introduced and the Relevancy Test is answered satisfactorily. (10 points)

              Literature Review presents the literature as “conceptual categories” that are cited, compared, contrasted, critiqued and connected to the research problem and the topic of study. (20 points)

              Research Question(s) &/or hypotheses are introduced in the context of the literature review. Justification is given for why the researcher wishes to investigate the problem(s) or issues represented in the RQs. The research question(s) &/or hypotheses are presented [each in a separate paragraph] and explained in terms of the key concepts and operational definitions to employed in each. A “conceptual framework” is provided explaining [&/or diagramming] the correlation between the variables and the presumed relationship(s) among them. (15 points)

              Research Design & Methods section provided a logical argument intended to convince the reader that the overall research design and chosen method(s) of analysis will correctly address the problem and that the method(s) will provide the means to effectively interpret the potential results. The research design and method(s) should be unmistakably tied to the specific aim of the study. (15 points)

              Conclusion(s) reiterates the importance &/or significance of the proposed study and provide a brief summary of the entire research project emphasizing why the research problem is worth investigating, why the proposed study is unique, and how it should advance existing knowledge. (10 points)

              Bibliography adheres to the requirements of the proposal assignment and featured no formatting inconsistent with the APA Publication Manual (6^th Edition). All resources accessed are listed and those cited in the proposal are indicated in bold. (10 points)

              The Proposal features no writing inconsistent with good writing style (grammar, spelling & punctuation) and presents in-text citations consistent with the APA Publication Manual (6^th Edition). Required template was used, text was double-spaced, Times-Roman font (12-point) and document meets the minimum page requirement [excluding references]. (10 points)