Proposal

PSY 210 – Final Project Paper & Presentation

 

Your research proposal should be written in proper APA formatting, including running heads, page numbers, etc. All text should be in 12-point, Times New Roman font. All pages should have 1-inch margins. Your complete research proposal should be between 5-7 pages (not including the title page and abstract), and include the following elements:

• Title

• Abstract

• Introduction

• Method

• References

 

Your group will present on your project in class on November 21. Your presentation will summarize your proposal paper, and you should aim to present for around 10 minutes. Your presentation should follow the structure of your paper, with a title slide, description of the Introduction (including hypotheses), and description of your Methods.

 

Title

The title appears on the title page along with students’ names and the name of the college.  The title should summarize the paper’s main idea and identify the variables under discussion and the relationship between them (e.g., “Varying Definitions of Online Communication and Their Effects on Relationship Research”). You may also mention in your title that you are conducting a replication.

 

Abstract

The abstract is a brief summary of the paper, allowing readers to quickly review the main points and purpose of the paper. The abstract should be between 150-250 words. Any abbreviations and acronyms used in the paper should be defined in the abstract. The abstract appears on its own page in the proposal. In the abstract you should describe the main argument of your replication paper, why a replication is necessary, and whether/why you expect the original results to replicate.

 

Introduction

The introduction presents the problem that the paper addresses. The introduction starts off with a general description of the phenomena you are writing about and conveys the importance of the research. Then, discuss the specific research that you are addressing. Cite any relevant research that supports or in some cases refutes the hypothesis. End with the hypothesis(es) for the study (i.e., whether you expect the findings to replicate) and a brief description (one or two sentences) of how you plan to test the hypotheses.

 

​Getting more specific:

o Start by putting your issue into context. You should describe why a replication of your study is important.

o Review the literature and give your readers the necessary background to understand why you are presenting this research. You should include at least 7 papers, including your original replication paper (use the ones from Homework 3). You should include research both consistent and inconsistent with the theory presented in the original paper. You should include in-text citations for each study you describe in the Introduction.

o First, describe each study you found that was consistentwith your original article. In a few sentences, summarize each study and describe how it was consistent with the original research study.

o Next, describe each study you found that was inconsistent with your original article. In a few sentences, summarize each study and describe how it was inconsistent with the original research study.

o Based on the research you have just described, state your hypothesis. Do you expect the original study to replicate? Why or why not?

o In the last paragraph of your Introduction, briefly describe how you plan to test the hypotheses.

 

Method

Participants: Who will be the participants in the study? How many? What incentives will be offered to them to participate (e.g., credit for class)? How will students be selected (e.g., students taking Introduction to Psychology)?

 

Design: What kind of experimental design will be used? What are the independent variables (and levels) and dependent variables? (From Homework 2)

 

Material: The materials section may include surveys, computer programs, beverages – anything you will use in your study. If you are describing a questionnaire, include how many questions and give specific examples. Describe the scale you are using to measure your variable and the endpoints (i.e., a 5-point scale ranging from “just like me” to “not at all like me”).

 

Procedure: The procedure is a detailed description of how you will conduct the study. The describes, step-by-step, what happened during the study and should be detailed to the point where another researcher could replicate your method exactly. In this section you can describe in detail the independent and dependent variables. This is the main portion of the methods section, starting with, for example, when the participants are presented with the consent form and ending with task completion and debriefing (from Homework 4).

 

References

The references section gives further information about the research you cited in your introduction, and where the articles could be found. The reference page is where we give the rest of the pertinent information – name of article, year published, name of journal, etc.