HUS 311: Methods of Social Research
Research Proposal
Title Page
a.) Your title should have a dependent and independent variables and the nature of who will be studied (See the example below).
b.) Put the authors names and their institutional affiliation (e.g.).
Abstract (150-250 words)
a.) This is a brief summary of the research project. Put the hypotheses, the sample, and briefly mention the research procedures like if a survey or interviews were used. If you actually conducted the study, what results would you expect to find?
Table of Contents
a.) A listing of all the major headings in your paper, along with their page numbers.
Problem Formation
a.) Introduce the problem and justify its importance (This section answers the question: Why should anyone care about this problem?)
b.) Deriving at the Problem
How the problem was derived (social problem, personal interest, theory testing, program evaluation, policy implementation)
c.) Prevalence of the problem
d.) The research project should fill a gap in the literature (e.g., something that other authors may not have looked at before as it relates to your topic)
Theory (1-2 pages)
a.) Identify a theory that may fit with your study. Tell whos the founder of the theory and when it was developed. Give a summary of the theory.
b.) Write 1 2 hypotheses statements.
Ethical Issues (1-2 pages)
a.) Identify potential ethical issues that your research proposal may face. How might potential participants be affected (e.g., physical, psychological, or mental harm or distress)
b.) Deception: Will deception be used? If so, how? If not, how will you avoid it?
c.) Confidentiality: How will it be maintained? How will data be stored and disposed of?
d.) Informed Consent: When will it be obtained?
e.) SLU Core Values/NOHS Ethical Standards
Literature Review (Background or Significance; 4-5 pages)
a.) Find at least 5 current (2015 or newer) peer-reviewed research articles. These articles should be related to your topic. Use them in this section.
b.) Start by discussing previous studies related to your current research (Note: this is what the 5 articles are for)
c.) Read the articles for who they studied, what they studied, how they studied it (e.g., using surveys or interviews), and what they found. You may also find definitions to terms but define them in the methods section. Dont forget to cite your articles authors and any other authors that those authors mentioned (see an APA manual).
d.) Identify the purpose of your research project (e.g., The purpose of this research project is to identify the effects of age at marriage on marital satisfaction on Asian American women.)
Methods or Methodology (Plan or Approach) (2 pages)
a.) Sample (Describe who will be studied)
Who? (demographics race, gender)
How many people you want to study? (If this was a real study, you would tell how many were studied. This is your sample size.)
How you selected the sample. (e.g., welfare recipients at a Southeastern regional social service agency)
b.) Procedures (Describe how the sample will be studied)
All key variables (independent and dependent)
Define the terms using research articles you found
c.) Instruments (Describe what was studied)
How will the data be gathered (e.g., a survey will be provided to the participants)
Provide details what techniques were used to collect the data so others can replicate your study (e.g., reached out to a social service agency, obtained informed consent to survey clients, etc.)
References
a.) List all articles used in paper using APA style.
