Communication Research Proposal (100 Points)

Title, abstract, and key words (1 page)

 Identifying information: Name, Course # and title, name of instructor.

 Include a 100-word abstract on the title page.

Introduction (1-2 pages)

 Introduce the reader to your topic.

 Be sure to introduce any theoretical framework you will use for your research

project.

 Purpose statement: What are the primary purposes/goals of your research?

 Rationale: The researcher needs to answer the “so-what” question—“who cares”?

Why is the study significant, important and helpful? How is the study significant

theoretically, practically and/or methodologically?

 Research Question(s) [RQ] or Hypothesis(es) (H): Include your RQ(s) and/or H(s) in

this section. Use numerical subscript if there is more than one hypothesis/research

question.

 Preview the rest of the proposal.

Literature Review [LR] (5-6 pages)

 What are the primary concepts and theories that frame your study?

 Synthesize the research and discuss gaps in the research.

 Be sure to define key terms (conceptual definitions) throughout your proposal.

 Organize LR according to methods discussed in class.

 If applicable, integrate the RL assignment into this section (revised).

Methods (2-3 pages)

 Method(s): Your method (e.g., survey research, ethnography) should be justified by

your research question(s)/hypothesis(es). You want to make sure the methods used

are appropriate for your RQ/H, and what you are proposing is feasible and doable.

No not use a mixed methods approach (from two or more paradigms).

 Sampling Plan: Who/what is your population/sampling frame? What is your unit of

analysis? What sampling method(s) will be used? Is it appropriate given the

participants and the goals of the study?

 Sources of Data Collected: Data sources and collection techniques: e.g., participant

observation fieldnotes, focus groups, interviews, library archive, surveys, etc.

 Quality of Study: How will you ensure study quality (e.g., credibility, validity,

sincerity, etc. See chapter 6).

Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research (1 page)

 What will this study not allow you to do?

 What future research does this study suggest?

IRB

 IRB Approval: Proposal writers typically indicate human subjects review and

approval from IRB (attached an informed consent form as your Appendix—after the

References section. Use the sample informed consent form as a guide from Keyton.

References

 APA 7 th Edition

Deadlines

 The final paper is due on May 12, 2021.

 I encourage you to submit your topic choice (research question(s) and/or

hypothesis(es)) for review via Canvas email.

Criteria

 A Grade Range: Communication-centered topic; clear and convincing rationale;

clear purpose and preview; thorough synthesis of the literature; methods section

clearly addresses all the considerations listed above; clear statement of

limitations/future research; informed consent form included (if involving human

subjects); accurate use of APA in-text and in reference section; budget and timeline

included; well-organized report; few, if any, writing or stylistic errors.

 B Grade Range: Communication-centered topic; generally clear and convincing

rationale; includes purpose and preview, but may need revision for clarity; clear

attempt to synthesize the literature; for the most part, methods section addresses

the considerations listed above, but gaps in understanding are evident; statement of

limitations/future research included; informed consent form included (if involving

human subjects); accurate use of APA in-text and in reference section with minor

errors; budget and timeline included; generally well-organized report, but may need

additional polish in this area; writing and stylistic errors become more noticeable.

 C Grade Range: The report’s communication topic is in question; rationale for study

needs development; purpose or preview is missing; literature review needs 3

additional sources for support; methods section is confusing (how does the method

relate to the RQ or H?)—sub-elements are missing; superficial statement of

limitations, etc.; informed consent form is not included (if involving human

subjects); major APA errors—in-text and in reference section; budget and timeline

are not included; report needs be significantly reorganized for clarity; major writing

and stylistic errors.

 D Grade Range: The report is confusing, disorganized, incomplete and includes

significant and distracting citation and writing errors (e.g., topic is not

communication related; no clear purpose, rationale is missing, literature review

contains annotated summaries of sources; the methods section does not explain

how the researcher will conduct the study; no limitations section).

 F Grade: Do not submit final draft within 72 hours of deadline.

Miscellaneous

 8-10 pages (excluded are the title page, references, appendix, etc.). Page count per

section is approximate.

 Sources: 10-15 (generally, sources will be peer reviewed: books/ book chapters,

journal articles); depending on type of study, other sources are relevant, including

magazine and newspaper articles.