Research Proposal

The written research proposal will be created based on a narrowlydefined aspect of the topic selected in Week One. A research proposal isa detailed plan for a specific study to be conducted at a future time.It is the document which potential researchers typically submit to aninstitutional review board (IRB) for ethical review and approval, and/orto funding agencies to secure financial support for a research effort.Because it is a plan for research which has not yet been conducted, theMethods section should be written in the future tense and should notcontain any hypothetical results. The paper must address all of thecomponents required in the Methods section of a research proposal. Thefollowing actions must be completed.

• State the research question and/or hypothesis.
• Briefly compare the characteristics of the major research paradigmsused in previous studies on the chosen topic. Introduce the specificapproach (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods), research design,sampling strategy, data collection procedures, and data analysistechniques to be used in this study. Provide a short explanation as towhy the selected procedures are more feasible than other alternativesfor the research topic.
• Describe any relevant variables, measures, and statistical tests.
• Apply ethical principles and professional standards to the proposedpsychological research. Provide an analysis of any ethical issues thatmay arise and explain how these issues will be resolved.

The following headings for the required sections and subsections mustappear in the paper. In accordance with APA style, all referenceslisted must be cited in the text of the paper.

• Introduction

• Introduce the research topic, explain why it is important, andpresent an appropriately and narrowly defined research question and/orhypothesis.

• Literature Review

• Evaluate the published research on the chosen topic including aminimum of three peer-reviewed articles. Summarize the current state ofknowledge on the topic, making reference to the findings of previousresearch studies. Briefly mention the research methods that havepreviously been used to study the topic. State whether the proposedstudy is a replication of a previous study or a new approach employingmethods that have not been used before. Be sure to properly cite allsources in APA style.

• Methods

• Design – Create a feasible research design thatincorporates appropriate methods to address the topic. Indicate whetherthe approach of the proposed study is qualitative, quantitative, ormixed methods. Identify the specific research design, and indicatewhether it is experimental or non-experimental. Evaluate the chosendesign and explain why this design is feasible and appropriate for thetopic and how it will provide the information needed to answer theresearch question. Cite sources on research methodology to support thesechoices. Include a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources.
• Participants – Identify and describe the samplingstrategy to be used to recruit participants for the study. Estimate thenumber of participants needed, and explain why this sampling method isappropriate for the research design and approach.

• Procedure/Measures – Apply the scientific method bydescribing the steps to be taken in carrying out the study. Identify anytest, questionnaire, or measurement instrument to be utilized. If anexisting published instrument will be employed, briefly describe it andcite the source. If an original questionnaire, survey, or test will becreated for the project, describe the types of information that will becollected with it and explain how the validity and reliability of theinstrument will be established. If such an instrument will not be used,describe how the data will be collected for the study.

• Data Analysis – Describe the statistical techniques (ifquantitative) or the analysis procedure (if qualitative) to be used toanalyze the data. Cite at least one peer-reviewed source on the chosenanalysis technique.
• Ethical Issues – Analyze the impact of ethical concernson the proposed study, such as confidentiality, deception, informedconsent, potential harm to participants, conflict of interest, IRBapproval, etc. After analyzing the ethical issues that apply to theproject, indicate what will be done to handle these concerns.

• Conclusion

• Briefly summarize the major points of the paper and reiterate why the proposed study is needed.

Attention Students: The Masters of Arts inPsychology program is utilizing the Pathbrite portfolio tool as arepository for student scholarly work in the form of signatureassignments completed within the program. After receiving feedback forthis Research Proposal, please implement any changes recommended by theinstructor, go to Pathbrite, (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and upload the revised Research Proposal to the portfolio. Use the Pathbrite Quick-Start Guideto create an account if you do not already have one. The upload ofsignature assignments will take place after completing each course. Becertain to upload revised signature assignments throughout the programas the portfolio and its contents will be used in other courses and maybe used by individual students as a professional resource tool. See the Pathbrite (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. website for information and further instructions on using this portfolio tool.

The Research Proposal

• Must be five to seven double-spaced pages (excluding title page andreferences page) in length and formatted according to APA style asoutlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought and provide a thorough explanation of all required issues.
• Must utilize a minimum of six peer-reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.