what can be the appropriate topic and research methodology?? please help?

RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

This form is derived from forms used to apply for funding for academic research. Using this as a template, complete each section, paying particular attention to the nature of information requested and the specified maximum length. Refer to the notes at the conclusion of this form for further guidance on how to complete the form. Please read these notes thoroughly before attempting to start completing the assignment.

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Name of Applicant:

Student Number:

Title of project (maximum 15 words):

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Project Summary

Please use this space to provide a description of your research in a way that could be used for a general – i.e. non-expert – readership. (Maximum 100 words.)

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Research project description

Please describe in no more than 500 words the scheme of research which you propose, using the following sub-headings: research question(s) or problem; aims & objectives; research context

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Research methods:

Use this section to describe the methodologies that you will use, in no more than 1000 words. You should identify the methods by description (e.g. text analysis, content analysis, interviews, survey; etc) and then go on to outline in detail how you will carry out the research (see note)

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Resources and logistics

Please outline the resources that will be needed

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Timetable

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Budget

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Output

Specify the audiences to whom the outcomes of your research will be of interest, and how you will present those outcomes to them.

GUIDANCE NOTES ON COMPLETION OF FORM

XMC01-6 Research Methods

Project Summary

Please use this space to provide a description of your research in a way that could be used for a general – i.e. non-expert – readership. (Maximum 100 words.)

In this section you should try and explain, in clear terms, what questions are being investigated, and how they are being examined.

Here is an example:

This project investigates the ethnic identity of villains in cartoon books. It will compare samples of books from 1964, 1984 and 2004, in order to discover whether there have been significant shifts in the range of identities portrayed. Our hypothesis is that in the wake of the events of 9/11 there may well have been an increase in the proportion of villains of apparent Middle Eastern origin. The findings of content analysis and text analysis will be tested out on focus groups in order to examine the extent to which diverse groups make the same readings of representations of villains.

Research project description

Please describe in no more than 500 words the scheme of research which you propose, using the following sub-headings: research question(s) or problem; aims & objectives; research context

This section requires a fuller project description.

Research Questions: Start by explaining the research question(s) or problems that the research addresses. You should aim to establish the relevance and significance of examining this question; in other words that it is a question to which it is worth knowing the answer. Drawing on your knowledge of existing work on the media will help here. Try looking at recent issues of media journals such as Media Culture and Society, Screen, Convergence, or the European Journal of Communication for ideas.

Aims and Objectives: Outline what it is that you want to achieve in this research, and how you propose to achieve it. Save the detail on method for the next section, but feel free to mention methods.

Research context: You ought to be aware of some existing work on the topic you are investigating. This doesn’t require a full literature review, but credit will be given for reference to some existing research. The overviews in some recent collections or general introductions to media can be helpful sources. See for example, Marris and Thornham, Stokes and Reading, Curran and Seaton.

Research methods:

Use this section to describe the methodologies that you will use, in no more than 1000 words. You should identify the methods by description (e.g. text analysis, content analysis, interviews, survey; etc) and then go on to outline in detail how you will carry out the research.

Start by identifying the type of method/s you propose to employ. You can just propose one single method; in which case more detail will be ex