The research process can help social workers understand how to describe social problems, explain their causes, and identify effective solutions to address them. Research methods are often applied to answer important questions such as: (1) Will this program actually work to help prevent intimate partner violence among adolescents? (2) What should I keep in mind when working with transgender youth? or (3) Are there proven ways to help refugees adapt to life in the United States? Research methods can help guide the details of grant proposals, program evaluations, and treatment plans.

The purpose of the research proposal is to synthesize what you learn in this course by integrating and combining your ideas into a plan for how you will carry out a research topic of your choice. You will rely on information from the textbook and presentations to understand the concepts in the rubric that you will need to include in your Research Proposal and apply them to your research topic. You will also seek out peer-reviewed sources (academic journal articles and textbooks) that relate to your research topic, and incorporate this information into your Research Proposal. You can turn to your peers and your instructor to provide you with feedback along the way.

You will not actually conduct a research study–you will only be describing how you would do so. Prepare all steps of your research proposal as if you were writing it for a government agency that is giving out research grants. A limited number of grants will be awarded, regardless of how many people apply. There is a grant review committee that will review the grants using the same rubric that you receive. In other words, your research proposal needs to convince the people reviewing the research grant that your research proposal is the best place to invest their limited funds. Students can decide whether to work within a group (maximum of 4) or complete the research proposal project individually. If you are working in a group, you should set deadlines by when you will each complete your part and designate one person to combine your different contributions. If you choose a group assignment, equal grade will be given to each group member. Even if you choose to work together as a group, each person will still be required to submit an assignment online.

What have previous studies done to answer similar research questions?
What can researchers do to improve or add to what has been done?
What is my revised research question and hypothesis, based on my review of the literature?