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What sort of questions should be answered in your research proposal?
What sources of literature have you used to give you an initial understanding of the problem?
How has the literature review informed your research design?
What type of empirical data do you need? (e.g. if you need to collect data on people, do you need their opinions, or their behaviours or something else? Is your research interested in different categories of people? How can you get access to these people?)
What data collection methods would you use?
Are there any limitations in your chosen data collection method? if so, how could you minimise those limitations?
What are the important concepts or variables and how would you measure them? (e.g. if you are researching the impact of a new marketing initiative, how will you measure ‘impact’?)
What is your population? What sampling strategy would you use and why?
How would you try to ensure that your findings are valid and reliable?
Does your research design enable you to triangulate your data?
Could you pilot your data collection method? If so, how would you do that?
What ethical issues might you face in this research, and how could you deal with them?
How would you analyse your data?
How would you present your findings?
What would be the key activities if you were to conduct your research, and in what order would you conduct them?
For your individual research proposal submitted in week 11, content and format should be as follows:
[Content – you should have the following sections]
Introduction to the problem
[This section should introduce the problem and explain the objectives of the research project]
Literature review
[This section should discuss and critically evaluate the sources of information you have used to gain an understanding of the problem. You should explain how the literature has informed your research design.
Research design
[This section should present your intended research strategy (e.g. exploratory or explanatory or evaluative), sampling strategy, data collection methods, data analysis methods, and ideas for presenting findings to your client. You show how your research will answer the questions raised by your client]
Practical and ethical issues
[This section should discuss any ethical concerns that need to be resolved, any potential problems of research access, any limitations of your research design, and other practical issues you think are relevant to your case]
Plan and timetable of activities
[This section should present the timetable of activities for the research]
Appendix: Data collection instrument
[For example, include your questionnaire, and/or your schedule of interview questions, and/or your observation schedule, etc. to show in detail how you intend to collect data. If your research design includes several data collection instruments, include just one in the appendix]
Appendix: References
[Format]
Be approximately 4-5 pages in length (excluding the front cover and appendices such as your main data collection instrument).
Margins: Left and right margins = 3 cm; top and bottom margins = 2.5 cms
Line space = ‘one-and-a-half’
Font size for main text = 11 points; font type = Arial
.
Note on references
Last semester, some students asked ‘how much referencing about research methods is needed for the proposal?’
Our response was as follows:
When writing about research design and so on, we don’t expect each and every definition (such as ‘snowball sampling’) to be referenced to a textbook. These are widely used terms. We’re looking for the skill with which you apply your understanding of these methods to your particular problem, e.g. we’d expect you to explain your reasons why you’re using a particular sampling method. You can substantiate your argument by referring to credible authors – for example those who show from their own research that the method is appropriate. By referencing in this way you show you can use references to substantiate your decisions and your arguments.
The following pages show the marking criteria grid and feedback sheet for your group assignment. You do not need to include these sheets with your assignment. They are for your information.
Individual coursework – marking criteria grid 1
TOPIC/
CRITERION
A
B+
B
C
REFER/FAIL
1. Clarity of problem-definition and research objectives
Has defined problem and objectives in detail. Shows an excellent understanding of the issues and addresses them comprehensively and imaginatively.
Has defined problem and objectives in some detail. Shows a good understanding of the issues and addresses them comprehensively.
Has defined problem and objectives adequately. Shows some understanding of the issues and addresses them adequately.
Has defined some aspects of the problem and objectives. Shows limited understanding of the issues and how to address them.
Fails to adequately define problem and objectives.
2. Research design (including justification with reference to research principles)
Has identified a very well-justified research design which is very logical and coherent, and which is appropriate to the research problem and objectives.
Has identified a well-justified research design which is logical and coherent, and which is appropriate to the research problem and objectives.
Has identified a research design which is partially justified, and which is adequate for the research problem and objective.
There are some flaws in the logic and coherence of the design.
Has identified a research design which is adequate for the research problem and objective, but which has some inconsistencies and/or lacks coherence.
Has identified a research design which is not appropriate to the research problem. There is very limited justification.
3. Literature review
Has identified and critically evaluated a range of sources of information appropriate for the literature review, and has fully discussed how they inform the research design.
Sources are relevant and address the complexity of the research problem.
Has identified and critically evaluated a range of sources of information appropriate for the literature review, and has discussed how they inform the research design.
Sources are relevant but don’t address the full complexity of the research problem.
Has identified and partially evaluated a range of sources of information appropriate for the literature review, and includes some discussion of how they inform the research design.
Sources are relevant but don’t address the full complexity of the research problem.
Has identified and partially evaluated a limited range of sources of information appropriate for the literature review’.
Some sources are relevant but don’t address the full complexity of the research problem.
Has identified a very limited range of sources. Little or no evidence of evaluation of the sources.
TOPIC/
CRITERION
A
B+
B
C
REFER/FAIL
4. Discussion of practical and ethical issues, including proposed timescale
Has an excellent understanding of the practical issues and ethical concerns relating to the research problem and design. Limitations of the research design are very well discussed. Timescale demonstrates a good understanding of the practical aspects of the research process.
Has a good understanding of the practical issues and ethical concerns relating to the research problem and design. Limitations of the research design are well discussed. Timescale demonstrates an adequate understanding of the practical aspects of the research process.
Has an adequate understanding of the practical issues and ethical concerns relating to the research problem and design. Some limitations of the research design are discussed. Timescale demonstrates some understanding of the practical aspects of the research process.
Has some understanding of the practical issues and ethical concerns relating to the research problem and design. Limitations of the research design are not adequately discussed. Timescale demonstrates limited understanding of the practical aspects of the research process.
Has demonstrated little or no understanding of the practical issues and ethical concerns relating to the research problem and design.
5. Data collection instrument(s)
Has produced a very well-constructed data collection instrument which demonstrates an appreciation of the complexity of the research problem and the data needed.
Has produced a well-constructed data collection instrument which demonstrates an appreciation of the complexity of the research problem and the data needed.
Has produced an adequately-constructed data collection instrument which demonstrates some appreciation of the complexity of the research problem and the data needed.
Has produced a data collection instrument which demonstrates limited appreciation of the complexity of the research problem and the data needed.
Has produced a data collection instrument which demonstrates a lack of appreciation of the complexity of the research problem and the data needed.
6. Structure, presentation and communic-ation
Is engaging and logically-structured with good ‘sign-posting’ which maintains the attention of the intended audience. Very good writing style. Grammar and spelling and referencing are accurate.
Is logically-structured with good ‘sign-posting’ which makes the proposal clear to the intended audience. Good writing style. Grammar and spelling and referencing are accurate.
Is fairly well structured with adequate ‘sign-posting’. Good writing style. Grammar and spelling and referencing are mainly accurate.
Shows some attempt to structure the proposal in a logical manner. Meaning apparent, but language not always fluent. Grammar and/or spelling and/or referencing contain errors.
Disorganised/
incoherent.
Meaning unclear and/or grammar and/or spelling and/or referencing contain frequent errors.
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