Write a Research Proposal to get approval for a research plan; the results of th
Write a Research Proposal to get approval for a research plan; the results of the research will be topic of the Feasibility Report Project. You will propose to research possible solutions for a problem faced by UHD students or City of Houston residents. You will be responding to a request for proposals. The document should be 3 to 6 pages single-spaced, typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins all around. Use section headings in a contrasting 14- or 16-point font such as Arial. Provide a 10-point, underlined header on every page to identify author and page numbers. Include all required sections & contents. Give credit to sources in MLA style. Note: 3 pages means 3 full pages from the Intro to the Conclusion. Front and back matter does not count toward the page minimum. Two and a half pages is not 3 pages. Two pages and one line is not three pages. You need three pages of content to meet the minimum. Context/Situation: You have decided that there is a problem at UHD or in the city of Houston. You have come to me and stated that you perceive a problem and that you think you can find a solution. You want to research the best way to solve this problem during class time, so you need my permission to spend time pursuing it. I tell you to submit a proposal explaining why this is a serious problem that deserves attention and how you plan to search for a solution. If I like your research plan, I will approve your research project. You explain to me, in your proposal, how you will find the information you need and what you will do with that information. Once approved, you can then begin the research that will culminate in a Feasibility Report that identifies the most feasible solution(s) and tells how it/they can be implemented. Remember that expensive solutions are harder to get approved. Notes: In a Research Proposal, you identify a problem and how it came about and whom it affects and how serious it is. You provide research (from print sources and/or interviews) to establish that the problem exists. Then you propose to solve the problem. You may provide a range of possible solutions that you plan to examine to see which one is best. You must provide a viable plan of research to determine what solution is best for UHD or the city to implement. You should explain why you have the credentials/skills/knowledge to be the best person to work on this problem. You do NOT provide the one best solution in the proposal. You explain the methods (library research, internet research of other college campuses, interviews with people in authority on campus, surveys of students and/or faculty on campus, visits to other campuses, observations, etc.) that you will use to gather information needed to understand and solve the problem. You will NOT propose a solution – you will propose a plan of research. This means that the proposal focuses on a problem and not on a single solution. Remember that a problem is not a matter of what we want (e.g., we want the library to stay open 24 hours a day) but what we lack/what is needed (e.g., evening students do not have access to library resources via the Internet or in person during hours when they are not in class or at work). For instance: “we need more police around campus” is not a problem but a possible solution to a problem involving crime on campus. On the other hand, “there is too much crime on campus” is a problem that could be solved in a number of ways (more police, more emergency call boxes, more student awareness of how not to be a crime victim, etc). Do not confuse a solution with a problem. Also, “the bookstore needs to be open later hours” is not a problem – it is one possible solution to the problem that “night students cannot buy their books at the bookstore without taking time off from work”. A solution to that problem might be buying books online instead of at the bookstore. So keep the difference between problems and solutions in mind when defining your problem in your proposal. A lack of something that you want is not a problem. I don’t have a million dollars, is that a problem that needs research to solve it? Of course not. So saying that UHD lacks something is not necessarily a problem – maybe we do not need that thing. Remember to include ALL required sections in each document: Abstract summarizes a problem and proposed research plan to find a solution or set of solutions. Introduction describes what the team wants to do and what the proposal contains. Include Background on the problem. Cover the specifics of what you plan to do – how you plan to research the problem. Include specific goals and objectives as well as criteria for evaluating your degree of success in the end at examining and judging all possible solutions. Methods section tells how you will complete the research project successfully. Are the methods appropriate for the problem being addressed? Schedule explains how deadlines will be met. Qualifications section explains your credentials and how your skills will enable them to successfully complete the proposed project? Conclusion reviews the proposal contents and ensures that the document closes appropriately. Works Cited page must use MLA style for all references and sources of information or graphics.