Library Lessons This Week

The only lesson we have this week is an overview of the contents of the final draft of the research proposal.

Lesson 1

Final Draft of Your Research Proposal

As a review, the main elements of your Research Proposal will be:

1. Statement of the Problem
1. Topic for the study appropriate for your field
2. The research problem within this topic
3. A justification for the problem based on past research and practice
4. Deficiencies or shortcomings of past research or practical knowledge
5. The importance of addressing the problem for diverse audiences
2. Literature Review (Study-by-Study)
1. Analysis and synthesis of the primary research that assist in validating and supporting the research problem using a study-by-study approach grouped under broad themes
2. Summarize major themes and present reasons for a proposed study or the importance of studying a research problem
3. Specifying a Purpose and Research Questions or Hypotheses
1. A concise statement of the purpose of the study based on the research approach chosen (qualitative or quantitative)
2. The research questions or hypotheses to be addressed as appropriate for the research approach
4. Methods
1. Statement of research approach and research design
2. Setting for your study (what type of access do you have?)
3. Participants and how selected (sampling)
4. Instrumentation - Provide necessary operational definitions of variables, identify types of data needed,  and instruments or measures used.  Include actual copy of the survey or instrument as well as evidence of reliability and validity
5. Summary of data collection procedures
6. Summary of data analysis techniques that will be employed
5. References
6. Appendices

As you tackle the task of completing your final draft this week and next week, I want to review what should be included in the document you turn in.

The document you turn in should contain the following elements:

Front Matter

Title page

Body of the Paper (everything in the above outline)

Back Matter

References

Appendices

Lesson Activities

• Do not forget to proofread, proofread, proofread. 
• Your entire proposal should be in a single continuous document with everything in appropriate order and sequence.
• View the rubric I will use to grade your final proposal
• As a final reminder, I have compiled all of the APA tidbits presented over the course of the semester in a single page so you can review and recheck your document to insure you have appropriately applied APA style. Of course, you should not rely only on the tidbits covered.
• Turn in the final draft of your research proposal no later than August 3 at midnight. Send it to your instructor as an attachment.

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Contact the
Library Staff

Need Help?

Have a question but can't find the answer? Here are some options:

• Check the Course FAQ page to see if your question has already been answered.
• Check the Proposal FAQ page to see if your question has already been answered.
• Email the Head Librarian (Dr. Curda)*.
• Email the Assistant Librarian (Melissa)*.
• Check with the other library patrons.

*Remember to include your name and the course name (Educational Research) or number (EDF 6481) in your message.