Research Proposal Outline
Title Page (following APA style – See Lab Manual Part III)
Abstract
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Research Question/Hypothesis
Theoretical Framework (if applicable- Theory Driven Hypotheses)
Definition of Terms
Literature Review (Heading Centered)
Sub-heading 1
Sub- heading 2
Methods (Centered)
Participants
Instrumentation
Research Design and Procedures
Analysis
Protection of Human Rights
References
Format:
Hand –in proposal in paper copy- Typed in 12 Font Times Roman double-spaced- make sure to number
pages and just staple them –do not use any form of binding. Follow APA style.
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Guide for Research Proposal EPSY 6310
Consuelo Arbona, Ph.D.
Title Page (following APA style – See Lab Manual Part III)
Abstract
The abstract is a brief summary of the entire proposal, typically ranging from 150 to 200 words. It is
different from a thesis statement in that the abstract summarizes the entire proposal, not just mentions
the study’s purpose or hypothesis. Therefore, the abstract should outline the proposal’s major headings:
the research question, theoretical framework, research design, sampling method, instrumentation
(names of the instruments and citations only), and data analysis procedures. A good abstract accurately
reflects the content of the proposal, while at the same time is coherent, readable, and concise. Do not
add any information in the abstract that is not discussed throughout the proposal. Notice this
paragraph is not indented; the abstract will be the only paragraph in the entire proposal that is not
indented. Because it highlights the entire proposal, it would be wise to wait and write the abstract
last. This way, one merely has to reword information that was previously written. (This paragraph =
155 words).
Template for Preparing a Proposal for Research Methods
When social scientists desire to conduct a correlational or experimental study, they first develop a
proposal. A proposal introduces the problem, purpose, and significance of a study as well as the
research question and hypothesis. It also gives a brief explanation of the theory and/or previous
research findings that guide the study, a review of relevant literature pertaining to the theory/previous
research, and study procedures.
Introduction
The Introduction describes in some detail essential components of the research study. After reading the
Introduction, the reader will understand why the researcher is conducting the study and the potential
impact of the findings to the academic community and society at large. The Introduction should
include the following sub-sections. The Introduction should start in page 2, following the Abstract/
Title page.
Statement of the Problem
This section provides the larger context in which the study is embedded. The following questions
should be answered:
 Why does this research study need to be conducted?
 What specific issues does this study raise or examine that are important (and why are they
important)?
In this section it is appropriate to include information regarding the magnitude of the larger problem
that the research addresses (e.g. incidence of eating disorder symptoms among adolescents, the known
impact of parental depression on children, proportion of ethnic minorities represented in higher
education) (about 150 to 350 words max.).
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Purpose of the Study
In this section, it is appropriate to include a sentence saying “The purpose of this study is…” . Clearly
identify the goal of the study in one precise sentence. For example, the sentence could look like this:
“the purpose of this study is to examine to what extent both general college stress and ethnic minority
stress are related to depression symptoms among Latino/a college students .” Also, identify the unit of
analysis and/ or specific inquiry methods used (e.g. self-report surveys, systematic/natural
observational studies, experiment) (200 words max.).
Research Question/Hypothesis
Research questions ask what relationships exist between the different variables in the study, while the
hypothesis predicts the relationship between variables. List all the research questions in the study, and
then include the researcher’s hypothesis for the study. Format this section as seen below.
The following question(s) will be addressed (Identify the Independent/Predictor and
Dependent/Outcome Variables):
1. Question 1: What is nature of the relation of college stress to depression symptoms? Predictor
variable; college stress- Outcome variable: depression symptoms
2. Question 2:
It is expected that:
1. Hypotheses 1: It is expected that college stress will be positively related to depression symptoms.
2. Hypotheses 2
Definition of Terms
It is essential to define the central ideas or concepts of the research study. Therefore, provide a
conceptual definition for each variable that will be part of the research questions, citing other research
studies as much as needed. List each concept and italicize it. (I prefer that you paraphrase, rather
than cite verbatim from the source the conceptual definition of the concepts)
1. Stress. Stress refers to physiological and psychological changes experienced when individuals
perceive that contextual characteristics or demands of the situation exceed their ability to respond
or cope, which, in turn, threatens their wellbeing (Folkman, Lazarus, Gruen, & DeLongis, 1986).
3. Stressors. Stressors are events or situations that require a response from the individual in order to
adapt or cope (Folkman et al., 1986).
4. College Stress: College stress is experienced as a result of ongoing stressors related to academics,
social emotional functioning and finances (stressors) that typically are part of college life and/or
young adulthood (Rodriguez et al., 2000) .
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5. Ethnic minority stress. Ethnic minority stress results from negative experiences (stressor) in the
campus environment that students’ perceive to be linked to social, physical and/or cultural
attributes salient to the specific ethnic minority group the individual identifies or is identified with
(Smedley et al., 1993).
Theoretical Framework (Pertinent to Theory Driven questions and hypotheses)
Some hypotheses are Theory Driven while others are Data driven. This section will detail the theory
that is guiding the proposed study. From this theory, the researcher is able to inform the statement of
the problem, the purpose of the study, the questions and hypothesis, the choice of instruments, and
methodology of the study. In this section, explain the major tenants of the theory as well as how the
theory relates to the proposed study. Eventual findings of the experiment will be discussed in terms of
how they relate to the theory. It should be a brief explanation of the theory, as the details of particular
experiments will be discussed later in the Literature Review. This section only applies to studies
with Theory Driven hypotheses—otherwise do not include. (400 words max.)
Literature Review
The Literature Review provides the background for the research questions and hypotheses.
Information about empirical studies related to the theory and to the study’s hypotheses is discussed in
the Literature review. (Include at least 5 empirical studies in your review).
In this section, briefly share the results of empirical studies that are directly related to the proposal’s
research. For data driven hypotheses describe how the reviewed study’s findings relate or justify the
hypotheses. You do not need to summarize all the findings of each study. Highlight the results that are
most directly related to your research questions(s).
To organize the literature review, it helps to separate the various studies one finds into different
categories according to the research questions.
 Choose a theme that became apparent from the studies that you collected and briefly share the
results of the various studies, including the most pertinent information such as the studies’
hypotheses, population, methodology, and results. Relate the study to other studies or to your
research questions/hypothesis. This means that each study mentioned should relate to the new,
proposed study in some way.
 To organize the themes within the literature review you may create “Level 2 subheadings” in APA
style. (Check the following website for information about headings
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/16/ )
 Report the studies sequentially if possible, building upon the findings of prior studies. Remember to
separate each category of studies with a new subheading. Do this as many times as needed.
 The last paragraph of the Literature Review section should provide a summary or conclusion that
briefly summarizes the research findings that lead to the study’s research questions/hypotheses (Ok
to repeat them here). Check Lab 37 for an example of an outline for Lit. Review (max. 5 pages, 12
font- double; spaced).
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Methods
The Methods section is the most important section in the entire proposal. In this section researchers
explain each step they will take in order to conduct his or her research. This section discusses what
measures the researcher will take in order to test the study’s hypothesis. The information must be
organized according to the following subheadings.
Participants (Sampling)
This section should include an expanded discussion of the sample. First, discuss the population under
consideration. From where will participants be selected? Second, give the sampling method to be used.
Which specific sampling method will be used to select participants? Lastly, list the elements that you
expect will be characteristic of the sample, such as sex, age, etc. (in other words the types of participants
you will target and how you will access them).
Instrumentation
In this paragraph, briefly outline the instruments that will be used in the study, including all surveys,
interviews, or observation grids. Discuss how the instrument(s) will measure the dependent variable
(experimental studies) and predictor and outcome variables (correlational studies). Each instrument
needs to be described under separate subheadings as shown below.
Name of Instrument #1 List the name of the first instrument that will be used in the study. Bold and
indent the name of instrument once to the right as shown here and include the citation in parentheses
next to the instruments name. Briefly describe the characteristics of the instrument (type of instrument,
number of items, response options, some sample items, ect) and how it will be scored in for the study’s
purposes. Repeat the same procedure for all other instruments. For example:
The College Stress Scale (CSS; Rodriguez et al., 2000), an 18 items instrument that captures
ongoing stressors that are part of college life or young adulthood, will be used to measure three
dimensions of general college stress: academic stress (seven items; e.g., “knowing how to prepare for
exams,” “writing course papers” ); social emotional stress (six items; e.g. “handling personal
relationships,” “balancing social and academic commitments), and financial stress (five items; e.g.
“paying for bills and living expenses”). Students will be asked to rate the stressfulness of each item
based on their college experience on a 5-point Likert scale that ranges from 1 “does not apply” to 5
“extremely stressful.” A score for college stress was obtained by averaging the18 items included in the
scale.
Research Design and Procedures
Describe the proposed research design for the study, whether it is correlational, experimental,
observational -natural or systematic- etc) and provide a brief summary of the procedures that will be
used in the study.
More specifically:
 Briefly describe how the data will be collected, including how the subjects will participate in the
study. In his section provide a brief summary of the procedures of the study.
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In the case of an experimental design, indicate the various levels of the IV (e.g. conditions,
treatments) and clearly describe the nature of the manipulation.
In correlational research, describe the procedures that will be used to access the participants and the
medium they will use to collect the data (paper and pencil, web based, archival).
In a study that will use archival data, briefly describe the procedures that were used to gather the
data.
Analysis
Indicate how the data will be analyzed (e.g. correlation coefficients will be calculated, t-test will be
conducted to compare means of treatment groups).
Protection of Human Rights
Discuss what efforts will be taken to protect human subjects including who will need to receive/sign
the letter of consent, how the letter of consent will be administered and collected (you do not need to
prepare a letter for the proposal). Indicate how do you think the UH‘s IRB Board will categorize
your study : Exempt, Expedited, or Full-Review and explain the basis of y our decision (based on the
description these categories in TXT Chap 5). Make sure to indicate that participation is voluntary
and that participants can choose to withdraw from the study at any time. Describe how the
subjects’ confidentiality will be protected.
References
Include a reference list for all sources used at the end of the proposal. See the APA Manual for
formatting
Pajares, F. (2007). Elements of a proposal. Emory University. Retrieved from
http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/proposal.html
http://www3.dbu.edu/uwc/documents/HowtoWriteaProposal.pdf
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