Description
Topic: The role of technology in cybercrime
Research Question: How has the evolving landscape of technology impacted the methods and frequency of cybercrime?
Research Proposal
The purpose of this assignment is for you to apply the knowledge and skills gained throughout this course on a research proposal of your own. We will not actually be conducting primary research ourselves, but we will be performing a serious literature review and then using that literature review to articulate a logical, evidence-based hypothesis and research design. The paper will begin with an introduction, include APA-style in-text citations throughout, sections and subsections (with section and subsection headings, per APA style), and end with your APA-style References list.
Submit each research proposal assignment as a single Microsoft Office “.doc” or “.docx” file. Include your first and last name and the assignment name in the file name (e.g., “Jane Doe Topic Proposal with First Source”).
Writing instructions (required in all stages of the Research Proposal):
Use paragraphs effectively
Use informative transitions
Make one point per paragraph
Write clearly and concisely
Use words correctly
Avoid all unnecessary verbiage
No titles (of articles or of journals) in the text of your paper; instead introduce studies using author name(s) and publication year only
Omit author affiliations and first names from the text of your paper
Replace clunky words and phrase with their concise equivalents
Replace fancy terms with simple, direct terms
Be specific/precise
Do not be vague
Maintain a professional, academic, moderately formal tone
No personal words
No contractions
No slang, street talk, clichés, conversational/chatty langauge
Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation
Take your approved outline, and use it to develop a full APA-style research proposal. Please keep in mind how important it is to use course terms (e.g., statistic, sample, research, theory, variable) correctly, to demonstrate critical thinking in your selection and synthesis of relevant research articles, and to follow directions and use APA style precisely. It is vital to your success in this assignment that you are directly and thoroughly responsive to all feedback given to date.
Contents:
Cover sheet
Abstract (150–200 words)
Key words (5–7 key terms)
Introduction section (1–2 pages)
Introduce the topic, establishing its context
Justify the significance of studying the topic
State your research question and hypothesis
Identify and briefly describe the proposed research design
Provide a “roadmap” of the rest of the paper
Literature Review section (3–7 pages of text)
Start with the level-1 APA-style heading “Literature Review”
Provide an introductory paragraph for the section
Include a level-2 APA-style subheading “Existing Research”
Summarize your five research articles topic by topic rather than study by study, covering these six topics for each article
Research question(s)/hypothesis (or hypotheses)
Theoretical framework/orientation
Research design
Sampling
Independent and dependent variable measurement
Key findings
Include a level-2 APA-style subheading “Summary of the Existing Research”
Synthesize the five studies in such a way as to lead logically to your hypothesis and research design in the next section.
Methodology section (3-6 pages)
Start with the level-1 APA-heading “Methodology”
Drawing from your literature review, articulate the hypothesis to be tested in your research proposal
Identify and describe the research design you will use to test your hypothesis, and explain why this research design is the most appropriate. Research designs options include experiment, survey, and content analysis.
Include a level-2 APA-style subheading “Sampling”
Propose an appropriate, specific sampling design
Identify your population
Identify your unit of analysis
Specify your targeted sample size
Include a level-2 APA-style subheading “Measurements”
Provide an introductory paragraph to this subsection
Include a level-3 APA-style subheading “Dependent variable”
Specify the name of your key dependent variable
Identify its categories and codes
Include a level-3 APA-style subheading “Independent variable”
Specify the name of your key independent variable
Identify its categories and codes
Include a level-3 APA-style subheading “Control variables”
One at a time, specify the name of at least two logical control variables
In the same order, identify their categories and codes
Include a level-2 APA-style subheading “Limitations”; cover causality, validity, reliability, and ethics
Discuss the prsed study’s potential strengths in at least one paragraph
Discuss the proposed study’s potential weaknesses in at least one paragraph
References
Format: Follow APA style precisely. Include all required elements (listed above) in the order listed above.
Include a heading in the upper left margin of the first page containing: your first and last name, the semester and year, and the name of the assignment. Double space, with 1-inch margins, left-aligned text, and 12-point Times New Roman font throughout. Number all pages, including the first one, and set the page numbers in Times New Roman.
