Research Proposal: Communication Research

Research Proposal: Communication Research

The objective of this assignment is to assess your knowledge of various aspects of academic research. More importantly it intends to gauge your capabilities to synthesize the ideas learned throughout the semester, apply them to conduct original social scientific research and report the findings in a standard academic format.

Each student will design a study using a research method covered during this semester. This research proposal should come up with research questions that are relevant to the field of communication and get consent from the instructor. Please feel free to consult with the instructor at multiple ongoing stages of the project.

The length should be around 10 pages long, with an abstract and references in addition to it. The research proposal should follow the APA writing style.

Descriptions of each section of the final research proposal are outlined below. This project is worth 190 points

Grade will be based on the following criteria:

Title (10 points)

• It is specific enough to differentiate the article from the other research articles on the same topic. • It is reasonably concise and contains less than 15 words. • The primary variables are referred to in the title.

Abstract (10 points)

• The purpose of the study is clearly stated.

• Major theories of the research are mentioned.

• The research methodology is summarized.

• Main results are highlighted with brevity.

• Implications and future research directions are mentioned to be discussed in the article but not specifically given in the abstract.

• It contains less than 150 words.

Introduction (20 points)

• A specific problem area of investigation is clearly identified. • The importance of the problem area is established. • It is organized in a coherent way with logical transitions from topic to topic. • It summarizes the main purposes of the current study.

Literature Review (60 points) 3-4 pages

• The review is selective but includes key studies of the topic. • Both strengths and weaknesses of previous studies are considered. • Preference is given to current research though a very limited number of classic studies should be included. • Conceptual definitions of key terms are given. • Opinions and propositions are clearly distinguished from research results. • Direct quotations are limited to a minimum level. • It is organized in a coherent way with logical transitions from topic to topic. • It logically leads to research hypotheses.

Research Questions (20 points)

• Variables are named and the type of relationship expected among them is stated. • Independent and dependent variables are explicitly identified or implied. • Each research question is expressed in a single sentence and contains less than 30 words. • The Research Questions are numbered or lettered and presented in a logical order.

• It avoids using the word “prove”.

Methodology (60 points) around 3-4 pages

: Here, you explain how you went about identifying your source material, and how you analyzed it. (See the sample content analysis study on Blackboard for an example.)

• Research design is stated.

• Procedure of the study is outlined in details.

• Variables (Coding category) of the study are operationalized in accordance to the conceptual definitions in the literature review.

• The whole section is organized in a logical way. References (10 points)

• All references are properly cited in the article and listed in the references section in compliance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition