Proposal information
In your proposal, you will review research in a narrowly defined area of psychological research that is of interest to you. You will make a hypothesis or hypotheses that build on this review. Then you will design a study that would test that hypothesis. You’ll have a cover page along with an abstract, introduction, method, expected results, discussion, references, and possibly appendices. Your paper should be in excellent APA style, both in terms of format and writing. I’ll help you with various aspects of the paper as the course progresses, and there will be several opportunities for you to get feedback.
Research Proposal Checklist
Does the title page have all the required elements, including a header and page numbers?
Is the title no more than 12 words?
Does the title adequately summarize the paper (e.g., mentions main variables, no words that don’t add anything)?
Is the paper in APA-style?
Are there at least 12 references?
Are most of the references from scholarly, peer-reviewed sources?
Are the references properly and accurately cited?
Are all references cited in the text found in the reference section and vice versa?
Is the abstract 150-250 words long?
Is the abstract clear and understandable?
Does it summarize the paper well, including information from each major section of the paper (i.e., problem statement, method, expected results, what those results would mean/implications)?
Do the first couple of paragraphs set up the topic well?
Is there an interesting beginning to draw the reader in?
Is there a preview of the study toward the end of the introduction?
Does it give and clear and thorough presentation of previous research?
Are the cited studies relevant?
Are there at least 10 empirical journal articles cited in this section?
Are they presented appropriately and accurately?
Are the studies integrated well?
Is there a sense of analysis, or is the paper just reporting findings?
Is the review deep enough?
Is the right amount of detail used?
Do the paragraphs have topic sentences that are appropriately organized and are expanded upon with evidence in the paragraph?
Does the reader get a sense of the state of research in the topic area?
Is it clear how the study you are doing will add to what we already know about your topic?
Is there a clear rationale for the hypotheses presented?
Are the hypotheses clearly stated and testable?
Are the hypotheses original and interesting?
Is it in future tense?
Are there appropriate subheadings?
Are all questionnaires and scales described well (with the actual questionnaire, if created by you, in an appendix)?
For each scale, is there information on a) what it measures, b) how many items there are, c) how they are answered, d) a sample item, and e) information on reliability and validity?
Is it clear exactly what happens to participants from the beginning to the end of the study, in “time” order?
Is it clear where the participants will be found and how they will be recruited?
Could someone reading your method section replicate your study exactly?
Does your method clearly test your hypotheses?
Are your operational definitions clearly defined?
Are there any confounds or other research problems that you could have avoided?
What comparisons would you make on your data?
How would these comparisons test your hypotheses?
What do you expect to find, in words and in terms of main effects, interactions, and correlations?
What would it mean if you did get your expected results?
What implications would these results have for other areas, for theory, and for practice?
Why would these results be important?
What are limitations of your study and ideas for further research (you need at least two of each)?
Does your study end with a strong take-home message?
Is the paper well-organized?
Does it use appropriate headings?
Are the studies organized in an understandable way?
Are there transitions between paragraphs and sections?
Does each paragraph have a topic sentence that accurately describes the content of the paragraph?
Does each paragraph cover a single main “thought”?
Are the paragraphs in the best logical order?
Is the paper well-written?
Are there spelling/grammar mistakes?
Is there passive voice or unnecessary words?
Are there awkward sentences?
Is the paper easily understandable?
Is it written for the right audience level?
Are precise and consistent (and not colloquial) terms used?
Points breakdown (final paper):
References/APA
style 10 (-.25 for each error, -1 for each
reference that doesn’t match up)
Abstract 10
Introduction 15
Method 35
Expected Results 10
Discussion 10
Organization/Composition 10 (but poor writing will also affect grades on other
sections)
Letter to the editor (20 pts), final annotated bibliography (25 pts), and rough draft of the introduction (5) are all part of the homework grade.
Points breakdown (introduction):
References/APA style 10
Annotated bibliography 10
Beginning section 5
Literature review 50
Current study section 10
Organization 10
Composition 5
Points breakdown (method and expected results):
References/APA style 10
Current study section 10
Method 45
Expected results 25
Organization/Composition 10