Outline:

This quantitative survey research proposal paper is presented in chronological order. This means that you don’t talk about data analysis until you talk about data collection. You don’t talk about collecting data until you talk about who you are collecting it from.

I. Overview
a. One paragraph introduction that restates the problem
b. Research questions
II. Design (overview)
a. State research design
b. Why it is appropriate for the research questions
c. If appropriate, identify variables
d. Address limitations and threats to validity
III. Participants
a. Population
b. Sampling frame
i. Fit of frame to population
c. Sample
i. Justify size–how you determined
ii. Selection procedure
d. Selection criteria
i. What criteria did you use? (e.g., only certain demographics)
ii. If on the basis of test scores, present reliability and validity of the test
IV. Instrument*
a. What does it measure?
i. How many and form of questions
ii. Resultant outcome (e.g., subscales, total score, individual items)
b. Reliability & Validity
i. Be specific—what type?
1. Who was in the sample and how many?
2. Include information from multiple studies
ii. Be sure to indicate why it should hold for your study
iii. If developing your own instrument, describe the development process and what you did to validate it
iv. Report any specifics from pilot tests (e.g., Cronbach Alphas)
V. Procedures*
a. Data collection procedures
b. Describe the steps of what you will use to collect data
i. When you (send) survey, what other info will you include? (e.g., consent, SASE,)
ii. Reminders—how often and how many
c. Other efforts to enhance return rate
VI. Data Handling
a. Storage
b. Cleaning and entry
i. Policy for missing items
ii. What criteria will you use?
c. Transformation or reduction
i. Reverse scores?
ii. Total/mean items for scale scores
d. Level of measurement?
i. Treating ordinal data as interval?
VII. Data Analysis
a. Response rate
b. Demographics–to describe your sample
i. Any verification of qualifying criteria
ii. Any statistical procedures to verify fit of sample to population?
c. Instrument Reliability (if appropriate)
i. Alphas for your data and discuss comparison to previous tests (pilot or published research)
d. Analysis
i. Descriptive stats
ii. Specific analysis/analyses to answer each research question (What scales/subscales? Be specific.)
iii. Be sure to include post hoc tests (an ANOVA alone won’t answer your question)
1. post hoc comparisons and strength of association
iv. Be sure to include how you will meet the assumptions of the statistical tests you intend to perform

*The order of the Procedures and Instruments sections can be reversed. Sometimes it makes more sense to talk about the instrument first, then how it was used. Other times it makes more sense to talk about the data collection procedures then the instrument that was used.