Ivy Tech Community College Rewarding and Compensating Employees Memorandum Proposing a research report is a problem-solving activity. The research proposal

Ivy Tech Community College Rewarding and Compensating Employees Memorandum Proposing a research report is a problem-solving activity. The research proposal is not meant to propose a final “answer” to a problem. Instead, it is a “promise” to someone (your audience) that you have a plan to perform useful research and writing about a problem and its potential solutions.

“Discovering” a problem to research can be a challenge for this project. Problems affecting Ivy Tech or your community are often good places to start, as well as problems related to the use or development of a technology affecting our fields, our institutions, or workplaces. Possible topics are also listed below.

For this Proposal Project, please compose a 2-3-page single-spaced document written in memo format. The proposal should identify a realistic problem and attempt to solve it with substantive research incorporated throughout. Provide a tentative plan for scholarly study and include a request for approval/action. You must use the template to write the proposal.

The proposal should contain the following sections:

Introduction — purpose of report, goals of the research project, background on the problem. Include any research cited in APA.
Statement of Problem — preliminary research should be cited here in APA format to explain need for research
Proposed Solution — provide at least one (1) potential solution
Scope — research topics/questions
Methods — how will the research be conducted; be specific (see template)
Qualifications — how is the student qualified to study this topic?
Limitations — what are the obstacles to the project?
Conclusion — request for approval

You will need an APA style references page submitted with your proposal. You should demonstrate research literacy by including five (5) secondary sources. You will find these sources prior to drafting the proposal when you complete the Annotated Bibliography (see separate instruction sheet). These sources must be cited in-text and on the references pages in APA format. Author’s Last Name 1
MEMORANDUM
To: audience; recipient; stakeholders
From: Author’s Name
Date: Month (written out) Day, Year
RE: Proposal for XXX
Introduction
The introduction section states the purpose of the report and goals of the proposed research
project. The topic must be a potential workplace problem identified in the areas of business, IT,
or healthcare, and should not be specific to a single business but offer a broader perspective.
Students will give background information on the topic that summarizes and defines the main
issues for a reader. For example: Is there longevity with this potential problem, or is this a new
phenomenon in a certain career field?
When any facts are provided, an in-text citation in APA format must be used. Students cannot
generically guess at issues; students must find, use, and cite credible, professional sources that
support their beliefs about the issue. This section will be a few well-developed paragraphs.
Avoid opinion and 1st person narrative.
Statement of Problem
This section briefly explains the potential problem and should include initial research to explain
the need for the further, more in-depth research (for example a needs assessment or SWOT1
analysis could be used). This section needs to clearly state what the potential problem is. This
section should address what concerns/issues may be facing this topic in general.
The statement of problem tells more about the potential problem/issue. Which stakeholders are
affected? How does it affect those people? What are some stats on this demographic-median
age, income, educational level (if applicable)? Are any of these issues a problem that could
affect stakeholders locally, regionally, nationally, and/or globally? How so? Are there new
policies or events that will be in effect or happen in the next two to five years, such as an election
year, new health care plan, law, or world event that will affect this topic? This section will be a
few well-developed paragraphs.
When any facts are provided, an in-text citation in APA format must be used. Students cannot
generically guess at issues; students must find, use, and cite credible, professional sources that
support their ideas about the topic. Avoid opinion and 1st person narrative.
Proposed Solution
Based on the background and initial research of the aforementioned problem, the author will
present one viable potential solution that could be further researched. This solution should be
general in nature; students will not have done enough research at this point to provide detailed
and pointed solutions. In this section, could, may, might is acceptable language as the solution
has not been solidified or researched in full.
1
Strength/Weakness/Opportunities/Threat analysis
Author’s Last Name 2
This section will vary in length depending on the student’s use of sources.
Scope
Students should introduce the topic and then provide a list of potential research questions. Some
information may be repeated (not word for word). Research questions generally answer how or
why instead of what. “Yes/No” questions are to be avoided.
? What are the overarching questions this research will answer?
? What question does the student want to ask and answer through the research?
? An author should not limit his/her research by writing scope questions that are too
specific or too narrow.
For example, a scope question could be, “How is social media being used to market ABC
Business?” instead of, “Does ABC Business have a Facebook page?”
Methods
This section explains how students will find answers to the aforementioned research questions.
Students will state what type of research will be done if the proposal were to be accepted and
why these sources will be helpful in researching the topic. For example, if a student were
researching a medical topic, he or she would discuss the use of medical journals, medical studies,
credible medical websites, etc. or directly name those resources.
Primary research such as interviews requires IRB approval. You MUST consult your instructor if
you are thinking of using any primary research. Secondary research such as journal articles,
books, and credible websites are appropriate for this assignment.
Students should NOT generically state, “I will search Google and DU databases.” Instead, an
author should state, “The New England Journal of Medicine will be helpful in evaluating current
effects of the topic.”
Qualifications
This section provides proof that the student is qualified to research/provide feedback on this
topic. Qualifications should be related to the student’s professional experience, education, or
volunteer work.
Does the student already work in this field? Does the student have a personal history with the
topic? Has the student taken specific coursework related to this topic? For example, if the topic
were local election fraud, the student could list being a political science major and working at the
county clerk’s office as an intern for the last three years as qualifications.
Limitations
What foreseeable obstacles or limitations for this project are of concern to the author? Time
limitations? Lack of current research? This section will most likely be a short section. Do not
include limitations from personal issues.
Author’s Last Name 3
Conclusion
This section should wrap-up the proposal like any essay or paper and should be a full paragraph
of five to eight sentences (minimum).
There should also be a request for approval, too, as if you were really going to complete the
objectives of this proposal. For example, something like, “With your approval, I will begin
research at once.”
Author’s Last Name 4
References
All entries should be in alphabetical order. URLs should be listed without a hyperlink or be
followed by a period.
Interviews and personal communications (primary research – seek instructor approval) are not
listed in the reference page. Instead they are cited in text: (First initial. Last name,
personal communication, month day, year).
The reference section starts on a new page. References should be double spaced and have a
hanging indent.
This section should include at least five (5) credible sources – preferably the ones from your
Annotated Bibliography, though it is fine if your sources change during the drafting
process. Please be sure you are appropriately citing sources.
Those references that do not end with a URL will use a period as end punctuation.

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