Research Proposal (Graduate Students))

Deadline 5/3/2000, 6 p.m.
We will have an informal in-class discussion of the papers you have written; please bring one extra copy.

Research Proposal (Graduate Students)

Write a 10-page research proposal based on an original research idea gleaned from the content of the course.  The thesis topic should be based on ethics or professional practices in PR or Mass Communications. The following outline should help you in this effort. Use 1-inch margins, 12 pt. Times New Roman or Times type. 

Cover Page
Include a cover page with your paper that includes:

The Paper Title (use a meaningful title that is to the point)
Where the paper is being submitted (A paper submitted as partial fulfillment of the PR Case Studies course, Spring 2000)
Your Name
Your Title (Graduate Student in the Master's in Professional Communication Program)
Your Academic Affiliation (College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Communication, East Tennessee State University)
Your address
Your phone number
Your e-mail address
and the Date
 

I. Introduction
Introduce the research problem.  Explain the significance of the research.  Explain who would benefit from the research.  Explain the feasibility and limitations of the research project.  Explain the scope of the research project.  Make sure you answer the "so what?" question.

II. Literature Review
Summarize the relevant research that has been published on the topic of your investigation.  Use Chicago style with endnotes for citations.  Use Communication Abstracts and electronic databases discussed in class to locate relevant citations and articles.
Organize the literature in a logical order such as by topic or chronologically.  Explain the theoretical basis for your research proposal.

III. Research Questions and Hypotheses
Formulate your research questions and hypotheses on the basis of your literature review.  Research questions are more general in nature, but should be specific enough to narrow down the focus of your research.  Remember that a hypothesis is a statement of relationships among variables with implications for testing.  It helps to think about what your independent and dependent variables are and write the hypothesis accordingly.  The research questions and hypotheses must correspond to your introduction and literature review.  The research questions and hypotheses should spring forth from your literature review.

IV. Methodology
Explain the method you will use to test the hypotheses or examine the research questions you have proposed.  The methodology should closely correspond to the research questions and hypotheses you have proposed.  Include an explanation about details of the method you choose such as the unit of analysis, independent and dependent variables, any control variables you may include, sample size, experimental method you will use, how you will test intercoder reliability, etc.  As much as possible, provide citations that back up the validity of the method you are proposing.  Be sure you that you choose a research methodology that will adequately test your hypotheses and answer your research questions.  If your study includes human subjects include information about how you will protect confidentiality and the well being of the human subjects involved.

V. Timeline/Budget
Give a brief timeline of when you expect to do the full literature review, when you expect to do the data analysis, when you expect to write the first draft, when you expect to write the final copy and when you expect to defend the thesis.  Include a brief budget of any expenditures you expect to encounter during the research.

VI. Publishing Possibilities
Explain where the thesis may be published once it has been defended successfully.

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