FINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT
Write a research proposal for a topic in your major or field of interest that examines a specific problem using a spatial or geographic perspective. One goal of this class is to introduce you to the tools, concepts and methods of geography so that you can apply them in your own fields. Recognizing the underlying spatial patterns, the significance of place and locational differences, and the impact that distance and space has on phenomena and processes can help inform your understanding of any situation.
A research proposal states what you want to study, why you want to study it or why there is a need for it to be studied and how you are going to address the issue.
Your proposal should be typed and turned in hard copy on the due date. Your proposal should follow exactly the outline below and should include all of the sections listed. Arrange, title and number your submission as you see it here. Your entry into each section should be in well written paragraphs consisting of grammatically correct sentences.
Name:_____________________________ GEO 101 Section:
Research Proposal
1. Title:
a. Select a title that concisely represents the research question you will be addressing.
2. Background:
a. Explain the background and issues related to your proposed research. How did you come to be interested in this subject?
b. What is already known about this issue in your field of study? Cite your sources. Consider looking at academic journals in your field as well as text books.
c. What can your research contribute to what is already known about the issue? Specifically, what can examining the issue using a spatial or geographic perspective add to that knowledge?
3. Research Question:
a. Formulate a question that is focused and can be clearly answered.
4. Methodology: This section should describe how you plan to answer your research question. (Be very specific in your description. For example, if you plan to download data from the internet, you must provide a specific cite from which it is available.) This section should include:
a. A description of your overall methodology – what are you going to do and how?
b. The type of data you will use (remember you are answering a spatial question so your data should somehow have a spatial component)
i. Remember there are many different types of data, both qualitative and quantitative, and you can use one type or multiple types. http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/10919_Chapter3.pdf provides useful information on types of data.
c. From where you will get the data and how you will collect it? Consider what format the data is in and whether you need to manipulate it in anyway. Does the data come from another source or will you collect it directly?
d. How will you analyze the data? Explain how that analysis will answer your research question.
e. Do you currently have the skills necessary to analyze the data? If so, describe those skills. If not, how will you get those skills?
5. Citation Page
a. Be sure to cite all sources used. Your sources should be academic (no Wikipedia or comparable sites).
Remember what you are doing is examining an issue using a spatial perspective so that should be the focus of each of these sections.
o I would recommend that you do some research on: What constitutes a good research proposal? What is geographic research? What is geographic data?
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