Assignment 3: Research Project Statement

Aim
To ‘design’ a research project that could produce new knowledge to address the research question/gap identified through the literature Review (Assignment 2), and to articulate the relevant components and justifications for the project in the format of a conventional research proposal.

Submissions
This assignment will have two compulsory progress submissions in addition to the final assessable submission:

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3a: Draft Project Outline [Due: 23:59 (Tues) 21-05-19 (**hard-copy to wrkshp)]
Project Title + abstract (100 words) + draft Project Outline (1,500 words)

Tasks

  1. Revise and refine your project title + abstract (which should now be reduced to just 100 words in length) to better reflect your clearer and more focused understanding, after completing the Literature Review assignment, of the research topic and question(s) that you are seeking to explore in the proposed project.
  2. The major task for this submission is to prepare an initial draft of the core component – the ‘Project Outline’ – for your proposed research project according to the conventional headings and subsections described in the following guidelines: (Note: these have been extracted and adjusted for this assignment from subsection 3 of the ‘Research Statement’ proforma that will be completed in full for the final submission):

Project Outline (Draft)
This (draft) outline may be brief (approximately 1,500 words) but should still be sufficiently comprehensive to outline your project logically and coherently, following the headings and guidelines to required content provided below. Please number the pages. You are urged to avoid the use of jargon and to express your arguments clearly and concisely.

Introductory Background
This section should provide a brief introductory description of the problem and/or issues that call for the proposed research
(200 words)

Research Question(s)
This section should state and explain the primary research question(s) to be addressed and, where appropriate, may include specific hypotheses to be tested.
(100 words)

Aims/Objectives of the Project
This section should clearly state and explain ‘what?’ the overarching aim(s) or goal of the project are, and the specific strategic objectives it will seek to achieve in order to answer the research questions.
(200 words)

Significance/Contribution to the discipline
This section must justify ‘why?’ the proposed research is needed, and the innovative aspects of the project and/or its approach. It should be a critically discerning discussion of the current state of knowledge on the topic, based on the literature reviewed in the previous assignment, but re-presented more concisely and fluidly in your own words and arguments. It will outline recent trends of discussion and debate in the relevant field of research, and the specific ‘gap’ in knowledge that the project seeks to fill. Again, all sources must be fully, accurately and consistently cited using a single referencing convention.
(800 words)

Theoretical framework and methods
This section should explain ‘how?’ the research questions are to be answered by describing and justifying the specific ‘design’ of the actual research project to be undertaken. This shall include concise and practical descriptions and explanations of:
§ the theoretical tools and assumptions that underpin the strategy of approach
§ the specific tactics/techniques to be employed, including the key procedures or steps of the method. (Note: in the case of studio-based design research projects, the project ‘brief’, typology, and/or site (if known) should be indicated appropriately in this sub-section, but only described briefly.)
(200-300 words)

Specific aims/assessment criteria:
· Revised title and abstract are concise, clear and informative
· Contains necessary and sufficient content under each sub-heading of the prescribed ‘Project Outline’ (above) to comprise a complete and coherent proposal
· Content and arguments derived from the literature reviewed in Assignment 2 are further distilled and interpreted to present the researcher’s own critical assessment of recent research trends and debates, and the state of knowledge in the relevant sub-field(s) of the research topic
· Logically organizes arguments with effective language links between ideas

3b: Peer Review Report [Due: 12:00 (Thurs) 23-05-19 (**hard-copy to School Office, or return directly to student reviewed if known)]

Task
Peer-review a fellow student’s draft Research Project Statement using the prescribed peer review report proforma.

PLEASE NOTE:
· This is a compulsory formative assessment exercise that will contribute to your ‘participation’ grade for this course. It is based on substantive work-in-progress and In order to participate each student is required to prepare and provide a hard-copy of their draft Project Outline (3a)
· A hard-copy of the peer review report proforma will be provided in the peer review workshop session. But please familiarise yourself with this form, and the assessment criteria, before the session by reviewing the example that has been uploaded on MyUni.
· To complete the assignment, the completed peer review report must be scanned and uploaded to MyUni for assessment by your tutor, and the hard-copy must either be given directly to the student who authored the original draft project outline that you have reviewed, or deposited at the School Office for subsequent collection by the student.

Specific aims/assessment criteria:
· Completion of all sections of the Peer Review pro-forma.
· Evidence of a thorough and careful reading of the draft project outline assigned
· Provision of constructive comments that provide useful critical feedback and advice to the author

3c: Final Research Project Statement [Due: 23:59 (Sunday) 09-06-19]
(final) title + project summary/abstract (100 words) + (final) Project Outline (2,000 words) + additional sections 4-9

Tasks

  1. Review and polish your project title and abstract/summary (100 word) one last time, and
  2. revise, extend and develop your ‘Project Outline’ in greater detail to a final length of 2,000 words (max), following the specifications for section 3 of the prescribed ‘Research Statement Proforma’ for this course (see document downloadable from MyUni).

NOTE: The final submission must be presented as a complete ‘Research Statement’ with brief entries under all additional sections (4-9) of the prescribed ‘Research Statement Proforma’, including a complete and consistently formatted list of references and bibliography (section 8). This additional material is not subject to the word limit for section 3.

Specific aims/assessment criteria:
In addition to all assessment criteria for Submission 3a, the final completed proposal should:
· demonstrate redrafting and document development in the light of feedback from both tutors and peers
· fully flesh-out the Project Outline (section 3 of the Research Statement Proforma) to prescribed length (2000 words max).
· briefly address all other sections of the prescribed ‘Research Statement Proforma’

Assessment

50%