The beginning of many research endeavors is the construction of a proposal, often preliminary or introductory in scope, which lays out the area(s) of interest, what is to be done and how, and why it’s important, and to whom. This assignment will give you the opportunity to gain experience at making choices and decisions along those lines.
You may work individually or in groups of 2 or 3. You should write a proposal of no more than 4 pages, suggesting a research endeavor on a topic of interest to you. You may choose any topic or area you like, but it must be somehow grounded in an information behavior theory. Your document should clearly lay out:
Ø the problem statement with justification
Ø the research question(s) and hypotheses if appropriate
Ø the theory which you will use and justification of its use
Ø the overall approach(es), qualitative or quantitative, or a combination
Ø a literature review of 3-5 relevant published works, including a citation of relevant theory
Ø your target audience(s)
Ø a suggestion of methods you will use including data collection techniques (you may also suggest data analysis techniques, though this is not required)
Your work will be evaluated on your demonstrated understanding of the research concepts involved (problem statement, research question, etc), creativity and originality, insight and thoroughness of your work and the overall quality of your presentation.
The assignment is due at 1:30pm on February 10, and will be submitted via Catalyst.