Assignment 2: Research proposal
Teaching period 2, 2019
PSY10005: Introduction to Research Methods
Assignment 2: Research proposal
Word limit: 1500 (+/- 10%)
Weighting: 35%
Due date: 5pm AEST Monday 16 September 2019 (Week 10)
After you have read this information, head over to the Assignment 2 Q&A discussion board to ask any questions and see what your peers are saying about this assignment.
Assignment 2: Additional resource - List of topics for research proposal
You need to select one topic from the list below.
Possible topics
• Binge watching TV
• Loneliness among older adults living in residential care
• The effectiveness of student support services on health and wellbeing for university students
• Addressing the issue of boredom in schools
• Attitudes towards same-sex marriage
• Addressing the problem of juvenile delinquency.
NB: These are general topics, and you are free to address either broad or specific aspects of each topic. For example, one might look at predictors of loneliness in residential homes; an intervention that is designed to reduce boredom in classrooms; or the correspondence between implicit and explicit attitudes toward same-sex marriage.

Step 1: Before you write
A research proposal is a document that informs others of a research project that you intend to conduct. Before you write, you will need to:
1. Choose your topic from this list of research proposal topics.
2. Review the relevant literature on your topic, and.
3. Write a draft of your research question.
This guide to writing research proposals will assist you in breaking the assignment down into manageable steps. It includes formatting instructions and links to detailed APA format guides The APA format (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (pp. 470–491) in your eText and Quick answers–formatting (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (APA Style, 2019). (Tip: Set aside a reasonable amount of time to conduct your literature review and write your research question.)
Step 2: Writing your proposal
When you are ready to start writing your proposal, follow the general structure shown below.
• Title Page (not included in word count) – Criterion 1
o Title Page should be in APA format and include an informative title that makes sense and includes relevant information about the variables/topic.
• Introduction (suggested word count: 200) – Criterion 2
o Present the relevant background information for the research project. Introduce the general field of research, definitions of key terms, then narrow to the specific area of your research project. This section should lead logically to either a gap in the existing research or the research problem that you believe needs to be addressed.
• Aims (suggested word count: 100) – Criterion 3
o Present the research question/and or hypothesis you will investigate and answer in order to fill the gap in research. Hypothesis must reflect the gap identified in the introduction/literature review.
• Literature review (suggested word count: 400) – Criterion 4
o Provide relevant past research studies that you found in your review of the literature. Highlight the major issues, gaps in the research and the need for your particular research (i.e., 'Here is what we can infer, and here is what we cannot yet infer—or cannot yet infer with confidence—and why'). You will also need to highlight where your research overlaps and differs from existing research.
• Significance of the research (suggested word count: 200) – Criterion 5
Outline how your research will make a change to an area of research or respond to a particular problem. In particular, highlight the:
o theoretical contributions, and
o practical outcomes.
• Proposed research methodology (suggested word count: 400) – Criterion 6
Describe and justify the research methodology. (Use the future tense to describe what you will do.) Address the following:
o participants
o sampling method (e.g. random, non-random)
o methodology (e.g. quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods)
o design framework (e.g. experimental, non-experimental)
o data collection method(s) (e.g. tests, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations, existing data), and
o ethical considerations.
• Scope and problems (suggested word count: 200) – Criterion 7
Define the breadth of the research topic. In this section, you will also identify any limitations or potential problems that may occur throughout the project.
• Writing Style – Criterion 8
o Please consider general spelling, grammar and paragraph structure. Must include relevant sub headings and use appropriate topic/linking sentences. All headings and formatting must conform to APA format.
• Referencing (not included in word count) – Criterion 9
Include a reference list in APA style. It should be presented on its own page with a separate heading. You may find the APA quick guide (Links to an external site.) helpful.
The word counts are given are guidelines only; you may need to alter these slightly depending on your chosen topic.

Assessment declaration
All students must agree to the following declaration when submitting assignment items.
Declaration and Statement of Authorship
1. I have not impersonated, or allowed myself to be impersonated by any person for the purposes of this assignment.
2. This assignment is my/our original work and no part of it has been copied from any other source except where due acknowledgement is made.
3. No part of this assignment has been written for me by any other person except where such collaboration has been authorised by the lecturer/teacher concerned.
4. I have not previously submitted this work for this or any other course/unit.
5. I give permission for my assignment response to be reproduced, communicated, compared and archived for plagiarism detection, benchmarking or educational purposes.
I understand that:
• Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work as though it is your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to exclusion from the university.
• Plagiarised material may be drawn from published and unpublished written documents, interpretations, computer software, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, and ideas or ideological frameworks gained through working with another person or in a group.
• Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in, written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data and oral presentations. Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.
I agree and acknowledge that:
1. I have read and understood the Declaration and Statement of Authorship above.
2. I accept that use of my Swinburne account to electronically submit this assignment constitutes my agreement to the Declaration and Statement of Authorship.
3. If I do not agree to the Declaration and Statement of Authorship in this context, the assessment outcome may not be valid for assessment purposes and may not be included in my aggregate score for this unit.
4. I am aware that it is not acceptable to resubmit the same piece of work (in part or as whole) for multiple assignments without permission from the Unit Coordinator.
Penalties for plagiarismLinks to an external site. range from a formal caution to expulsion from the university, and are detailed in the Student Academic Misconduct Regulations 2012.Links to an external site.