Research Proposal and Empirical Data Report (25%)

Approved Proposal Topic and Abstract: October 8, 2002, in class
First Draft Due: November 19, 2002, in class
Final Draft Due: December 10, 2002, 3:00 PM

This assignment is the capstone of the course and has two components. It will be done in self-selected groups of 3-4 students, and every member of the group will receive the same grade.

1. The major part of the assignment is a fully realized research proposal that will be the result of the conceptualization and planning of an empirical investigation of a subject related to library and information science of interest to the students. Be sure to review Creswell (2003); Katzer et al. (1998), especially Chapter 8; Losee and Worley (1993, Chapters 5 and 6); Robbins (1992, especially pp. 85-86); Cronin (1992); and Busha and Harter (1980, Chapters 1, 14, and 15). Also see Babbie (2001, A15-22, "The Research Report").
2. The second part of the assignment is the design and application of an empirical data collection instrument in the context of the proposed study and a report of the results. Review Creswell (2003), Babbie's chapters on data analysis, and Busha & Harter, Chapters 2-6 and 15. Please include a schedule for the entire study as an Appendix to the empirical data report. This assignment is a small part of the larger project proposed above.

The research proposal will be 12-15 double-spaced pages in length and will include:

• Abstract of the entire proposed study -- Following Creswell (2003) and other sources, describe the question(s) the study will engage, the unit(s) of analysis, data collection methods, and data analysis procedures. Describe the data collection instrument you have designed.
• Statement of the problem -- You will tell the reader exactly what you plan to investigate and why that problem is of interest to LIS. Identify your research questions or your hypotheses in this section, identify major assumptions, and define important terms.
• Literature review -- This review will be highly selective, evaluative, and analytic. Give the review a substantive title, e.g., "Important Concepts in Academic Library Use." Relate the sources to each other and to the problem of interest. Please limit your discussion to the sources of highest importance to your investigation topically and methodologically. See Katzer et al. (1998, pp. 85-89); Cooper (1984, the Preface and Chapters 1 and 2), especially pp. 25-26; Babbie (2001, pp. A2-7); Creswell (2003, Chapter 2); and Busha and Harter (1980, pp. 347-348). Remember a literature review is not simply a literature search.
• Methodology -- Describe how you would investigate the topic by specifying the methods of both data collection and data analysis. Identify the variable(s) of interest, define them and their relationship (if any), and specify how you would measure them. Remember that "measurement" means systematic observation, not just counting. Include in this section a particular discussion of the empirical data collection instrument noted below. This section must be specific enough to allow the reader to judge whether your method is appropriate and adequate. Be sure to include a discussion of what data would be gathered if you were to carry out the entire study and how they would be analyzed.
• Bibliography -- This will include every source that you cite explicitly in your document and no other. Please ensure that the citation pattern for this bibliography and the notes
  for the text adhere to APA standards. See the Standards for Written Work.

The empirical data report has no page limits and will have the following parts:

• A copy of the data collection instrument itself -- this must be an empirical data collection instrument.
• A specific description of how the instrument was used to gather data, including the identification of the appropriate population(s) and sample group(s), and specifically how the data were analyzed to address (not answer) your overarching question
• An appropriate verbal/numeric description and summary of the data, e.g., tables, descriptive statistics, or inferential statistics. Be certain to label all descriptive parts of the report accurately and fully.
• A graphic representation of the data as appropriate, e.g., bar chart, frequency polygon, or box plot
• An Appendix with a specific schedule stating when the entire study would be done.

Please hand in two copies of the final drafts of the research proposal and the empirical data report no later than 3:00 PM, Tuesday, December 10. I will return one copy of the assignment with a grade and keep the other for my files.

The research plan and empirical data collection instrument are worth 25% of your semester grade. In order to earn these points, the first draft submission date of November 19 in class must also be met.

Late assignments will not be accepted.

The preliminary draft of the proposal will be greater than or equal to 6 (+/=6) pages in length and will consist of the following component parts:

• 1 p. abstract of the entire proposed study, not only the part related to the data
  collection instrument
• +/=2 pp. statement of the problem
• +/=1 p. lit review; a general indication of the kinds of material to be reviewed both methodologically and topically; give this review a substantive title
• +/=2 pp. method(s) of investigation, including specifics about analysis of the data from the
  data collection instrument. This section is very often the weakest in student
  proposals -- be specific and direct, especially about how you will analyze the
  data you would collect.
• references

Hints for a Successful Proposal

A good proposal explicitly answers the following questions, conceptually linking them together:

1. What is your question? It is often helpful to state your research problem as a question. Then the purpose of your proposal is to address that question. Everything in the proposal must contribute to that goal.
2. What concepts are necessary to understand and address the question?
3. How will your conceptualization of the question be operationalized? That is, what will you observe/measure?
4. How will you make the observations/measurements? Please keep the reliability and (construct) validity of measures clearly in mind, as well as the more qualitative criteria of credibility, transferability, and trustworthiness.
5. How will the data from the observations/measurements be analyzed?
6. How will such analysis address your question?

Be very specific and explicit in answering these questions -- they are useful guides for your proposal writing and design of the empirical data collection instrument for this class and for the implementation of proposals and the reporting of the results of research more generally. Also see Creswell (2003) and Katzer et al. (1998).

Remember, this proposal and empirical data instrument are rhetorical in nature. More specifically, among the major goals of the assignment are for you (1) to convince me about the legitimacy and appropriateness of your problem, your method(s) of investigation, and your methods of data analysis and (2) to demonstrate your ability to participate in the community of professional-level researchers. Persuade me.