Assignment 2 – Project Proposal Outline Format (20%) (CLO2 and CLO3)
DUE: Week 7, Monday, 24 February 2025 (Turnitin Submission)
*Adapted from “Capstone Project and Paper Guidelines – Michigan State University” http://com.msu.edu/FDLL/Leadership/HPE/Syllabi/OST820_Syllabus.pdf
The purpose of the Project Proposal Outline is to provide your course instructor with enough information to, (1) determine if the topic is appropriate, (2) determine whether the scope and identified objectives, tasks and subtasks are likely to be manageable within the given timeframe, and (3) serve as a guideline for team meetings and project deliverables.
The project proposal outline should:
· Provide a brief overview of the research project in 1,500-2,000 words (4 to 5 pages), be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch page margins, section headings and using a 12-pt font consistently throughout the document (e.g., Calibri).
· The research proposal must contain the following five (5) sections:
1. Introduction Section
2. Description of the Problem Section
3. Literature Review Section
4. Methodology (with Timeline)
5. Expected outcome
NOTE: The project proposal should be written in future tense language where appropriate (i.e. use the verbs “will” and “shall”. Example: The team will complete the following tasks on…)
1. Introduction Section – Recommended length is ~1 page
The research proposal’s title should be written on a cover page along with the name of each group member.
Next, the Introduction Section sets the stage for what is to come and should provide the background and rationale for the proposed project – what is this about and why is it important? It should clearly contextualize the problem in one to three short paragraphs and include a brief statement of the problem. The Introduction Section should answer the following questions:
· What is the problem that is central to this project?
· What is the general topic of study related to that problem?
· Why is this an important topic to research? -or- What is significant about this research?
· Why should readers care about the outcomes of the proposed study?
· What implications (impact) will the findings of this study have for IEM/BCM, Policing or Leadership? –or- What will readers learn from this study? –or- What insight or new knowledge will this research project contribute? -or- How will the findings from this project be used?
2. Description of the Problem Section – Recommended length is ~1 page
The second section should describe the specific problem or task your project will address. Clearly state your objectives for the project (what you will attempt to examine), describe the product or services you will provide (e.g., the creation of a plan or improvement of operational area in emergency response), and discuss how the project is likely to benefit your profession, institution, or organization.
- What is the problem identified by the group in relation to the topic?
- What is the gap identified in the literature? -or- What does the group’s literature review not tell us about the topic?
- What is the primary research question of this topic? If applicable, what are the sub-questions of this topic?
· What are the objectives of the research project? List 2 to 3 key objectives that the research project will examine or attempt to understand.
3. Literature Review Section – Recommended length is ~ 1 1/2 to 2 pages
The third section is a brief review of the relevant literature pertaining to the proposed problem/project. Carefully select the articles you review to inform and/or support the need for your project, for example:
• Does the literature provide supporting documentation of the existence of the problem you have identified? Your project should not be based solely on your own subjective opinion, perceptions, or intuition.
• Does the literature point to major gaps that your project can fill? Maybe no one else has done what you propose to do. That’s great! Your study will definitely “add to our (collective) fund of knowledge.”
• Does the literature support the methodology or “solution” you have selected to address the problem?
• Are there published reports by others who have already done what you propose to do? If so, critique this literature, and discuss how your project can improve / expand / build on the existing body of knowledge.
You should review a minimum of 6 sources for the project proposal (many more will be needed for the final report).
The articles should be fairly current (the majority of literature cited should have been published within the last 10 years; seminal/influential works in the topic area may be older) and should come from peer-reviewed journals. Edited texts or textbooks may also be appropriate sources of material. Web sites should be used with extreme caution.
Only those sources actually cited in the research proposal should be included – this is not a reading list. This section should also be APA formatted and on its own page and references should be numbered. SEE APA Citation Format document on the course Moodle Page.
*Reference sources should be obtained through the Rabdan Academy library databases accessed at https://elibrary.ra.ac.ae/
NOTE: Refer to APA guidelines for how to incorporate in-text citations of the articles you review.
4. Methodology (with Timeline) – Recommended length is ~ 1 1/2 pages
The fourth section should describe the proposed methodology and timeline related to how you will conduct the project from the start through to the completion (what are the major steps and when will they occur?). The proposed methodology narrative/paragraph(s) will include an explanation of the following:
· How will data be collected (survey, case study, content analysis, comprehensive literature reviews etc.)?
· Why is the proposed data collection methodology suitable for this project?
· What will the proposed data collection methodology allow you to learn about the topic or problem?
The project steps can be written in bullet points (SEE BELOW EXAMPLE) or in table form or in the graph. List the steps using Roman numerals (e.g. Step I, Step II). Be clear in describing the steps and restrict them to a manageable number after checking with me. Below each major step (example: Step 1, Step 2 etc.), list the subtasks needed to complete it. Include how you will assess the outcome (impact of your project) and describe any institutional or other barriers you will need to address (e.g., permission from organization, getting more people to answer your surveys, having your survey instrument approved by the instructor before beginning data collection).
Writing this section first will help you determine if the project is “doable” or needs to be more focused. Remember, you will need to complete the project report by WEEK 15 and make a group presentation in WEEK 14 where each group member is expected to present.
EXAMPLE of project steps provided below:
Step I. Site visit (Start date – Finish date)
a. Meeting with stakeholder organization to collect more information
b. Acquiring reports and documents from stakeholder
c. Taking photographs
d. ……………………………
Step II. Secondary data collection (Start date – Finish date)
a. Reviewing reports provided by stakeholder (only applies if you are working with a stakeholder organization (Date:………………..)
b. Reviewing international standards documentation (Date:………………..)
c. Conducting case study analysis (Date:………………..)
d. ………………………
Step III. Primary data collection (Start date – Finish date)
a. Creating survey instrument (Date:………………..)
b. Discussing with faculty member and stakeholder (Date:………………..)
c. Conducting face-to-face interviews (Date:………………..)
Step IV. Data analysis (Start date – Finish date)
a. Coding / Typing up data from surveys (Date:………………..)
b. Descriptive analysis of data (Date:………………..)
c. Creating pie charts/ bar graphs/ write-up of data analysis findings section (Date:………………..)
d. ……………………………………..
Step V. Write Final Report (Start date – Finish date)
a. Writing 1st draft for discussion (Date:………………..)
b. ———————
STEP VI. Final Presentation – WEEK 14 Date to be confirmed (TBC)
a. Creating first draft of final presentation (Date:………………..)
b. Discussing the presentation’s format with course lecturer (Date:………………..)
c. ………………………….
5. Expected outcome – Final Page
Provide clear outcome that you will be achieving from the research project
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FINAL NOTES TO REMEMBER:
When writing your proposal, use simple, direct and future tense language. Do not complicate it.
For example:
• The proposed SSDEC project addresses the problem of…
• Our objectives for this project are to (1) … (2) … (n)….
• We will address these issues by doing X, Y, and Z.
• We will use [the following methods/strategies] to collect data/ information and assess the impact of our project.
• Potential barriers to this project include A, B, and C, and in order to accomplish the stated goals, we will (e.g., need to obtain approval from) ….
It might seem impossible to include all of the required information in only 4-6 pages, but keep in mind that this is just the proposal; the project paper will be much longer. The proposal should be brief and focused; every sentence, every word choice should be intentional and have a specific purpose. You don’t have to describe everything. This will just serve as a road map of where you are going and how you will get there.