University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Information and Library Science
INLS 781, Proposal Development
Fall 2014
SCHEDULE
On this page: Skip to current
session
Syllabus / Schedule / Assignments / Additional Readings / Sakai site
1, August 20: The proposal as a plan for action
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2007). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 1, Introduction, p108
- Chapter 2, The proposal -- Readers, expectations and functions, p9-18
- During class:
- Overview of course; discussion of initial ideas about master's paper
2, August 25: Identifying a research question
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information & Library Science. Libraries Unlimited.
- Wildemuth, Chapter 2, Developing a research question, p11-20
- One of:
- Wildemuth, Chapter 3, Questions originating in library and information practice, p21-26
- Wildemuth, Chapter 4, Descriptions of phenomena or settings, p27-32
- Wildemuth, Chapter 5, Testing hypotheses, p33-39
- Morgan & Wildemuth, Chapter 6, Questions related to theory, p40-47
- During class:
- Additional discussion of possible ideas to pursue in master's paper
- Begin work on Assignment 1, Preliminary research question, in consultation with peers
3, August 27: Positioning the question within a particular area
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Initial reading for research question; selected by students (bring one strong example to class, to share with peers)
- Bring to class one example of a past master's paper that could serve as a model for your work
- Assignment 1, Preliminary research question, due for peer review (comments and suggestions to be returned by August 29)
- During class:
- Form peer review groups, based on content/topic focus of research question
- In groups, discuss research examples and their relationship to the prospective research question
September 1, No class: Labor Day Holiday
4, September 3: Review of techniques for identifying pertinent literature
- Assignment 1, Preliminary research question, due for instructor review
- During class:
- Searching workshop (bring laptop to class)
5, September 8: Reviewing the literature within the area
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Webster, J., & Watson, R.T. (2002). Analyzing the past to prepare for the future: Writing a literature review. MIS Quarterly, 26(2), xiii-xxiii. [UNC libraries]
- Assignment 2, Literature review search plan, due for peer review during class session
- During class:
- Group discussion/critique of literature search plans (bring laptop to class)
- General discussion of concept maps and outlines as tools for organizing a literature review
- Begin individually developing a concept map or outline, in consultation with peers
6, September 10: Selecting and working with a research advisor
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Review faculty expertise; identify 2-3 potential research advisors
- Skim/read abstracts of at least 2 recent publications of each candidate advisor
- Assignment 2, Literature review search plan, due for instructor review
- During class:
- General discussion of ways to work with an advisor
- Group discussion of potential advisors and their potential support for the research
7, September 15: Returning to the literature
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2007). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 3, A general framework for developing proposals, p19-29
- Chapter 4, Some issues, p30-44
- During class:
- Group review of literature searching progress, outline/concept map/draft progress
- General discussion of proposal format
8, September 17: Finalizing the research question
- During class:
- Review of progress in identifying an advisor (report from first meeting with potential advisor)
- General discussion of data collection methods: strengths and weaknesses
- Exercise: Possible data collection methods
- Writing time (if available)
9, September 22: Selecting a method: data collection
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2007). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 5, Methods, p45-58
- Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information & Library Science. Libraries Unlimited.
- One chapter selected from Part IV. Methods for Data Collection
- If appropriate, one chapter selected from Part III. Research Designs and Sampling
- Additional recommended readings on the various data collection and analysis methods we'll discuss are available here; use this list to find additional information on the methods you'll be using
- Assignment 1, Introduction chapter draft, due for instructor review
- During class:
- General discussion of research approaches/designs
- Group discussion of preliminary plans for data collection
- Re-form groups for discussions of study methods
10, September 24: Selecting a method: data collection; Ethical considerations
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Two additional readings on the data collection method of interest; selected by students
- One reading should be a description of the method and how to use it, e.g., from a methods textbook
- One reading should be an example study applying the method in a way similar to the way in which the student expects to apply it
- During class:
- Group discussion of strengths and weaknesses of data collection method selected
- General discussion of research ethics and ethical treatment of study participants; optional IRB workshop to be scheduled
11, September 29: Selecting a method: data analysis
- Reading/preparation before class:
- For those working with qualitative data:
- Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information & Library Science. Libraries Unlimited.
- Zhang & Wildemuth, Chapter 30, Qualitative analysis of content
- Additional readings to be identified by instructor
- For those working with quantitative data:
- Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information & Library Science. Libraries Unlimited.
- Wildemuth, Chapter 33, Descriptive statistics
- Wildemuth, Chapter 34, Frequencies, cross-tabulation, and the chi-square statistic
- Wildemuth, Chapter 36, Correlation
- Crystal & Wildemuth, Chapter 37, Comparing means: t tests and analysis of variance
- Notify instructor of paper advisor acceptance
- During class:
- In-class exercise on data analysis
12, October 1: Defining and recruiting a sample
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information & Library Science. Libraries Unlimited.
- Read one:
- Wildemuth, Chapter 13, Sampling for extensive studies
- Wildemuth & Cao, Chapter 14, Sampling for intensive studies
- Assignment 2, Literature review chapter draft, due for peer review (comments and suggestions to be returned by October 6)
- During class:
- General discussion of sampling and recruitment issues
- Group discussion of sample size and challenges for recruitment
13, October 6: Putting the plan together
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2007). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 6, Writing the proposal, p59-74
- Chapter 7, Tactics, p75-86
- Appendix 2, Questions to guide proposal development, p144-146
- Assignment 3, Methods chapter draft, due for peer review (comments and suggestions to be returned by October 8)
- During class:
- General discussion/review of proposal writing techniques
- Individual writing time
- Individual review with instructor; focus on methods
14, October 8: Moving from a plan to a project/study
- Assignment 2, Literature review chapter draft, due for instructor review
- During class:
- General discussion of the proposal as a plan for conducting the research
- Resolving any unsettled questions: Q&A
- Individual writing time
- Individual review with instructor; focus on methods
- October 13: Assignment 5, Methods chapter draft, due for instructor review
October 22: Final proposal due
October 29, 9:30-10:45, 208 Manning Hall: IRB proposal workshop (voluntary)
- Preparation before class:
Syllabus / Schedule / Assignments / Additional Readings / Sakai site
This INLS 781 website, UNC-CH, 2014, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Address all comments and questions to Barbara M. Wildemuth at wildemuth@unc.edu. This page was last modified on October 7, 2014, by Barbara M. Wildemuth.