how much will it cost to do this research in equipment, supplies, data collection, incentives, personnel, consultations, travel to conferences for dissemination, etc.?
Research Proposal Parts 1 and 2: (Literature Review and Methodology)
Overview/Objective
The final submission of the Research Proposal assignment presents the proposed methodology designed to answer the questions and/or test the hypotheses posed in Part 1 of the Research Proposal, which you have already completed in the Literature Review assignment. In addition, you have the opportunity to resubmit the literature review from Part 1, with revisions and improvements, based on feedback received on that assignment as a way to improve it and your grade, as needed.
In this assignment (Parts 1 and 2), you are able to demonstrate the degree to which you have achieved the competencies covered in this class and how well you have learned the content, by demonstrating in your manuscript the research process, from problem formulation, discussion and synthesis of the literature, identifying relevant research questions and/or hypotheses, then showing how well you are able to design a methodology aimed at answering those questions and testing any hypothesis, if appropriate.
The proposed methodology can be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods—it can be longitudinal, cross-sectional, a program evaluation, or some type of experiment to assess the effects of some independent variable on some dependent variable, whether to test an intervention or see how some population differs on the basis of some important variable.
Structure
Parts 1 and 2 are to be written using APA style, and include a title page, abstract page, the main body of the manuscript (or text), references, and an appendix or appendices that contain your data collection instrument and any additional and necessary supplemental material (such as informed consent forms, descriptions of interventions, timeline, and budget). Please refer to the APA PowerPoint slides found in the Lecture Videos and Resources page of the Canvas course. Following you will find a suggested outline for Part 2 (Methodology), as well as an overall outline for the entire proposal (Parts 1 and 2).
Timeline and Submission
Please submit the research proposal no later than Friday, December 10 by 11:59 PM. Please submit your assignment by uploading it as a Word document. Do not submit as a PDF file.
Suggested Outline for Part 2 of the Research Proposal: Methodology
- Introduction to the methodology (explain if the methodology is quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, longitudinal or cross sectional, a program evaluation, experiment, and review of research focus/purpose). Remember that the “introduction” is never labeled as such.
- Methodology
- Participants (characteristics, inclusion/exclusion) and how informed consent will be conducted
- Sampling (how you will access participants; probability/nonprobability; design)
- Data Collection (method will you use to collect data; survey; interviews, online, etc)
- Measurements (how concepts of interest will be measured)
- Variables of interest (conceptual and operational definitions); IVs and DVs, etc
- Instruments and instrument validity and reliability
- Data Analysis (how data collected will be analyzed to find out how they answer the research question and test hypothesis(es)
- Timeline (what are the major steps in the research process and how long will they each take?)
- Budget (how much will it cost to do this research in equipment, supplies, data collection, incentives, personnel, consultations, travel to conferences for dissemination, etc.?)
- Critique of methodology (strengths and limitations); ethical issues and human subjects protection
III. Conclusion
- Summary of Part I and II above
- Major strengths and limitations, relevance, practice implications
- Next steps
Example of Outline for Both Parts 1 and 2 Together
Title of Your Paper
Introduction—this introduction is constructed from the introduction to the literature review.
Literature Review
The Problem
Definition
Theoretical Framework
How Individuals, Families, and Communities Experience the Problem
Human, Societal, and Economic Costs
Population of Interest
Characteristics of the Affected Population
Prevalence and Incidence
Differential Impact of Problem on Different Populations
Summary of Previous Studies
Previous Types of Studies
Previously Addressed Research Questions, Populations, Samples,
Existing Gaps
Objectives of Current Study
Gaps Addressed by Current Study
Relevance to Social Work Values and Ethics
List of Specific Research Questions
List of Specific Hypotheses (if any)
Methodology
This main section begins with the introduction from the outline above for Part 2 (methodology).
Participants
Sampling
Data Collection
Measurements
Data Analysis
Timeline
Budget
Critique and Conclusion
