McNair 2016 Summer Research Proposal

[Title of Research Study]

[Scholar’s Name]

[Scholar’s Major]

[Mentor’s Name]

[Mentor’s Department]

[Submission Date]

The signatures below indicate that the Scholar has presented this research proposal to the Mentor, who has reviewed and approved this proposal for submission to the McNair Scholars Program.

Scholar’s Signature	Date

Mentor’s Signature	Date

Contents

Abstract	1

Overview of the Research Study	1

Background and Literature Review	1

Research Goals and Objectives	1

Importance and Justification for the Research	1

Research Design	1

Research Problem and/or Research Questions	1

Collecting the Data and Analyzing the Data	1

Anticipated Results and Presenting Results and Findings	2

Timeline for the Research	2

Conclusion	2

Bibliographical References	3

[Title of Research Study]

Abstract

[Provide a 150-200 word summary of your proposed research study. This is to be used when you submit your proposal, but it also appears here.]

Overview of the Research Study

[Provide one or two sentences that starts this section which will contain some additional and more specific sections. These sentences can introduce the topic that you will be studying.]

Background and Literature Review

[Provide some general background on the research topic you will be exploring. Some references to the relevant literature is expected – two or three citations. Use the citation style that is generally used in your discipline.]

Research Goals and Objectives

[Here you will state the overarching goal(s) for, or purpose of, your research study. A goal is a general statement. You may also have more specific objectives to accomplish in your research study; List those here as well. This should be discussed with your mentor.]

Importance and Justification for the Research

[Explain why you believe this research problem/topic is important – not just to you, but more broadly in the discipline, for society, etc. Describe what you anticipate as the results of your research.]

Research Design

[In this section you will describe how you plan to carry out your research study. Provide one or two introductory sentences for this section. State in general terms how you will carry out the study. More specific details will be in the sub-sections.]

Research Problem and/or Research Questions

[In this section, state as clearly as you can what the research problem or research topic is that you are studying. Depending on the type of research problem and study, you will likely have research questions that you intend to answer with the data you collect and analyze. Or you may have hypotheses that you intend to test. List here the Research Questions and/or the Hypotheses you will address in this study. This should be discussed with your mentor.]

Collecting the Data and Analyzing the Data

[In this section, you will discuss the type of data you will be collecting and analyzing in the research study. You can discuss how you will collect the data, what instruments you might use to collect and measure data, etc. This should be discussed with your mentor.]

Anticipated Results and Presenting Results and Findings

[In this section, you will think about and discuss what results you anticipate from the research. All research should have some ideas of what will be the results. Now the actual results may turn out differently, but some sense of what the research results may be should be discussed. And also discuss how you plan to write of the research results and findings and present those.]

Timeline for the Research

[In this section, try to lay out a schedule of general tasks and activities and the timeline on which those will be done. There are different ways to present such information. Your mentor may have a preferred method (ganttt chart, weekly schedule, etc.). The idea is to get you thinking about what you need to do when to complete your study successfully and by the deadline you and your mentor agree to.]

Conclusion

[In this final section, summarize briefly what you have presented above and reiterate why you are undertaking this study, how it is important, and what you anticipate learning from this effort.]

Bibliographical References

[Provide complete citations to articles, books, papers, etc. you quoted or referenced in the body of the proposal on the preceding papers. Use the citation style acceptable to your discipline – check with your Mentor to know what that style is. For your research work, you should be using the scholarly resources in your discipline. It is especially important to know what the scholarly resources in your discipline are. Your mentor can be a great help in this. Non-authoritative websites should not be trusted as scholarly!]