You are a professional researcher and you have been asked by an organization to design a research project that will help them answer a question/questions important to the organization. You, as a student writing this proposal, will decide on the organization and the question(s) that they want your help answering. Note that the question(s) must be able to be answered with social science research (investigation of human beliefs and behaviors).
This must be a real organization (may be a company, a non-profit, a governmental organization, a school, a club, a department within an organization, an association, etc. – any organized, named, group of people working toward common goals). For the purposes of this project, you will decide/make up the question(s) that they are interested in answering. If you have multiple research questions (3 questions maximum), they should be closely related to each other and address one central topic of interest to the organization.
my organization: Instagram
Research Question: How is instagram making an impact on people?
Introduction (1-2 pages)
– Provide background on the organization.
– Clearly state the organization’s research question(s) and give a detailed
explanation about the purpose of the study.
– Provide definitions of key constructs, concepts, or terms that appear.
– Explain the significance of the research. Why is this research worth doing? If
there is a broader significance (i.e. social, economic, political, etc.) beyond the
importance to the organization, explain that as well.
– Briefly summarize the purpose of this proposal and what you will accomplish in
the research proposal (i.e. provide a “road map” for this paper).
II. Literature/Existing Data Review (2-3 pages)
– About half your time on this project should be devoted to the literature review.
– This section gives a review and synthesis of existing data and prior studies
related to the research question under investigation.
– The purpose here is to place your project within the “larger whole” of what has
already been explored by organizations out there, while demonstrating how
your work is original, new, and specific to the current need/question.
– Read popular media articles, trade or government publications, and scholarly
research articles. Think about what questions other researchers and organizations have asked, what methods they have used, and about their findings and recommendations.
– You should reference at least four sources, but this section should not be an article-by-article summary. Rather synthesize (combine your understanding into a cohesive whole – think about comparing, contrasting, critiquing, and
connecting the sources you read).
Not all the sources you read will end up
being relevant to your research question(s), so leave out irrelevant sources. – Sources to start with: Pew Research Center; Cheshire Academy Library
Databases
III. Research Design and Methods (2-3 pages)
– Specify the research process you will undertake. What data will you collect? How will you collect it? Explain any data collection tools that you plan to use.
– Provide an appendix (and reference the appendix in your paper) showing any data collection tools (for example: survey or interview questions) that you plan to use. It is recommended that you try to develop and use an index or scale as one of your data collection methods, since you have practiced developing these. Include demographic questions as appropriate to your research question(s).
– Be clear about whether the data you are collecting is qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative data describes qualities, characteristics, beliefs, opinions, etc. and is collected using questionnaires, interviews, or observation. Quantitative data is data in the form of counts, numbers, or measurements. You may have both in your research design.
– Explain who you will gather data from. You must either gather data reliably from a whole population (the entire group under investigation) or from a representative sample. If gathering data from the whole population, how will you ensure that you get to everyone? If gathering data from a sample, how will you ensure that your sample is representative?
– Provide justification at every step – why is this the best way to investigate the research question(s)? How does this research design answer the organization’s question(s)
– Include a (fake) timeline for when and how you will carry out the research, perform the analysis, and present findings back to the organization.
– Anticipate and acknowledge any potential barriers and pitfalls in carrying out your research design and explain how you plan to address them.
IV. Preliminary Analysis, Implications, and Conclusion (1-2 pages)
– How do you plan to interpret the results that you obtain?
– What might the results mean in regards to understanding the answer to the
research question(s) that the organization asked?
– How might the organization use the findings from your research to make
decisions? What will be improved or changed as a result of the proposed
research?
– What suggestions for subsequent research could arise from the potential
outcomes of the research?
How might the results of your research contribute to the solution of social, economic, policy, or other types of problems, bigger than the organization?
Give in-text citations in APA or MLA format.
– Include a references section at the end of the paper.
– Images, tables, and graphs do not count toward the page limits/minimums.
– The appendix and reference pages do not count toward the page limits/minimums.
The Presentation (no more than 5 minutes)
The presentation should not include everything from your written research proposal. It should include an introduction to your organization and their research question(s), and a high-level summary of your literature review, research methodology, and preliminary analysis.
Your slide deck can contain as many slides as you need, but the presentation needs to be delivered in less than 5 minutes. You may use PowerPoint or Google Slides to create the slide deck. As we have practiced all year, you want your slides to be attractive, clear, concise, and compelling, and for your live presentation to be well-rehearsed.
