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The final project in this course is a research proposal; i.e., a proposal for a
The final project in this course is a research proposal; i.e., a proposal for a communication research project you
would like to undertake. A research proposal includes an introduction, a review of literature, a rationale for your
study, research questions or hypotheses, a proposed methods section, and a conclusion. To excel on this project
requires a great deal of work outside of class on your part. The following sequence of assignments and drafts is
designed to help you keep up with the required work and to get feed back along the way. You should begin thinking
of research ideas and doing library research on possible research topics as soon as possible.
Citation and formatting for these assignments are to be done in APA style. See
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
General advice and guidelines on writing for communication studies can be found here:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/communication-studies/
Draft Intro/Lit Review
This is a draft of the first part of the research proposal document and should ultimately be about 5-7 pages. It should
contain the following sections:
1. Title Page
2. Introduction (begin with a brief [1or 2 page] introduction to the general research topic or problem)
3. Literature Review (3-5 pages). A literature review“ relates a study to the larger, ongoing dialogue in the [research]
literature….It produces a framework for establishing the importance of the study as well as a benchmark for
comparing [your proposed study with previous studies]” (Creswell, 2009, p.25).
4. Research Questions or Hypotheses for your proposed research
The introduction and literature review should establish the significance of your proposed research, describe
whatever theoretical perspectives you will be using, and provide conceptual definitions for technical terms that are
utilized in the study. Additionally, it needs to not simply summarize a number of individual studies (as in the
annotated bibliography); instead, the previous literature should be organized in a way that shows how the cited
research fits together and argues for your proposed research. You might organize your cited literature around how
various studies have approached different aspects of your research problem, how various articles represent different
theoretical approaches to your research problem, or how various articles exemplify different methodological
approaches to your research problem. For example, in a research proposal, the author may introduce her proposal by
establishing the significance of her research topic (sexual imagery in music videos) and states the purpose of her
proposed study (to study how these images influence adolescents’ attitudes toward sex). She then organizes her lit
review by summarizing previous research on sexual images in music videos, on adolescent development, and then
how music videos may influence their audiences. Finally, she states her specific research question.
Additional information on writing and structuring lit reviews can be found here:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/literature-reviews/
Grades for the Draft Intro/Lit Review will be assigned as follows:
• 150 points = All sections are present and complete in the document; At least 10 sources cited
• 125 points = One section is missing or incomplete; At least 8 sources cited
• 100 points = Two sections are missing or incomplete; At least 6 sources cited
• 75 points = Three sections are missing or incomplete; Fewer than 6 sources cited
• 50 points = Document is inappropriate; frequent spelling & grammar errors; partial sources
Draft Methods/Conclusion This is a draft of the second half of your research proposal and should ultimately be
about 5 – 7 pages. It should contain the following sections:
5. Method: Begin with a paragraph identifying your basic methodological approach (e.g., experimental,
survey, content analysis, rhetorical analysis, discourse analysis, etc.) and how it relates to your Research Questions
or Hypotheses.
a. Participants/Sample: If your method requires human participants describe how many participants you
would wish to be in the study, how you will recruit them, and other relevant characteristics. If your
method involves the study of existing texts or messages, what texts or messages will you be analyzing?
If you are sampling from a large body of texts or messages, how will you sample them?
b. Instruments/Measures/Analytical Approach: If your method is quantitative, what survey instruments or
other measures will you be administering to participants? If these are published measures, cite. If you
are developing your own measures, include them in the text or in an appendix. If you are using
qualitative interviews, what questions will you be asking? If you are making direct observations, will
you be using audio/video recordings? Will you be taking notes? How will you organize your
observations (e.g., Hymes ’SPEAKING heuristic)? If you are using content analysis, what will you be
coding for in your messages? If you are using rhetorical or critical methods, what theoretical
perspectives will you be using in your analysis?
c. Procedures: If you are using experimental or survey methods, how will participants complete your
measures or tasks (e.g., online surveys, lab setting, etc.)? If you are observing communication
behaviors, in what context will these observations be made? Will your presence be known to those
under study? If you are using content analysis, how will you code messages? Test for intercoder
reliability? If you are using discourse analysis, rhetorical criticism, or critical theory, how will you
ensure that you are systematically reading and annotating the texts?
6. Conclusion: In 1-2 pages, tie your methods back to your research questions or hypotheses, discuss
potential limitations and ethical considerations relevant to your research.
Grades for the draft Methods/Conclusion will be assigned as follows:
• 150 points = All sections are present and complete in the document
• 125 points = One section is missing or incomplete
• 100 points = Two sections are missing or incomplete
• 75 points = Three sections are missing or incomplete
• 50 points = Document is inappropriate; frequent spelling & grammar errors; large gaps in work
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