CLIS J705 - Introduction to Research

in Library & Information Science

Research Proposal

University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science

Due: 7/31/03

The research proposal is designed to provide you with an opportunity to identify and propose a solution for a problem in library and information science.  It contributes 45% toward your course grade. 

This is a Group Assignment. 

There will be no exceptions.  You may work with one or two other persons; that is, in a group of 2 or 3.  Preferences for group membership may be determined via the listserv.  Post your research interests and locate group members who share similar interests.  You should have a good idea of your group members and general topic by the onsite date (7/19/03).

Groups listing.

Submitting Assignment

Follow the steps outlined below.

1.  Save the document in Word or rich text format. 

2.  Send the document via email following the submitting assignments information noted in the syllabus.

3.  In the subject line, enter “research proposal.”

4.  In the text box, enter the names of your group members.

5.  A confirmation message will be sent to the person submitting the document.    Please allow 48 hours for receipt of the confirmation message.  If you do not receive confirmation after 48 hours, then send a message to curtisrogers@curtisrogers.info

6. Also submit separately a member evaluation.  This will be emailed to you via the listserv.

General Instructions (if for some reason you do not feel sections or portions of these instructions are reasonably conducive to your form of research paradigm, please email me your position and we will discuss it).

1.            The maximum number of the pages for the text of the proposal is 20.  This does not include the abstract, reference list, or information in the appendix.

2.            All text should be double-spaced, except for long quotations.

3.            Use a 12-point font size.

4.            Use third person.  No personal pronouns unless you’re referring to an author’s work.

5.            The proposal should be written using future tense.  You are telling the reader what you plan to do, not what you have done.  The only exception is when you are summarizing previous research in the literature review.

6.            Indent the first line of each paragraph.

7.            Use left justification, not full justification (block style) when formatting your paragraphs.

8.            Do not use footnotes.

Citation Manual

Use the 5^th edition of the Publication Manual for the American Psychological Association (APA) to cite sources within the proposal and for the reference list. 

Proposal Sections

The sections must be in the following order: 

1.  Title Page

a.      Place on a page by itself.

b.      The title should accurately reflect contents and scope of the proposal.  It should be explicit rather than vague.  For example, "Academic Libraries and Instruction" is too vague; however, "The Effects of Integrating Internet Instruction into Library Instruction Programs for Graduate Education Majors at Chapman College " is more explicit and reflects the nature of the study specifically and precisely.

c.      Place the following information on the title page:

-  title of your proposal

-  names

-  email addresses

-  date

2.  Abstract

a.      The abstract represents a brief summary of the contents of the proposal.  A detailed description of the abstract is located in the APA manual.  Examples of abstracts can be found in any scholarly journal (for example, College & Research Libraries). 

b.      Write the abstract in future tense.  You are telling the reader what you plan to do, not what you have done. 

c.      Your abstract must have a minimum of 75 words.

d.      Must be one paragraph.

3.  Introduction

a.      Introduce the problem.

b.      Develop the background.

c.      State the purpose and rationale of the study.

d.  If your study is designed to test hypotheses derived from a theory, include the research hypothesis or hypotheses and the rationale.  If your study does not test hypotheses, include the research questions, purposes, or objectives.  Some studies use various combinations of hypotheses, research questions, purposes, and objectives. 

4.  Literature Review

a.      The purpose of the literature review is to help you establish a relationship between a specific research problem and the greater topic or area into which the problem falls.

b.      Write an introductory paragraph to the information presented in the literature review.

c.      A minimum of five (5) sources is to be used for the literature review.

d.      You may divide the sources into categories (e.g., general information or methodology).  You may create your own subheadings for the categories.

e.      Sources may be obtained from scholarly publications, publications with an applied focus, internal library reports, books, chapters in books, journal articles, or magazine articles. 

f.        You may use articles obtained from electronic sources such as DISCUS, InfoTrac, etc.  Electronic books and journals are also acceptable.  (Note: These are not considered web site sources.)

g.      You may use information from web sites (maximum of 2) from scholarly or reputable sources (If you are unsure about a site, ask me for confirmation.)

h.      Write a summary paragraph of the information presented in the literature review.

i.        There are three sections to the literature review: 

(1) introductory paragraph

(2) literature review summary

(3) summary paragraph

5.  Research Design

Describe the research design for your study and how you plan to implement the design in the setting you selected to investigate.  The most common designs in library and information science literature are questionnaires (or surveys), interviews, content analysis, and observation.  You may use any of the designs presented in the textbook or readings for your study.

6.  Research Methods

You must include the following sections:  (a) population or population/sample, (b) data collection technique, (c) procedures, and (d) materials.  A detailed description of the method section is located in the APA manual.

a.  Use either the heading "Population" or "Population/Sample"

-         The population may be a group of people or items (e.g., 75 public librarians working in Lexington County or 3000 art books).

-         If you do not have exact number, then estimate the number in the population and/or sample.

-         Provide a detailed description of the population (about 1 paragraph).

-         Deciding when to use a sample depends on the purpose of your study and the size of the population.  If you are not certain about whether you need to use a sample, please contact me.

b.  Data Collection

Provide a detailed description of your data collection technique.  For example, if you are using a questionnaire, describe the content and types of questions.

c.  Procedures

There are two parts to this section. 

-         Part 1 is an overall summary of the steps involved in designing and/or developing your data collection technique and how you plan to collect the data for your study.  Use paragraph format. 

-         Part 2 is a detailed outline of your schedule for completing each phase or step of the study.  Use a table format.  Place the dates in the left column and the activity in the right column.  Use general dates (e.g., week 1 or month 1).  Your outline must be realistic. 

d.  Materials

Describe the resources need to conduct your student (for example, telephones, tape recorders, interviewers, etc.).  Use a paragraph format. 

7.  Data Analysis

Develop a plan for analyzing the data you plan to collect.  Include the following:

a.  List your hypotheses, questions, objectives, or purposes.

b.  Describe the data, the measure(s), and the method(s) that will be needed to address each hypothesis, question, objective, or purpose.  Use a paragraph format. 

8.  Summary

The summary must include possible outcomes and contributions that the study will make to the profession. 

a.  Outcomes.  You must use the information from the literature review to predict possible outcomes of the study.  You may also use personal experience or insight to predict possible outcomes.

b.  Contributions.  You must discuss the contributions your research will make to the profession of library and information science.  Please do not state "it will add to the body of knowledge" as a contribution.

9.  References

Use APA style manual to list the articles cited in your proposal.  List only the articles used in the proposal.  Sources must be in alphabetical order.

10.  Appendix

It is not necessary to include an appendix.  However, if you have information that might be relevant to the study but is not appropriate to the body of the paper, you may include it in the appendix.  See the APA manual for examples.

Grading Criteria for Research Proposal

 Points will be deducted from your total score for the following:

 Example of good proposal by Brundage and Paul (in MS Word).