University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Information and Library Science
INLS 781, Proposal Development
Fall 2016
SCHEDULE
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Syllabus / Schedule / Assignments / Additional Readings / Sakai site
1, August 23: The proposal as a plan for action
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 1, Introduction, p1-10
- To save a bit of time, you can skim lightly in sections 1.2.5 and 1.4.
- Chapter 2, Understanding readers, expectations and functions, p12-21
- Read all the sections of this chapter; they'll be very useful to you. Also, work our your answers to the study questions on p21, in relation to your own proposal.
- During class:
- Overview of course; discussion of initial ideas about master's paper
2, August 25: Defining 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
- To figure out which of these four chapters to read/study, consider your own research question/focus. Where did it originate? What form is it likely to take? You may need to read the first page or two of each chapter to work out which will be most useful for you to study.
- 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 30: 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
- 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
4, September 1: Review of techniques for identifying pertinent literature
- During class:
- Searching workshop (bring laptop to class)
5, September 6: Reviewing the literature within the area
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Sections 5.5 and 5.6, The literature [and] Reviewing literature, p70-75
- This section will provide you with a very brief overview on developing a literature review. The Webster and Watson (2002) paper, below, will provide more depth and provide advice on how to proceed with your literature review.
- 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]
- 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 8: Identifying 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
- Skim/read abstracts of at least 2 master's papers advised by each candidate advisor
- 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 13: Returning to the literature
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 4, Developing a general framework for proposals, p46-58
- This brief chapter will help you think about how your research question will develop into your proposal for a study. It will be very useful to you to work through the exercises and study questions at the end of the chapter, in relation to your own research question. We'll use your preliminary work during our discussions in class.
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During class:
- Group review of literature searching progress, outline/concept map/draft progress
- General discussion of proposal format
8, September 15: Finalizing the research question
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Sections 5.1-5.4, Using theory, p60-70
- You've already read the second half of this chapter, so today focus on the first four sections. They will answer some questions for you about the role of theory in planning your study, and how that relates to your methods.
- 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 20: Selecting a method: data collection
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 6, Presenting methods and methodologies, p78-90
- Sections 6.1-6.3 will provide a framework in which you can think about your work for the rest of the course. You can use the questions in sections 6.4-6.5 as a checklist as you write the methods chapter of your proposal.
- Wildemuth, B.M. (2009). Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information & Library Science. Libraries Unlimited.
- Read at least one chapter selected from Part IV. Methods for Data Collection. Select a chapter that discusses the data collection method you're planning to use for your study.
- If appropriate, read 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
- 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 22: Selecting a method: data collection; Ethical considerations
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 3: Oancea, A. Including ethics in social science research, p23-44
- At least 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 27: 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
- One of the following:
- James, A. (2013). Seeking the analytic imagination: Reflections on the process of interpreting qualitative data. Qualitative Research, 13(5), 562-577. [UNC libraries]
- Marshall, C., & Rossman, G.B. (2011). Managing, analyzing, and interpreting data. In Designing Qualitative Research. 5th ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 205-227. [SILS Reserves - H62 .M277 2011; also in Sakai resources]
- Punch, K.F. (2014). Analysing qualitative data. In Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative & Qualitative Approaches. Los Angeles: Sage, 167-204. (Focus your attention on sections 9.1-9.4 and 9.7-9.8.) [SILS Reserves - H62 .P93 2014; also in Sakai resources]
- 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, September 29: 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
- During class:
- General discussion of sampling and recruitment issues
- Group discussion of sample size and challenges for recruitment
13, October 4: Putting the plan together
- Reading/preparation before class:
- Punch, K.F. (2016). Developing Effective Research Proposals. Sage.
- Chapter 7, Writing the proposal, p92-108
- Chapter 8, Getting tactics right, p110-121
- During class:
- General discussion/review of proposal writing techniques
- Individual writing time
- Individual review with instructor; focus on methods
14, October 6: Moving from a plan to a project/study
- 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, 9:30-10:45, Room 14: IRB proposal workshop (voluntary)
- Preparation before workshop:
Syllabus / Schedule / Assignments / Additional Readings / Sakai site
This INLS 781 website, UNC-CH, 2016, 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 6, 2016, by Barbara M. Wildemuth.