Research Proposal Guidelines
Each student is required to complete a research proposal. This proposal will describe a research study in the student’s topic of interest. This research proposal is to be organized in sections, similar to a peer-reviewed research study. These sections are outlined below.
Although you will not be required to carry out the research for this course, I strongly encourage you to propose a feasible research project. If you plan to do an independent study or senior thesis, you could use this project as a starting point.
Research Topic
You must choose a topic for your research proposal that is relevant to the field of criminology and criminal justice. For this portion of the assignment, you must describe the research question of your choosing and the purpose of the research project. This assignment should be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 3-5 sentences long.
Literature Review
For this portion of the research proposal, you must review relevant literature regarding your research topic. This should include the following sections:
Introduction
Statement of the problem or the question/issue the proposed research will address (e.g., What is the effect of mental illness on criminal behavior? Does drug use increase criminal behavior?)
Relevance of the proposed question to furthering knowledge in the fields of criminology & criminal justice (i.e., Why is this research question important? How will answering this question enhance theory, empirical literature, and/or policy?)
Review of the relevant literature, including findings and methodology
You should review a minimum of 20 peer-reviewed publications that relate to the research question of your choosing
Hypotheses
This section should turn your research question into a testable hypothesis
This should include a statement of the null hypothesis as well as a discussion of the meaning of rejection of the null hypothesis for this research
This assignment should be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 3-5 pages double-spaced. An APA style reference page should also be included.
Identification of Data/Sample
For this portion of the proposal, there should be a thorough discussion of the data source and sampling methodology that you are proposing to answer your research question. This should include the following:
Identify the data source and sampling methodology to be used
Discuss advantages and limitations of the data and sample
This assignment should be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 1-3 pages double-spaced.
Identification of Concepts/Variables/Measures
This portion of the proposal will include a thorough discussion of the concepts, variables, and measures that are relevant to the research question. This section should include:
A thorough discussion of concepts included in the research question
Discussion of all variables to be included (i.e. dependent, independent, and relevant control variables) and how you plan to measure them
Discussion of the advantages and limitations of these measures
Thorough discussion of the research design you are proposing
Discussion of the method proposed
Justification of the method (i.e., why is it appropriate for answering your research question)
Discussion of the advantages and limitations of the research design
This assignment should be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 3-5 pages double-spaced.
For your final research proposal assignment, you will revise the above mentioned sections combine them into one coherent research proposal by completing the following steps:
Conclude with a section that discusses any ethical issues that may be relevant to your research proposal; if there are no foreseeable ethical concerns, explain why not
This assignment should be typed, 12-point Times New Roman font, 7-10 pages and double-spaced. It should include an APA style title page and references.