Assignment Instructions This assignment is something that you will be able to draw upon moving forward in the program.  A research proposal is a very common start to a research project as it helps to frame out the importance of the project itself and show the knowledge gaps that currently exist in the literature.  Typically after a solid research proposal is written, the paper unfolds from there as you have a clear framework to follow moving forward.This assignment requires you to write a proposal that states your research question and your research strategy for addressing it. As mentioned throughout your previous assignments you may draw upon each one to help you build your proposal. Research Proposal:  The research proposal must be between 8-10 pages in length not including title page or references. Your title page should include the working title of your research project, your name, date, and course title.  You should also have an abstract on your title page. Your proposal should have the following sections: Introduction: The introduction is where you identify your specific research question and where you set the general context for the study. In this section you need to include: a statement of the problem or general research question and context leading to a clear statement of the specific research question;  background and contextual material justifying why this case or topic should be studied; and  a purpose statement.  Literature Review: This short preliminary literature review section reviews the literature important to your specific research question. The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same or similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in a larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this case. It provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it relates to your specific research question. In this section you should: Summarize the general state of the literature (cumulative knowledge base) on the specific research question. For example, if you discuss other studies that have been conducted you would summarize the researcher’s findings, how those findings were obtained, and conduct an evaluation of biases in the findings.  This section should provide a broad overview of the primary arguments related to the topic and organizes the general views on the main aspects of the topic by theme, which could be the prevailing arguments or schools of thought, or commonly held beliefs that your particular topic may challenge.  Include a short conclusion and transition to the next section.  In your literature review, you should also discuss the theoretical framework to be used in the study.  You should ensure you cover the following in your discussion:   a summary of the theory or model to be used in the study, including a diagram of the model if appropriate;  comment on the kinds of questions this theory has been used .

1. Assignment Instructions
This assignment is something that you will be able to draw upon
moving forward in the program. A research proposal is a very
common start to a research project as it helps to frame out the
importance of the project itself and show the knowledge gaps
that currently exist in the literature. Typically after a solid
research proposal is written, the paper unfolds from there as you
have a clear framework to follow moving forward.This
assignment requires you to write a proposal that states your
research question and your research strategy for addressing it.
As mentioned throughout your previous assignments you may
draw upon each one to help you build your proposal.
Research Proposal:
The research proposal must be between 8-10 pages in length
not including title page or references.
Your title page should include the working title of your research
project, your name, date, and course title. You should also have
an abstract on your title page.
Your proposal should have the following sections:
Introduction:
The introduction is where you identify your specific research
question and where you set the general context for the study. In
this section you need to include:
a statement of the problem or general research question and
context leading to a clear statement of the specific research
question;
background and contextual material justifying why this case or
topic should be studied; and
a purpose statement.

2. Literature Review:
This short preliminary literature review section reviews the
literature important to your specific research question. The
literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers
have addressed the same or similar research questions. It
introduces the study and places it in a larger context that
includes a discussion of why it is important to study this case. It
provides the current state of accumulated knowledge as it
relates to your specific research question. In this section you
should:
Summarize the general state of the literature (cumulative
knowledge base) on the specific research question. For example,
if you discuss other studies that have been conducted you would
summarize the researcher’s findings, how those findings were
obtained, and conduct an evaluation of biases in the findings.
This section should provide a broad overview of the primary
arguments related to the topic and organizes the general views
on the main aspects of the topic by theme, which could be the
prevailing arguments or schools of thought, or commonly held
beliefs that your particular topic may challenge.
Include a short conclusion and transition to the next section.
In your literature review, you should also discuss the theoretical
framework to be used in the study. You should ensure you
cover the following in your discussion:
a summary of the theory or model to be used in the study,
including a diagram of the model if appropriate;

3. comment on the kinds of questions this theory has been used to
answer in the past and why it is appropriate to use in this
proposed study
To really drive this home you want to end your literature review
with a discussion of the current knowledge gaps. This is an
opportunity to once again promote the importance of your own
research. How will your research fit within this larger body of
knowledge? What are you doing differently? What gaps will
your research fill?
For some additional information on how to organize your
theoretical framework into your paper, check out this
USC Library guide on Theoretical Frameworks
.
From here you would then include a transition into your
methodology section.NOTE: Literature reviews can be a bit
tricky to write. Think back to how you wrote your short theory
lit review in week 4. Chances are you already started to write
in a style similar to what one does when completing a literature
review. Check out
this video
(the same one you were guided to in week 4) to help you
further prepare to write this section of your proposal. This will
not be the last time that you are asked to write a literature
review in your academic career so it is important to master this
skill.
Research Design and Methods:
Describes how you will answer your research question or test
the hypothesis. This section describes your overall research
design and how you plan to collect, synthesize, and interpret
your data. It should include:

4. identification and operationalization (measurement) of
variables;
a sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling
procedures, if appropriate);
justification of case studies used;
data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives,
interviews, surveys, etc.);
a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and
the limitations of the study and bias discussion.
Conclusion:
Reemphasizes the importance of your study and ties the
proposal together.
Reference List
: As with all academic papers you need to references the works
that you have cited (direct quotes or paraphrases) in the text of
your document and incorporate a complete reference list or
bibliography at the end. This list needs to be in the style used
within your field. APA= Criminal Justice, Turabian for all
others in this course.Remember that the references you use
demonstrate your knowledge of the topic area. This research
proposal is meant to convince your professor that you not only
have identified a worthy question in need of investigation but
that you are also capable of carrying out the research involved
to successfully answer that question. At the very least you
should have referenced 12-15 peer-reviewed sources in this
proposal.
Since multiple writing styles are in use within this course, on
your title page, please note which style you are using within
your assignment. This will help me cater my comments to the

5. style you are using. The style you use needs to be the one that
is used within your program of study.Format:
Standard academic format will suffice: 1-inch borders on all
four sides, double spaced, with times new roman 12-point
font.As you proof read your assignment I encourage you to
work with Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2009. "
Editing Your Sentences
" In
Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to
Academic Publishing Success.
Sage. This resource has a nice step by step process for
enhancing your writing.