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ITECH 5500 Professional Research and Communication

Research Proposal

Overview

The purpose of this assessment is to enable students to demonstrate a critical awareness of previous research in an IT context within a chosen topic area through a basic understanding of research theory and techniques. It requires clear communication of ideas in a professional manner so that the reader can easily understand the purpose and results of your research. Overall goals of this assignment are to help you to: 

  • Become more knowledgeable about finding and using varied research sources in your chosen area in IT.
  • Further develop your critical thinking skills and back up your points with evidence.
  • Become more adept at synthesizing information and developing informed views.
  • Discipline yourself to follow a scholarly research format to document in-text sources and a references page (bibliography).
  • Compose a well-organized, clear, concise, research paper to expand your knowledge on a research question in your chosen area.

You may work on this report individually or in a group of two (maximum).

You are responsible for identifying your own topic for this proposal. You may use the same topic as for your earlier interim proposal, but the proposal submitted for this task should be considerably better developed and more detailed.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

The following course learning outcomes are assessed by completing this assessment:

Knowledge:

K1. Determine the role IT research plays in contributing to organisational innovation, and success.

K2. Critique advanced communication theory for organisations.

K3. Identify appropriate research philosophies for IT projects, which match organisational approaches.

K4. Identify appropriate methodologies and methods, for an organisational IT research project.

Skills:

S1. Utilise effective communication practice in organisations.

S2. Demonstrate expert English language skills in academic and professional contexts.

S3. Evaluate the quality and utility of literature sourced.

S4. Undertake a literature review for an organisational IT research project.

Application of knowledge and skills:

A1. Compose a research proposal and report on a topic related to an organisational IT research project.

A2. Present written and oral reports to academic and organisational audiences.

Assessment Details

Background

The mini research report provides a detailed description of a proposed research idea. It is similar to an essay and needs to be in a formal style with introduction, body and conclusion. In addition it requires a critical analysis and a coherent presentation.

Requirements

Each individual student or group is required to submit a mini research report (2500-3000 words excluding the title, abstract, table of contents and references/bibliography). The purpose of this task is to assist students to prepare and write a scholarly paper at an appropriate standard for this level of study. 

You have already done quite a bit of work for this research in tutorials: you should have a tentative research issue, strategies and evidence to persuade your readers about the significance of the problem you’re researching, as well as the validity of your research issues. You also should consider opposing views or good counter-arguments that you can address in order to help establish your credibility and enhance the relevance of your paper.

Report Layout

The research proposal must contain the following sections, submitted in the order as listed below- 

  • Title Page – selection of an informative title
  • Abstract - summarization of the significant concepts in the study focusing on key aspects (major results and conclusions)  Table of Contents.
  • Introduction – outline of the thesis, problem, question, etc. (stating the thesis/theory in terms of relationship among variables and examining the problem or investigating the question, or the like) and preview of the structure of the paper.
  • Literature Review- demonstration of the ability to find significant sources, familiarity with the existing body of knowledge, analysis of existing research, and learning through a careful reading of existing scholarship.
  • Methodology - procedures and processes undertaken in your investigation/study including the research design– study type, variables, and data collection methods (as applicable).
  • Discussion and implications of research – Discuss with reasons whether your study needs Ethics clearance. Discuss findings that might occur and their potential impact on the field
  • Conclusion – briefly restate the research highlighting the implications of your research
  • References- include relevant literature sources (in-text citation and a list of full-text references)
  • Appendices (if applicable) - tables, graphs, charts or any other material related to the study not included in the main paper but referred to.

Note: Students are required to follow the ‘General guide to referencing’ and ‘Guide to Writing and Study Skills’- specially the ‘Layout and Appearance’ and the ‘Report’ sections.

[For distribution of marks, see the Marking Rubric at the end of this document]

Submission

Submit an electronic copy of the Research Report via the Turnitin submission link on the course Moodle page. Please refer to the Course Description for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and plagiarism. A reminder all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website, see:  http://federation.edu.au/staff/governance/legal/feduni-legislation

Research Proposal via the Turnitin link

You will be able to view the originality report immediately after submission. You are advised to submit earlier so that you can check the originality report and make necessary changes (by paraphrasing, adding appropriate in-text citation/referencing etc.) to eliminate matching and avoid PLAGIARISM. You may re-submit the assignment until the due date/time.