In many organizations, a formal research proposal is a necessary precursor to a

In many organizations, a formal research proposal is a necessary precursor to a full-length report. A research proposal is intended to help you:
Find and articulate a problem that can be addressed with research (a problem as it exists for an actual group, company, or organization)
Develop patterns of inquiry with suitable research questions and methods
Discover your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and researcher, so you can assign roles to budget your time and energy, and realistically manage your project expectations
Formally plan your project’s life cycle for collaborating, drafting, sharing findings, getting feedback, revising and editing
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 that I uploaded 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
Annotated Bibliography:
Please use the template that I uploaded to construct your Annotated Bibliography.
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.
As you pick a proposal topic, conduct research on it. Use Ivy Tech’s Library Databases if you are doing online research – this will ensure your sources are credible. You may also find source material via books, magazines, newspapers, journals, other Internet sources that are credible, or other mediums (Wikipedia and personal websites are NOT appropriate and will not be acceptable).
Annotate a minimum of five (5) sources that you plan to use in writing your proposal. Each source must be listed with an APA style citation and in alphabetical order. Below each source will be the annotation, which should consist of two (2) paragraphs: the first paragraph should summarize the source, and the second paragraph should assess the source and persuade the reader that the source is appropriate, relevant, and useful.
Note: paragraphs should be at least five to eight (5-8) sentences long.
Be sure your Persuasive Annotated Bibliography meets the following requirements:
Five (5) credible sources (that are appropriate for the topic, scholarly, and timely) are annotated
There are no page length requirements; HOWEVER, a thorough annotation should include two (2) paragraphs: a summary paragraph and a persuasive assessment paragraph
Use the template provided to you above, which is formatted as so:
Times New Roman, 12-point fond
1-inch margins, double spaced
APA style title page
APA style headers and page numbers (which should be on every page)
Bold the bibliographic information (but not the annotations)
Follow correct APA style for the source citations and alphabetize references
Critical thinking is clearly apparent
Make sure assignment is well written: good grammar, good sentence structure, correct spelling
Possible topics include but are not restricted to:
Problems affecting Ivy Tech or your hometown
Family Medical Leave Act or similar types of policies
Discrimination (hiring, training, separation)
Hiring, training, retaining, or mentoring employees
Continuing education policies
Sustainable business practices
Flexible work policies (job sharing, flex time, telecommuting, etc.)
Managing employee performance, developing employees
Leadership (there are many topics in this area)
Privacy issues in the workplace (employers’ rights, employee rights, implementation of policies, procedures)
Technology (many topics in this area such as “Bring Your Own Devices,” managing technology, updating technology, monitoring employee use of technology, technology use/upgrades, cost of technology, etc.)
Background checks for employees (implementation, use, difficulties)
Managing work schedules, overtime, and labor issues
Multigenerational workplaces – managing different generations
Social media use (employers, employees, organizations; policies, procedures, repercussions)
Issues affecting small businesses (payroll, health care, use of third party vendors/sources, financing/funding issues, hiring, family employee policies, etc.)
Immigration, global employers, foreign employees (all topics which include hiring, mentoring, maintaining, and separating employees who are non-citizens)
Outsourcing, right-sizing, and “effective workforce staffing”
Legal issues affecting the workplace (hiring, separating, supervising, etc.)
Rewarding and compensating employees
Managing employer/corporate risk