Description

Description: 
The purpose of a research proposal is to identify and formulate questions that arise from nursing practice and to design a research project to study the identified problem. The goal of a research proposal is to present and justify a research idea you have and to present the practical ways in which you think this research should be conducted. Research proposals contain extensive literature reviews and must provide persuasive evidence that there is a need for the proposed research study. In addition to providing a rationale for the proposed research, a proposal describes detailed methodology for conducting the research consistent with requirements of the professional or academic field and a statement on anticipated outcomes and/or benefits derived from the study.

Directions:
Write a research proposal using your clinical question formulated earlier in the course that was approved by your instructor. This may be either a qualitative or quantitative research proposal. Your proposal must include APA formatting. The proposal should be a 6–10 in length plus appendices cover page, and reference page. 

Clinical question/topic to be used for the paper: 
Does the implementation of child obesity prevention/education reduce the diagnosis of diabetes among children? 

The research proposal should include: 
• A brief and meaningful title to your project
• Problem statement provides a clear and concise description of the issues that need to be addressed – What is the specific problem in that research area that you will address (e.g. lack of understanding of a subject, low performance)?
• Background or introduction section provides a description of the basic facts and importance of the research area – What is your research area, the motivation of research, and how important is it for the industry practice/knowledge advancement?
• Objectives provide a list of goals that will be achieved through the proposed research – What are the benefits/impact (e.g. better understanding, improved productivity) that will be generated if the research problem is answered?
• Preliminary literature review: provide a summary of previous related research on the research problem and their strength and weakness and a justification of your research – What is known/what have been done by others? And, why your research is still necessary?
• Research methodology defines the research methods and logic steps – What to do and how to solve the problem and achieve proposed objectives? Which research methods (e.g. survey, modeling, case study …) will be used? Attach a project schedule table, if necessary.

Breakdown of the Research Proposal: 
Introduction 
• Clearly stated problem and purpose of the study
• Independent and dependent variables
• Definition of terms
• Assumptions, hypothesis, or questions (depending on research type)
Theoretical Framework 
• Description of the theoretical framework to be utilized
• Identification of the concepts to be explored
• Rationale for choosing framework
Review of the Literature 
• At least four scholarly sources included
• Appropriateness of the review and the proposal focus
• Inclusion of primary or secondary sources
Methodology 
• Description of study type (quantitative or qualitative)
• Description of study design
• Rationale for the use of the selected design
• Inclusion of sample size, type, sampling method, inclusion/exclusion criteria, setting, data collection method (instrument), and data collection process
• Method for Protection of Human Subjects (consent)
• Questionnaire and consent forms must be included as appendices
Data Analysis
• Data analysis method is appropriate for study design.
• Method of data analysis is clearly stated.
• Method for displaying findings is stated.
Applicability to Nursing
• Research focuses on a problem significant to nursing.
• Research would contribute to nursing knowledge.
• Proposal is complete so that another researcher could replicate the study.
• Statement about areas of nursing that would benefit from this study