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CJ 488-Research Methods for Criminal Justice

Outlining a Research Proposal

1. PURPOSE OF STUDY

1. (One sentence only.)  The purpose of this study is to ___________.
2. What study or literature review is your study most directly based on?  (Give citation.)
3. How does your study build on previous research?  (No more than 3 sentences.)
4. How will your study contribute to knowledge about your topic of interest?  (No more than 3 sentences)
5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS, HYPOTHESES, AND OBJECTIVES
6. In what form are you stating your research purposes?  (Check one or more)

___________Questions ____________Hypotheses

1. List your research questions/hypotheses.
2. Does your study relate to a particular theoretical framework?  If it does, describe the framework, and indicate how your research questions, hypotheses, or objectives relate to it.  If the study is qualitative in nature, indicate whether you plan to use a grounded theory approach.
3. LITERATURE SEARCH
4. List the descriptors that you will use initially in your literature search.
5. List the preliminary sources that you will use in your literature search.
6. RESEARCH DESIGN
7. Describe the research design that you selected for your study:  descriptive, causal-comparative, correlational, experimental, case study, historical, evaluation, or action research, a particular qualitative research tradition, or educational research and development.
8. If the study is quantitative in nature, what are the threats to the internal validity of your research design?  What will you do to minimize or avoid these threats?
9. If your study is quantitative in nature, what are the limitations to the generalizability (i.e., external validity) of findings that will result from your research design?  What will you do to maximize the generalizability of your findings?
10. If your study is qualitative in nature, what criteria for ensuring its soundness and rigor and what steps to ensure its applicability do you consider being relevant to your research design?
11. Sampling
12. If your study is quantitative in nature, describe the characteristics of the population that you will study.  If you study is qualitative in nature, describe the phenomenon you wish to study and the cases that comprise instances of the phenomenon.

1. Identify your sampling procedure (e.g., simple random sampling), and explain why you selected it.
2. Indicate the sampling unit (e.g., individual students or a class of students).
3. Indicate the size of you sample, and explain why that sample size is sufficient.
4. Indicate whether the sample will be formed into subgroups, and if so, describe the characteristics of the subgroups.

6. VARIABLES
7. If your study is quantitative in nature, list the variables that you will study.  For each variable, indicate whether it is an independent variable, a dependent variable, or neither.  If the study is qualitative in nature, describe the aspects of the cases on which data collection and analysis will focus.

7. METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
8. List the measures that you will select or develop for your study.
9. If your study is quantitative in nature, indicate the variables that each measure will assess.  For each measure will assess.  For each measure, indicate which types of validity and reliability are relevant and how you will check them.

1. If your study is qualitative in nature, indicate the themes and patterns that it possibly will explore.  Also, indicate whether your data collection will focus on etic or emic perspectives, or both.  Explain whether and how you will collect data on the context in which the research participants function.  Explain, too, your role in the data collection process.

8. DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURES
9. What statistics, if any, will you use to analyze your data?  If your study is qualitative, indicate whether you will use an interpretational, structural, or reflective method of analysis.

9. ETHICS AND HUMAN RELATIONS
10. What threats, if any, does your study pose for your research participants?  What steps will you take to minimize these threats?

1. How will you gain entry into the setting in which you will collect data?
2. How will you gain the cooperation of your research participants?
3.  BUDGET
4.  The budget is a line item (tabular) representation of the expenses associated with the proposal project.
5. Expenses:  salaries and wages; equipment; material and supplies; travel; service; etc.
6.  TIME LINE (Optional)
7. Create a time lime listing in order all the major steps for your study.  Also indicate the approximate amount of time that each step will take.