Sociology 357 Methods of Sociological Inquiry Exercise Five Research Proposal - due November 7 There is no restriction concerning the topic, method, or data source for the mini-project. However, you cannot submit a research paper you have previously written for another class. That is, the project and the research paper should be completed during the current semester. If you would like to use a project you are currently doing for another class, please note this in this proposal. The purpose of this research proposal is to convince me that you have a worthwhile research project and that you have the competence and the work-plan to complete it. Regardless of your research area and the methodology you choose, the proposal should build around these questions: What you plan to accomplish, why you want to do it, and how you are going to do it. Choosing a research question * Choose a general topic area in sociology, psychology, or criminology etc. that interests you. * Read some primary sources (journal articles that describe original research). Use JSTOR, Web of Science, or some other online journal databases to conduct a literature search. If you have an original idea, you probably won't find a study on your exact topic - that's what makes your idea original, but also makes your project more challenging at first. * Narrow your topic to a specific research question. When we talk about the research question, we mean the relationship between two or more variables, e.g., drinking and GPA. You do not have to determine the direction of the association. Suggested proposal outline Introduction 1. What is your research question? State your research question as a hypothesis if applicable. 2. If you’re testing a hypothesis, describe why you think your study will find support for your prediction.3. Why is this research question important? What do researchers already know and what will they learn from your study? Methods 4. Design - Is it a survey, an observational study, an experiment, or a secondary data analysis? What kind of design do you choose? 5. Subjects or participants - Who will take part in your study? What kind of sampling procedure will you use? 6. Instruments - What kind of questionnaires will you use? Are they valid and reliable? 7. Procedure - How do you plan to carry out your study? What activities are involved? How long does it take? 8. If you are using an existing data set – how were the data collected? What was the target population? How were subjects
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