Assignment 2: Research Proposal
International Relations
28th May 2025
3
Imagine you are working in a level of government (local, state or federal), a health service, or a local or international NGO. You are in a position to design a substantial piece of qualitative research to answer a policy or practice problem in your field of work.
a) Background, context and the problem to be addressed 20%
b) Research question(s) that needs to be answered 10%
c) Population(s) to be studied and sampling method 10%
d) Key ethical issues and how they will be addressed 10%
e) Proposed methods (including recruitment, data collection and data analysis) for answering the research question 40%
f) Implications that you anticipate the research findings will have 10%. (i.e. if your research is completed successfully, what new knowledge will you have and how will you use this information in your organisation?)
You may either choose your own problem (see FAQs document in resources), or choose from one of the following scenarios:
Increasingly since the COVID-19 pandemic, public health has been compromised by the uncontrolled dissemination of misinformation on social media, as well as through an erosion of trust in public institutions. In Australia, increases in vaccine hesitancy and decreases in childhood immunisation attributed to health misinformation are leading to a resurgence of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases such as whooping cough, measles, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and meningococcal disease. A recent Lancet editorial describes health misinformation and disinformation as a "societal threat", whereby their effects are "destructive and damaging to public health". Design a study to better understand the role of misinformation in an area of public health and to design possible solutions. You can set your study in any country.
To help you complete this task successfully, the following resources are provided:
Marking criteria
— refer to this to understand how you will be assessed
Assessment literacy module
— refer to this to understand how the assessment criteria are applied to a sample research proposal (available week 10)
Writing a research proposal seminar
— a recording of the presentation will be posted when the recording is available (seminar date TBC, likely week 10)
Write assignment using your own words in English (do not use software/generative AI to write or translate this assignment)
Use full sentences and paragraphs
Paraphrase your sources (i.e., do not copy text directly from sources to use as your answers)
Develop a clear argument through the proposal (you are arguing for a strong and coherent research design to answer the research question)
Cite evidence to support each claim
Define specialist terms
Do not overuse direct quotes (use sparingly)
Use “quotation marks” if you do need to use direct quotes
Read the
Instructions
and
Checklist
carefully
Read the
Marking criteria
to understand how you will be assessed
Read the FAQs resource
Complete the
Assessment Literacy Module
Review the
Writing a research proposal presentation
Choose a topic (either your own [see FAQs] or one of the scenarios provided)
If choosing your own topic, make sure to discuss with your tutor or Emma
Plan your proposal using this structure:
a) Background, context and the problem to be addressed (20%)
b) Research question(s) that needs to be answered (10%)
c) Population(s) to be studied and sampling method (10%)
d) Key ethical issues and how they will be addressed (10%)
e) Proposed methods (including recruitment, data collection and data analysis) for answering the research question (40%)
f) Implications that you anticipate the research findings will have (10%)
Reference List
: include a list of all references that you cite
Using your plan, write your proposal. Things to remember with academic writing:
Clarity
: define key terms and concepts
Accuracy
: present accurate and complete information
Formality
: Avoid contractions, colloquial language, rhetorical questions
TIP: to avoid plagiarism, you must give credit if you use the work of others (see Academic Skills Using Sources resource )
|
Section |
Assessed on |
Proportion of mark (%) |
|
Background, context and the problem to be addressed
|
Coherent presentation of setting Summary of (and critical engagement with) relevant literature Reference to an appropriate paradigm for proposal Clarity and quality of argument for studying the research problem |
20 |
|
Research question(s) that need to be answered |
Quality of research question (s) Clear link between background and research question |
10 |
|
Population(s) to be studied, and sampling method |
Demonstrated understanding of key terms Selection and justification of appropriate population and sampling method Link between populations, sample and research question |
10 |
|
Key ethical issues and how they will be addressed |
Demonstrated understanding of key principles of ethical conduct of research Identification of ethical issues in proposed research Appropriate method for addressing ethical issues |
10 |
|
Proposed methods (including recruitment, data collection and data analysis) for answering the research question |
Demonstrated understanding of key principles underpinning rigorous research design Selection and clear explanation of recruitment, data collection and data analysis Demonstrated understanding of the link between the research question and each of the design decisions Critical engagement with strengths and limitations of proposed methods |
40 |
|
Implications that you anticipate the research findings will have |
Ability to reflect on what the implications of the research might be Demonstrated understanding of the link between research question/design and the resulting findings/implications. Clarity and quality of argument for significance of the study |
10 |
In addition to the above, in each section, students will be assessed for the appropriateness of references used, quality of writing, the overall coherence of the research proposal, and the adherence to good and scholarly academic practice. In addition, any and all AI use must be declared appropriately.
Frequently Asked Question
Are there different ways the
scenarios provided
can be tackled?
YES! Each example above could be addressed by developing a few different research questions. You need to decide on the aspects of the problem you would like to focus on in your proposal and develop a specific research question and a coherent research design that will allow you to answer that question. Coherence, logic, rigour and the development of good arguments are the things we will be looking for.
How many references do we need to cite for background?
There is a minimum of 10 references for this assessment. You may need to read many more papers than this to identify the best papers to cite in your proposal. Read widely, then narrow your focus as your proposal develops.
Can we use a real setting? Or do we make one up?
You will find it easiest choose a real geographic setting so that you can find some figures to support your research question. You can either use a real organisation or a fictional one
, but you must situate the research/er in the proposal.
What are the components of a research proposal?
If you look back over the online modules, each of the steps you need to address to develop a research proposal has been covered. From arguing for the need for the research, developing a research question, deciding on the population to study, how to sample from that population and recruit participants, choosing a data collection method, thinking about how you will analyse the data and reporting, dissemination and significance of research.
Important considerations
Use your critical thinking skills! Think about all the actors playing a role in your health problem. It may include policy makers, doctors, nurses, counsellors, industry, pharmacists, the media, educators, international organisations – think broadly about explanations for your problem. Check that there is a clear logical link between the problem, your research question, and the research methods you will use.
Are there marking criteria?
Yes, see
the
marking criteria document.
Some references should be used:
Shehzad Ali, Maxwell J Smith, Saverio Stranges, Where did public health go wrong? Seven lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, European Journal of Public Health, Volume 34, Issue 4, August 2024, Pages 618–
619, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckae042
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1326020023004594?via%3Dihub
https://rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1467-8322.2011.00827.x
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07347332.2020.1768199?scroll=top&needAccess=true
https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-016-1193-4
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13552074.2016.1194031