RESEARCH PROPOSAL: PART 2 - HYPOTHESIS AND LIST OF REFERENCES

RESEARCH PROPOSAL: PART 2 - HYPOTHESIS AND LIST OF REFERENCES ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

OVERVIEW

Remember that throughout the term, you will be completing 5 cumulative assignments that are designed to guide you through the process of developing an original research proposal to address a specific research question in the field of neuroscience. In Module 3, you continue this process by stating your hypothesis(es) and providing a list of working references that support your hypothesis(es).

INSTRUCTIONS

Working List of References

At this point in the process, you have selected a topic and received feedback from your instructor about its suitability. Now, you need to explore the scientific literature concerning your research question. The purpose of the current assignment is to ensure that you create a scientific hypothesis that is testable, is based on sound rationale, and is practical and ethical to test.

To formulate a testable and empirically-sound scientific hypothesis, you need to read lots of the existing literature concerning the research question of interest. For the present assignment, you are going to obtain and read 20–25 potential scholarly, peer-reviewed sources that are directly related to your topic, and then you are going to formulate a formal, scientific research hypothesis that explicitly addresses the research question that you intend to investigate in your Research Proposal.

Hypothesis

A statement of hypothesis describes the prediction(s) that you make for the outcome of your proposed research. Embedded in the body of an empirical report, the statement of hypothesis is a single, concise sentence. For the current assignment, the statement can and ought to be longer than that.

Recall that good hypotheses have three characteristics. They are testable, they are based on sound rationale, and they are practical and ethical to test.

In order to demonstrate that you have created a good research hypothesis, your statement of hypothesis should include the following information. First, include a description of the variable(s) you intend to study using operational definitions. Then, using findings from the peer-reviewed research that you have read and referenced, compose a brief, logical rationale concerning why you believe your hypothesis will be supported by the data. Finally, formally present your hypothesis(es)/prediction(s) in a single, concise statement.

Content Requirements

• Provide a current APA-formatted title page that includes a descriptive title for your Research Proposal.

• Write a statement of hypothesis that:

o operationally defines the variables under investigation,

o provides a brief, logical rationale using scholarly sources in support of the hypothesis,

o formally presents the scientific hypothesis that will be investigated in your Research Proposal

• Create a working References page that is formatted according to current APA guidelines and that contains the bibliographic information for the 20–25 potential scholarly, peer-reviewed sources that you found while exploring the scientific literature on your research question.

This initial working list of References is only a potential list. From the list of 20–25 scholarly sources that you use for the current assignment, you will select 10–12 sources for your Research Proposal that:

o Provide a thorough representation of your original 20–25 prospective sources, and

o Offer solid evidence for the hypothesis that you intend to test.

Formatting Specifications

• In-text citations are included and accurately formatted according to current APA guidelines.

• All text is typed and double-spaced in a standard, university-approved font.

• All pages utilize 1-inch margins.

• A current APA-formatted title page is provided.

• A current APA-formatted references page with at least 20-25 scholarly, peer-reviewed resources is included.

• Individual references on the references page are formatted according to current APA guidelines.

• Sources on the references page match sources cited in the body of the paper.

*************The original topic proposal topic is attached, along with a sample submission.*************