Sections
1. Introduction: one paragraph that summarizes what you will write and puts it into context. Should consist of:
- "The Problem": start with your central research problem, a research gap that has not been answered in your research area of interest.
- "What You're Studying": discuss your proposed study topic and how it would fill this research gap
- "So What?": why your research study and problem is important and why your reader should care
2. Background and Significance: a "Game Plan" that goes into more detail about the main aspects and themes of your research problem, how your proposed research study will address them, and background information to contextualize it all. Should include the following information:
- Research Problem: what it is and how it gives purpose to your proposed study
- Study Themes: describe the major issues or problems your proposed study will examine
- Study Background: a brief summary of how your proposed study will build on previous assumptions about the research problem
- Study Rationale: more detailed information about why the study is important
- Study Methods: outline the methods of your proposed study
- Study Scope: describe the boundaries and extent of your proposed study, defining its specific objectives, target population, and variables, to provide a clear focus and understanding of what will be investigated.
- Study Definitions: include definitions of key concepts, theories, or terms that you use to describe your study themes, background, or methods
- Key Sources: briefly summarize the key sources that you used to build your study. This is a good transition and introduction to the next section, the Literature Review
3. Literature Review: a review of the literature that you used to build your proposed study. This should be more than just a summary of the articles that you have read. Your Literature Review should synthesize your articles into a compelling narrative about the themes and issues in the articles you read, how they relate to your research problem, how they build up to your proposed study, and demonstrate why your proposed study is original and important. Your introduction should:
- Go to Start Finding Sources, Search Databases, and Browse Journals to find journal articles for your research area.
- Go to Analyze Your Sources to find key information in your journal articles
- Go to Use Your Sources to use your articles to build your hypothesis, arguments, and justifications for your proposed research study.
4. Research Design and Methods: provides detailed information about your experimental design and why it's appropriate for your research area. Should include information about each step in your proposed study from start to finish (collection to analysis, coding, organizing, etc.):
- Type of research study (i.e. quantitative, qualitative)
- Specific research process/procedures your research design follows
- Information about study populations, subject recruitment procedures, and sites
- Will an IRB be necessary and how will it be obtained if there are key issues?
- Will you need to use Consent Forms? Refer to it in the Methods and include the Consent Form as an appendix at the end.
- Data Collection:
- What information will you collect?
- How will data be gathered? Are you using instruments like surveys, interviews, scales?
- Discuss the instruments you will use in the Methods section, and include them as an appendix at the end.
- Data Analysis Plan: how will you analyze the data you collect?
- include protocol covering data collection, storage, and sharing.
5. Study Implications and Limitations:
- Limitations and Potential Hurdles: Do you anticipate any hurdles to being able to carry out your study? What limitations do you anticipate to the conclusions you'll be able to draw from your study results?
- Broader Impacts: What is the potential to advance knowledge and understanding within the Criminology & Criminal Justice field? What is the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired outcomes? What are the potential policy implications of your proposed study?
6. References List: a list of the sources you cited
7. Appendices:(if applicable): include additional study components referred to in the body of the proposal, such as survey instruments, interview instruments, and/or informed consent documents
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