Introduction to Sociology
First Writing Assignment: First Steps of a Research Proposal
In order to obtain money to do research, a proposal is necessary. In this paper, you will complete the first steps in writing a research proposal, as follows:
1.
Come up with a subject.
There are many subjects on which sociologists do research, including political economy, education, health, housing, work, nutrition, immigration, parenting, social media, religion, sexuality, ceremonies and ritual, leisure-time activities, etc.
Come up with a subject on which you would like to do research.
2.
Write a research question.
Write a research question based on that subject. Remember that the question should be about a specific group of people living in a certain place or community and that the question should address a matter that can be measured.
3.
Explain why your research question is important.
In detail, state why we need answers to the question you have come up with.
4.
Show your knowledge of research that has already been done on your topic.
Use Academic Search Complete, J-STOR, Social Sciences Full Text or another database at the BCC Library to find one article written in the last ten years about your topic. Read it and summarize it.
5.
Create a hypothesis.
A hypothesis states what you believe you will find in your research. An example: Drinking coffee one hour before bedtime makes it difficult to fall asleep. A hypothesis has a cause and an effect. Here the cause is drinking coffee one hour before bedtime and the effect is difficulty falling asleep.
Write a hypothesis that shows what you believe you will learn as you research your question.
6.
Explain your hypothesis.
Make clear why you have come up with your hypothesis. This involves relating your hypothesis with the article you have read.
Writing Tips:
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Use paragraphs – a paragraph is usually between five and eight sentences starting with a topic sentence, which states what the paragraph will be about.
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Be careful not to use fragments and run-ons. A fragment is a grammatically incomplete sentence. A run-on is a sentence that includes two or more sentences.
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Spell check your paper.
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Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is adding writing that you did not complete.