Title Page Abstract (150-250 words) An abstract serves three main purposes: Allows readers to get the gist of your paper quickly so that they can decide if they want to keep reading Prepares readers to follow the detailed information, analyses, and findings in your full paper. Helps readers remember key points from your paper The following should be included in your abstract: The context of your study: the general topic under study and the specific topic of your own research to support the general topic The central question or statement of the problem your research addresses What is already known and what previous research suggests (very brief -do not cite references) Your methods (brief) Usually the abstract is written as one of the last parts of the process once the full paper is mostly complete Introduction (2 -3 pages) – this is the assignment for Lab Project #4. Your introduction should accomplish two goals: Discuss the important findings from previous studies that are relevant to your project so that your reader can gauge the current understanding of the topic Present your studys major objectives and detailed hypothesis Designed to interest your reader in your topic and proposal, provide some context for your study, and provide a comprehensive argument for why you are planning to conduct the study and what you are expecting to happen based on previous research. Format: Problem statement: Start with a problem statement to define the issue at hand. What is the problem? Why is the problem significant? If the problem is that there is an absence of research on this topic, why is contributing to our understanding of the topic important? Literature review: provide context using past research to describe the topic in detail. Connect the sources and material you have read about your topic to help your audience understand your variables. Go beyond just summarizing other studies clearly demonstrate how your study builds on existing scholarship/research. This is where you provide the background and significance of your study. Proposed argument/research question/hypothesis: present the studys research question, your major objectives, and how you plan to explore the problem/question. Formulate a research question that is narrowly focused so that you have a manageable research question based on a testable hypothesis. List the independent/dependent variables and your operational definitions for the variables. Explain how you plan to study each variable in broad terms (save the more detailed description of the procedure for your method section). Hypothesis: what do you predict the results of your study will be or what do you expect to find once you have conducted your study? This should not be intuitive/based on anecdotes; you should have come to this prediction based on the literature that you reviewed, that is why a hypothesis is an educated guess. Methods (1 -2 pages) – this is part of Lab Project #5. Presented a detailed plan of how you propose to carry out your study, including a description of your participants/subjects, materials, design of the study, and your procedure. Three sections: Participants/Subjects Description of who is going to participate in your study How will you recruit/gather participants for your study? Will they be compensated? What is the reasoning behind choosing these participants? Be sure to include control groups in your study design. Materials What surveys/instruments will you use to conduct your research study? If using previously established scales/instruments/surveys, be sure to cite the authors. Procedure Outline the logistics of your study: how will you conduct your research study? Making sure that your reader understands how the methodology you have chosen is appropriate to your specific topic Data Analysis (less than 1 page) – this is part of Lab Project #5. Is this a qualitative or quantitative study? What will be the measurements be for your variables? How will you analyze your hypothetical data? Describe the statistics you will use to test your hypothesis (both descriptive and inferential statistical tests). Conclusion (1 page) Broader implications of your research make a case for what contribution your project makes to the discipline and how the results of your study will help answer unresolved questions you are investigating Address the so what? of the research why does this study matter? Limitations what are some issues/problems that your research proposal might have? Demonstrate an understanding of how you have accounted for most interrogations of validity, but be honest about whether or not you may have to prioritize some validities over others. About the Author (less than 1 page) As an addendum to the proposal, create a biography of yourself as a researcher feel free to create a hypothetical where you describe your future self in your future career or as a future psychology student. Include a photo if you’d like and make this section your own. References – this is part of Lab Project #4. All sources cited in your proposal must appear on your reference page and follow APA formatting (7th) as we have learned in the course. At least 5 peer-reviewed, scholarly sources are required. All sources must be peer-reviewed, scholarly works from within the last 15 years If you want to include sources outside 15 years, they must be above and beyond the required 5 sources Final Submission Format: References: You should have, at minimum, 5 references that are scholarly, peer-reviewed works from within the last 15 years. Points will be deducted for references that are not scholarly, peer-reviewed work. When appropriate, write in future tense. You are proposing a study. In scientific writing, it is perfectly acceptable to write in the first person. Spacing and font: Font options (name & size): Calibri 12, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, Times New Roman 12, or Georgia 11 Double spaced, 1 margins Paragraph formatting and writing at college level expected Organization: Must follow APA formatting for Student papers. (Links to an external site.) Click here for a Concise Guide (Links to an external site.) Student Paper Checklist (Links to an external site.). Click here for how to create an APA reference list (Links to an external site.). Click here for a checklist for in-text citations (Links to an external site.). Title page Abstract Reference page All major sections labeled following APA formatting: Abstract, Introduction, Methods (including Participants, Materials, and Procedure), Data Analysis, Conclusion, About the Author, References. Citation format: APA All formatting should follow APA formatting guidelines No direct quotes, no plagiarism (the papers will be put through a plagiarism checker) Submission format: .docx, doc, .pdf, .rtf ONLY (It is your responsibility to check your submissions and make sure they are in the appropriate format that I can access. I cannot access google docs links or PAGES. You need to save the file in one of these formats.)Show more
