Due Date: Friday 9 February 2024, 11:59PM (AEST)

Word Limit: 2,500 words

The word count includes:

• Title
• Body text
• In-text citations
• Budget/resources table

The word count does not include:

• Title page
• Reference list
• Gantt chart

(word limits are applied strictly – markers will not read beyond the maximum word count)

Weighting: 45% of overall grade

Task Description
Write a research proposal for an original empirical study. In this proposal, it needs to be argued that there is a gap in knowledge worth investigating (into & literature review), and that the proposed research methods (methodology) to address the research question is the most suitable/appropriate approach to answer this question and contribute to the identified gap in knowledge. The proposal must incorporate:

• Introduction incl. brief review of literature, which ends with the study’s aim & RQ
• Description & justification of research methods (design, sampling, data collection, analysis)
• Discussion of research ethics (for primary studies), OR outline of comprehensive search strategy (for secondary studies) – do not include both
• Timeline & resources/budget, and
• Critical appraisal of proposed study (highlighting strengths & justifying limitations)

The proposed study can either be a primary or secondary research study. There are slightly different requirements for primary vs secondary studies.

• Information in the method section for primary research studies must describe what the study involves and how it will be designed, and justify how these characteristics are important for answering the proposed research question (e.g., qual/quant approach, who the target population is & how will they be recruited, what types of data are to be collected, how data are to be analysed). Consideration of how the study will be conducted ethically must also be discussed.
• Information in the method section for secondary research studies must describe the inclusion criteria for the proposed review. Critical aspects of the studies to be included in the review need to be identified and justified in relation to how these characteristics are important for answering the proposed research question (e.g., the design employed within the studies to be included in the review, who the target populations of these studies are, the types of data to be extracted from these studies, the approach to be taken to describe and evaluate/analyse findings from these studies). As ethical approval is not applicable for non-applied projects (such as reviews and meta-analyses), a comprehensive outline of the search strategy and process of selecting studies is to be provided.

Assignment Submission

Assignments are submitted through Learning@Griffith (canvas). Only the documents uploaded to the Final Submission Portal will be marked. A draft submission portal will be  available for students to check similarity (overlap) reports prior to their final submission. This will be done using TurnItIn which is within the assessment in Learning@Griffith (canvas). Please note that any documents submitted into the draft portal will not be marked.

Marking Details

Assignments are marked via TurnItIn and returned within 3 weeks of submission.

Assignment Extensions & Late Submissions

To apply for an extension of time on a written assignment, requests need to be submitted via the online portal which needs to be supplemented by supporting documentation (e.g., medical certificate). Please do not contact the course convenor or tutors regarding assignment extensions – these applications are processed centrally by the University. Applications must be submitted before the assignment due date

• Applications need to be made via the online portal

As per Griffith University Assessment Policy, an assessment item submitted after the due time on the due date set by the Course Convenor, without an approved extension, will be penalised. The standard penalty is the reduction of the mark allocated to the assessment item by 5 percent (%) of the total weighted mark for the assessment item, for each calendar day that the item is late. Assessment items submitted more than seven calendar days after the due date will be awarded zero marks.

Helpful Resources

• In preparing this assignment, please consider:
  • Course content (specifically, Topics 4 through 10)
  • Marking rubric (end of document)
  • Feedback from teaching team on Proposal Part 1 and discussion board.
• Templates (L@G > Proposal Part 2 page)
• Example paper – Module 7 slides
• Info on Proposal Part 2 – Module 7 and Module 11 slides
• Teaching staff
  • Discussion boards. Here, your tutor can help you refine your research question & study methodology, and answer assignment-related questions.
  • Drop-in Consultation sessions with the teaching team. Pop by during scheduled time to ask questions about your assignment/content/materials.

FAQs

If you have any questions, we encourage you to post this in the discussion board 😊

Am I actually going to carry out this research in this course?

No, you are constructing a research proposal that outlines a design for a future study. You may one day put your research plan into action, particularly if your program involves a research project or dissertation course, but in this course, you do not need to actually undertake the research. It is important that you do not attempt to undertake research without ethical approval.

Can I copy and paste my literature review from my previous assignment into this assignment?

No. You cannot use work previously submitted for marking. This will be identified as self-plagiarism, which is considered academic misconduct. Do not copy and paste parts of your literature review into your research plan. You will need to summarise the findings from your literature review, highlighting the gap in knowledge that your proposed study aims to address. If you are happy with the wording of your research question used in Proposal Part 1, you can use the same wording for this assignment – no need to paraphrase.

You can use the same references you did in your literature review. Just remember to paraphrase and summarise this information. Ensure that you incorporate the feedback provided from Proposal Part 1 to guide your modifications.

In the literature review, there was a recommended number of sources. Is there a specific number of references you are looking for in this assignment?

No. While you need to justify your choices made throughout with references, the marking team are not looking for any particular number of sources. However, it is important that you cite others’ ideas, methods, definitions, etc. appropriately. Otherwise, this is considered plagiarism which is a form of academic misconduct.

Can I include information in an appendix?

Any essential parts of your assignment that you want marked needs to be in the main text of your assignment (i.e., before your reference list). Please do not put essential elements like your budget or timeline in an appendix. If you would like to put relevant information that is not essential in an appendix (for example a list of interview questions you have developed), you can, but they must be referred to in your main text. You will not receive marks for anything placed in an appendix.