The aim of the assignment is to measure your understanding of the research process. The proposal that you submit is an assignment for this module andneed not be the one you use for your dissertation.As it takes the form of an ethics application, then the proposal must be based on research using data which requires ethical approval.
A research proposal is a little different to the other academic essays in the course. It is written in the future tense, has no conclusion and the key aim is to defend the proposal rather than offer critical analysis. It must provide a comprehensive account of each aspect of the research process. There should be sufficient detail to allow someone not familiar with the research to be able to carry it out step by step. All self designed questionnaires, interview schedules, consent forms, information sheets etc should be included.
Defending the proposal means using literature drawn from research text books to support each step in the research process ie the methodology, the sample, the data collection method, the data analysis and ethical considerations. You can add a References section to the end of the form.
The word count is 4000 words maximum. As the blank form contains 524 words, simply aim to have no more than 4524 words in the completed form. When stating the word count, please ensure that it is made clear whether the number stated is inclusive or exclusive of the 524 words in the form. Self-designed questionnaires, interview schedules, consent forms, information sheets etc are an intrinsic part of the proposal and will therefore be included in the word count. Questionnaires designed by others can be referenced and added as an appendix (outside the word count).
The following is adapted from the Departmental Research Ethics Committees guidelines on completing the form:
Application for Standard Ethical Approval Guidance Notes
All research that is carried out by College of Human and Health Sciences / College of Medicine staff and students, that involves data derived from these Colleges, intervention or interaction with human participants, or the collection and or study of data received from human participants that is not publicly available requires ethics approval.
If research involves NHS patients, service users, relatives or carers, staff or NHS premises, it will also require review by a local research ethics committee and the CHHS research committee will require evidence of such approval where required prior to considering the application.
The brief guidance notes below are intended to help you complete an application for standard ethical approval. All questions must be answered. The CHHS Research Ethics meets monthly to consider applications. Your information must arrive two weeks before a meeting in order to ensure consideration. Late applications will not be considered. The application should be submitted as a single file and should include all relevant information. Please ensure that where applicable, the proposal has been reviewed and signed by your research supervisor.
S.1. Include a brief overview of the literature (<1000 words) and describe the rationale and the main aims of the research you wish to undertake, including a statement of the intended benefits of the research.
The Committee will scrutinise the validity of the project. In terms of the intended value of the project, it is important to justify why the research needs to be carried out, particularly if similar research has been carried out in the past or if the same study population has been accessed before.
S.2. Briefly describe the overall study design
State the research paradigm (eg quantitative) and the methodology (eg cross sectional retrospective survey), explaining how this relates to the research question.
S.3. Describe the overall study design and
