Prospectus Paper

Dr. Gass

HCOM 308

Summer 2009

Research Prospectus Paper

(Proposal for a Communication Experiment)<= /i>

Your goal is to cr= aft a “working” proposal for an original communication experiment. It is understood that the specific= s of your proposed investigation will be somewhat sketchy at this initial stage, since you will be refining your proposal in the subsequent stages of the paper. Your prospectus will form the basi= s for my suggestions on how to modify or revise your experiment. Nevertheless, you should try to = be as specific and clear as possible. You should address the following concerns in your research prospectu= s:

1. Ide= ntify the basic topic area, or line of research.= Explain the relevance of the topic area to the field of human communication. Demonstrate th= at the line of inquiry you’ve selected constitutes a legitimate area of research interest in your discipline.&= nbsp; Identify the theoretical framework for your experiment. Good research is theory-driven. What theory or model forms the bac= kdrop for your experiment?

2. Ide= ntify the research problem. Why is research in this area needed? What is the rationale or justification for conducting your experiment? How would research in this area fu= rther knowledge in your discipline?

3. Ide= ntify and define the key concepts you want to investigate (don’t rely on standard dictionary definitions for communication concepts). Clearly explain what your indep= endent and dependent variables are. If you know at this point, explain how the independent variable(s) w= ill be operationalized. Explain h= ow the dependent variable(s) will be measured.<= o:p>

4. Sta= te your hypothesis(es) and/or research question(s). Formulate a tentative hypothesis or research question that predicts a “functional relationship” bet= ween two or more variables, and that is empirically testable.

You should cite a minimum of three scholarly references (e.g., current, published, peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals), primarily to define concepts= and demonstrate that you’ve selected a current area of research interest.= Your paper should be 3 pages in le= ngth, typed, double-spaced, and carefully proof-read for spelling, typographical,= and grammatical errors. Reference= s must conform to the APA style manual.<= o:p>

This assignment represents 10% of your course grade and is due July 23^rd.=