Mock Research Proposal Assignment Instructions
Overview
Students will write an abbreviated, 15+ page policy-relevant practice research proposal based upon their research question/dependent variable (DV) selected for the Week Three discussion board post. Proposal should build out of the literature review constructed in Week Four but the primary focus of the practice proposal is the selection of a research design appropriate for the study of a student’s own particular dependent variable.
After providing a concise description of their research question and their DV on page one of the proposal, the students must explain their research objectives. Students must describe the concrete, specific ways in which the project contributes to theory building/development. After specifying the broader research objectives, significant space should be devoted to describing conceptualization/measurement of the DV. Focus should then shift to describing, explaining, and justifying the research design. Students must convincingly demonstrate that the research design is appropriate for the study of their own research question/DV.
Strong proposals will address strengths and weaknesses in research design choices, measurement issues, provide examples of observable implications, offer ideas on potential data sources, posit whether or not the project will successfully produce causal inferences, discuss the specific ways that the project will contribute to theory, and (if appropriate) explain and justify case selection.
After thoroughly explaining and justifying research design choices, the students must describe how their work contributes toward evaluation of existing public policies. Students should ground this explanation in the principles/methods discussed at length in course textbooks. Conclude by explaining how your research – as proposed – will contribute to possible policy solutions and/or policy recommendations.
Instructions
- The paper must be 15+ pages in length.
- Students must describe theirresearch question in one sentence. Students must describe a dependent variable in one sentence. Both the research question and the dependent variable must be on page one of the proposal.
- Paper must offer a brief literature review on previous work done to investigate the same or similar research question/RQ. This lit review must:
o describe how other scholars have gone about studying the same or similar research question. What worked well, what did not work well?
o clearly identify and describe the concrete, specific ways in which the project contributes to theory building/development. This component should include both a formal explanation and a substantive explanation. In other words, how do methodologists describe the type(s) of theory contribution(s) you make? And what “gap” in existing theory within your sub-field do you aim to fill?
- Paper must describe research design choices, including but not limited to:
o operationalization/measurement of major variables
o list of possible observable implications (esp. for DV)
o possible data sources/cases
o description of techniques/methods used to carry out data collection and analysis
- Using course readings and additional seminal works on research design and methods, the paper must justify research design choices.
o This will entail a description of design strengths and weaknesses, as well as an explanation of how the nature of the data informed selection of appropriate methodology
o Doctoral students must use this opportunity to convince readers their research design enables them to meet their research objectives
- Paper must discuss how the selected research design avoids common research design pitfalls
- Paper must describe how the research will allow for evaluation of existing public policies
- Paper must explain how the research will allow for identification ofpolicy solutions/policy recommendations.
- Paper must include at least 15 references, in addition to the course readings, and must demonstrate integration of biblical principles.
- The paper must be written in proper Turabian format.
- Submit the assignment as a word document.