Career Topic Research Proposal
This library guide will help you use Taft College library databases to find scholarly, scientific articles about a research project you could do in your future career, as well as help you learn and use APA, 7th ed. formatting for in-text citations and reference entries. In-class assignments and the tabs on this guide will help you with the process of narrowing your research topic and selecting appropriate databases and locating empirical articles on your topic. These articles can be about the type of work done in the field, the skills needed to work in the field, and the best practices for working in the field.
Use the 5 Ws to narrow your topic
When considering a topic, it is helpful to use the Five W criteria to add context to your investigation and turn a topic into a research question. As you consider your future career, brainstorm a much as you know about your topic and identify as many of the 5Ws as you can.
- WHO describes an individual or select population you are investigating. Think about WHO you want to be: librarian, electrical engineer, radiologist, psychologist, fire fighter, etc.
- WHAT describes a specific aspect or element that directly impacts the WHO. Think about WHAT you will do: teach information literacy skills, design electrical equipment, perform diagnostic examinations, study social processes and behaviors, respond to various emergencies.
- WHEN is a time frame in which you might limit your investigation. Think about WHEN this research needs to be completed: Within the next 12 months, next decade, next 30 years.
- WHERE is a geographical location where you might focus. Think about WHERE this research takes place: college campuses, commercial construction projects or urban development projects, hospitals, clinics, rural or urban areas.
- WHY is the reason why this investigation is important or meaningful. The WHY is not necessarily a part of the final research question but more informative of the scope of the project in general. Think about WHY this career is important: Consider the pros and cons of the research results
Lastly, think about HOW this research will impact future research in this field.
Once you have done some brainstorming and identified some of these concepts, use these terms as keywords to form a search strategy to learn more about your topic and broaden or narrow the scope of your research.
Assignment Details
Resources
Use Taft College Library databases to locate three (3) scholarly, scientific articles related to your career choice.
Use the APA, 7th ed. tab for in-text citations and references.
Use the Literature Review tab for details on writing a literature review, including purpose and scope.
Use the Keywords & Search Strategies tab for help refining, narrowing, and searching for research articles in databases.
Use the Find Articles tab for instructions on selecting appropriate articles for the assignment.
Below is an outline of the individual project. Research proposals in psychology include the following sections:
1. Introduction
a. Description explaining why the topic is important for the chosen career field
b. Literature Review
i. Summary of the three (3) scholarly, scientific journal articles related to your topic found using Taft College Library databases to set the foundation of your proposed research study.
ii. Introduce the results of the articles you selected in combination - compare & contrast
iii. Predict how your chosen IV will affect your chosen DV.
2. Proposed Methods
Using class lectures and the research articles used in the introduction, provide proposed participants, measurements, and procedures that a person in the career field could do to conduct a research study to improve an outcome for their clients.
3. Proposed Results
Consult with Dr. Oja, other statistics professors, or tutors in the Math Lab to recommend the most appropriate statistical analysis for the variables in your proposed research study.
4. Conclusion
Write a conclusion to your proposed research study that may include a summary of your expected findings, the limitations of the current proposed research study, any recommendations for the field based on these expected findings, and what future research should be conducted to further the knowledge in the field of study.
5. References
6. Appendices
Final assignment will state what should be included as an appendix.