Research Proposal Instructions
Understanding applied research will enable you to be more effective advocates of programs you
are supporting in working or volunteer capacities. Outside of the behavioral health fields,
understanding good research methodology can be applied to any industry to help better identify
and tell the story of community need and impact of services, while supporting quality
improvement efforts. For this multi-part Research Project, you will identify a research question
relevant to the field of psychology, analyze qualitative and quantitative methodology, and write
an executive summary that proposes the research plan.
Part 1 – Topic Selection/ Annotated Bibliography
1. Select a research topic either selected from the list below, or a topic relevant to your
profession/interest. (please select one from below):
a. Gender and Psychological Reaction to Specific Noise
b. Gender and Singer Preference
c. Gum Chewing and Concentration on Simple Cognitive Tasks
d. Influence of Positive and Negative Ads
e. Reaction to Violated Social Norms
f. Social Networking and “real life” interaction
g. Learning and Color Experiment
h. Information and Short-term Memory
i. Personality and Musical Preference
j. Gender and Short-term Memory
2. Review at least six scholarly literature related to your potential research topic. Include a
list of the six research articles reviewed in APA format as part of your submission.
3. Select 3 of the scholarly works you reviewed and write an annotated bibliography for
each that informs the key points of the potential research topic. Summarize each piece of
literature by addressing the following
Author information
Who is the author? What is her/his background? Is the author qualified to
write this document?
Author’s purpose
What is the author’s purpose in writing this literature or doing this
research?
Author bias
Does the author show any biases or make assumptions upon which the
rationale of the literature rests? If so, what are they?
Methodology
What methods did the author use to obtain the data?
Author conclusion
What conclusions does the author draw? Are these conclusions specifically
stated or implied?
Assessment of conclusions
Are the conclusions justified from the research or experience?
Are the conclusions in sync with the original purpose of the
research and supported by the data?
Are the conclusions skewed by bias?
Assessment of the literatures quality and relevancy to the potential research
topic
Is the work current?
Does it conflict with conventional wisdom, established scholarship,
government policy, etc.?
How is the literature relevant to the potential research topic? Explain.
Requirements
Word count: 500-750
Citation Requirements: 6 scholarly journal only.
Plagiarism Chec