Research Proposal

PSY 550 – Research Methods

Topic 7 Research Proposal Guidelines

Here are the requirements for the Research Proposal:

· Include a Title Page, Abstract page, and References page in APA format, 6th edition.
· Introduction: This is the longest section of your paper. Begin with an introductory paragraph that states the purpose of the paper. Then, go into detail on your literature review. Begin with a general review of your topic and move to specific studies that are similar to your proposal. Show how your proposal is different from what has been done before. Build to a paragraph that includes your hypothesis (-ses).
· Method: This part has four sections (each of which is a subheading):
· Participants: Describe who they will be, how many, how would they be recruited, what characteristics they would have, etc.
· Apparatus/ Materials and/ or Instruments: What ingredients will you need to run your study (tests, gadgets, paper/ pencils, etc.)?
· Procedure: Outline the steps of your study in chronological order. Write in the conditional tense if the study is not going to be carried out.
· Design: Include what type of design you’re using (e.g., correlational nonexperimental design, between-subjects, within-subjects, or mixed experimental design).
· Results: This section may be combined with the Discussion section. Include a paragraph describing what statistic was used (e.g., t-test, ANOVA, correlation, chi-square), how many degrees of freedom, alpha level (choose .05), and critical value.
· Discussion (20%): Include at least four paragraphs.
· Describe what it would mean if you obtained significant results. Then describe what it would mean to obtain nonsignificant results.
· Discuss how your study followed APA ethical guidelines, by discussing the use of an informed consent form, debriefing statement, deception, and obtaining IRB permission.
· Discuss any limitations in your study (e.g., possible confounding, lack of random assignment, or random sampling).
· Conclude with a discussion of future studies that could arise from your study.
· Include two figures, OR two tables, OR a table and a figure (10%). A table is columns of numbers, and a figure is anything else (chart, map, graph, etc.). You can include your Informed Consent form and your Debriefing form as two figures.