Mock funding application
1) A statement of the research question(s) and an explanation of why the issue to be researched is important (about one page). (Suggested page lengths assume double spacing, 12-point font and 8.5 x 11 inch paper.) A research question describes the problem or issue the researchers are trying to resolve. It may be a single question, or it may be a series of related questions. Here are some examples of research questions: Are young women more likely to suffer from eating disorders than young men? If so, why? Research questions often get revised as the research proceeds. They often start out being too broad or too complex for one project. For instance, it would probably be too difficult to provide a thorough answer to the “why?” question above. A more limited or specific question would be more manageable for a single study. For instance, the question could be revised as follows: Are gender differences in the prevalence of eating disorders related to differences in self-esteem? Or perhaps: Is the prevalence of eating disorders among young women related to the amount and type of social media they are exposed to? Even questions like these may have to be narrowed down further. 2) A discussion of the theoretical implications of the proposed research (about one page). There is often a theory or theories lurking in the background that relate to the research question(s). For example, some theories of gender roles may be relevant to the research questions discussed above, or possibly theories on the effect of social media on society. If a particular theory is relevant to the research you will be proposing, describe it and how it relates to what you propose to do. If you believe that no theory is relevant to your research question, explain why that is the case. 3) A statement of the hypotheses that follow from the research question(s), if applicable (each hypothesis is usually one sentence). Sometimes research involves testing specific hypotheses, and sometimes those hypotheses are derived from theories. If you are testing a hypothesis and it has been derived from a theory, explain how the hypothesis relates to the theory. In the illustration given above, one hypothesis might be: young women are more likely than young men to suffer from eating disorders. Another might be: the more time a young woman spends on social media, the more likely it is that she will have an eating disorder. However, not all research involves hypothesis testing. Some qualitative research, for example, may have the goal of in-depth description and may not be designed to test hypotheses. If that is the case for your project, explain why it would not be appropriate to come up with hypotheses that follow from your research question. 4) A review of the relevant literature (about three pages). The literature review should summarize the methods and findings of at least four academic articles and/or book chapters relating to your research question and hypotheses. A member of the library staff will visit the class and offer some instruction in finding and accessing relevant journal articles. Your review should place your research in the context of what’s been done by others on the topic you are exploring. In other words, do not simply summarize the articles; show how they relate to the issues you will be researching. The literature review should also outline how your research will improve upon or add something to the existing research. Make a note of any contradictory findings you have observed in the literature, and if you come across any, ask yourself whether your own research can help to explain why they occur. Take a look at the literature reviews found in the articles you are using for the assignment to get examples of how such reviews are to be done. Do not include the title of the article or book chapter in your literature review; the author’s name and year of publication is sufficient. The titles of the articles/chapters are to go in the list of references at the end of the assignment. Use the referencing style found in the Canadian Journal of Sociology or the American Journal of Sociology, or any other widely used referencing format. Go online through the Western library system to view these journals to see how their referencing systems work. Keep quotations to a minimum, and avoid long quotes. All quotations should be properly referenced, with the page number included. – references not included
