Based upon the quantitative research topic (Effect of white noise on patient sleep in the ICU), this week you will begin to design parts of the research proposal due in Week 6 as both a scholarly paper and poster. Just as was done during the previous weeks as we discussed qualitative research, the development of a quantitative research proposal begins with the identification of a clinical practice problem.
Parts of this week’s draft will be the foundation of the content for the scholarly proposal paper. Please provide the following details in a scholarly paper format (title page, page numbering, APA, reference page, level headings, etc.). This is your working draft for your final proposal. Please also review the exemplar posted in this week’s ‘Readings and Resources’ for details of how to format your content.
This is purposefully set-up so that you will be able to see all of your peers drafts and also my initial feedback. This is so that students can learn from other students work. For the final submission (due Sunday), my final feedback will be private.
Initial Draft
Write an introduction which describes the topic, and the significance of the topic to clinical practice. This is your Introduction and Background of the Problem sections for your scholarly paper.
Search for and review five scholarly research articles related to your chosen topic and begin to write a literature review. Identify your search terms and the databases used. The literature review is NOT an annotated bibliography, so do not include separate summaries of each article. Instead, use the articles to learn about areas relating to your research topic, and then synthesize the content into a cohesive narrative on what has been studied related to your topic. Cite the content that is informed and supported by the studies you found. Construct a 2-4 paragraph literature review. Basically, this literature review summarizes what is currently known about the topic. This is your Literature Review section of your paper.
Based upon these five research studies and whatever research you have done on this topic, write a problem statement which identifies a gap in the literature that paves the way for your proposed topic. How might your proposal move this clinical practice topic forward?
Choose a theory or theoretical framework that can provide both support and validation for the proposed study. Briefly describe the chosen theory and why you selected it. How does it provide a foundation for your proposed study? This is the Theoretical Framework section of your paper.
Based on the gap identified, describe your purpose statement and measurable research question (Just one question, for the purposes of this course).
Develop one research hypothesis based on your measurable research question.
Suggestion: Please review the grading rubric for the final proposal (posted in the Week 6 content area) to see the content that should be included in your final scholarly paper. Also, review the student exemplar posted in this week’s readings.
