MODEL FOR ORGANIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN A RESEARCH BRIEF
(Adapted from Dankwa)
I. INTRODUCTION (1-2 pages)
• Problem Statement: This is what my paper is about. (This question gained relevance in the field in
________ with the work of _________. For example, what has been established? What is accepted
wisdom? Do women who adopt their husbands’ surnames differ in their level of self-esteem from
those who retain their surnames or combine their surnames with their husbands’ surnames?
• Purpose of Research: Explicitly state the purpose of the research and the expected contributions to
your discipline (e.g. political science, public policy, public administration). The research purpose
should be as specific as possible, yet stated concisely: Example: The purpose of this research was to
determine whether women who adopt their husband’s surnames differ in their level of self-esteem
from those who retain their surnames or combine their surnames with their husbands’ surnames.
• Hypothesis(es): Clearly state the hypothesis(ses) to be tested: 1. Working Hypothesis(ses) 2. Null
Hypothesis(ses) Example: Among rats, length of light deprivation from birth is inversely associated
with performance in a maze task. 3. Independent Variable(s) 4. Dependent Variable(s)
II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE (3-5 PAGES)
• State major findings from previous research with respect to your stated hypothesis(ses). In the
course of the review discuss any differences or consensus, if any, in the literature
• Differences in the literature with respect to the author’s approach(es) and conclusions; for example,
a) I find the approach taken by the author(s) to be instructive (or not to be)… b) do the conclusions
of the author(s) support (or do not…) your hypothesis(ses): Also talk about the data (explained
method of research), the ability of the author(s) to examine their research hypothesis(ses).
III. METHODOLOGY (2 -3 PAGES)
• This is my plan. In this section you need to operationalize your independent and dependent
variables of the Research Instrument (i.e., the indication of the questions on the data gathering
instrument that will be used to test the various variables) as follows. . . (EXPLAIN.)
• B. Here you need to describe how you selected your sample. Example: This is how I selected the
sample (or population) that will be used to draw inferences about this problem. I can generalize
these findings to other populations because. . . (EXPLAIN systematic steps you have taken to make
sure your methods are scientific. These are the analytical techniques that will be used and why they
will be used.
IV. RESULTS (3-4 PAGES)
• If you are collecting data, state the results and analyze them here. (Most of you won’t have results since you didn’t collect
data – but I want you to remember this for the future)
V. CONCLUSION (1 -2 PAGES)
• Summarize your research, discuss the implications of your results, reiterate the importance to the
field, and identify future research questions.
• Research Limitations: Here the researcher (you) points out the limitations of the research … if any.
VI. REFERENCES
• Minimum of 10 scholarly references, properly cited.
