Traditional Project Proposal Which Can Range From

¶ … traditional project proposal which can range from a few pages to more than a hundred depending on the individual institutional requirements and focus of the study. For instance, Mauch and Park (2005) report that, "The proposal is sometimes called an overview or a concept paper. Operationally, the terms seem to mean the same" (p. 97). Irrespective of what it is called, a concept paper provides the foundation for proceeding with the larger dissertation, including what will be investigated, how it will be studied and why the subject is of interest to the researcher (Mauch & Park, 2005). Typical components in a concept paper include a problem statement, the significance or importance of the study, the rationale for the study and so forth (Mauch & Park, 2005).

In the field of information systems, the range of topics spans the continuum from human-computer interface to emerging technologies that will inevitably achieve true ubiquitous computing. There is therefore an enormous array of topics of interest within this broad spectrum of interests, making the need to fine-tune the proposed topic or topics an important enterprise from the outset (Ely & Anzul, 1999).

Some of the questions that Mauch and Park (2005) recommend asking preparatory to proceeding with the development of the concept paper include the following:

1. What is the tentative title? What do you call what you want to do? What is its name?

2. Why do you want to do it? What will you know or be able to do or say when you are through? (At this stage, an involved theoretical justification is unnecessary.)

3. To accomplish what you want to do, what steps will you have to take? Can you put the steps in sequential order? What facilities will you need? Why?

4. What kinds of help do you think you will need to do what you want to do? When? How might you get that help?

5. Will the project involve people other than yourself? How? To do what? For how long? Will you need any special permissions?

6. What actually goes on if you start to do what you propose? How would it start? What would a typical day be like at the beginning? When you are partway through? At the end?

7. How do you think you could show whether you accomplish what you set out to do? How could you prove it to someone else? (p. 98).

Beyond the foregoing, other questions that may arise during the concept paper development process include the following:

1. What types of research questions are appropriate to ask and whether a hypothesis is needed or not (Schumacker & Akers, 2001).

2. Likewise, if it is required, how long should the literature review component of the concept paper be, and how recent should the secondary sources be that are consulted for this purpose?

3. What is a theoretical framework and how can it be followed in an original research project?

In addition, concept papers typically describe the proposed study's research design. For instance, according to Schwab (2005), "The research design provides an opportunity to plan the overall study. In formulating it you should attend carefully to the state of theory and previous research. These two provide the best help as you decide on a design that most effectively adds to knowledge" (p. 294). Some of the questions that may arise with respect to a study's research design include the following:

1. Is a qualitative or quantitative approach optimal, or is a combination of both approaches best suited for the purposes of the proposed study?

2. Will there be a need to collect primary data?

If primary data are collected, there are several sub-questions that must also be answered, including the following:

1. What are the institutional review board requirements for human subject participation?