BuyQualityEssays.com – Outlining Research Ethics Assignment

My Central Research Question is: “How do adult women in between the ages of 18-39 cope with stress from college?”
Assignment: Using Word, complete the assignment (about 3-4 double spaced pages, excluding a 
reference page) by addressing the outline below.  Type your paper in paragraph form; use subheadings 
in your paper if you feel that will help you organize your thoughts and your writing.  

NOTE: At this point of the research process, all coursework must include in-text citations and references, 
whether from existing research studies, the textbook, or other assigned readings. Citing information 
provides credibility to your work and makes it distinct from personal opinion.

ASSIGNMENT OUTLINE

I. Area of Sociological Interest, Research Topic, Purpose Statement & Qualitative Research 
Question (5 points) 
Here, identify the area of sociological interest and related research topic. Provide your purpose 
statement, central research question and 1-2 sub-questions.  Then, explain the following for your 
proposed pilot study: the research purpose (exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory), the specific 
interpretive or critical approach used to formulate your research question (see Hesse Biber textbook on 
pages 23-32) and sociological importance. Also, include context for your study by: 1) citing a minimum 
of 3 previous research studies, and 2) presenting a real world example (but not your personal 
experience) to show why your proposed research is sociologically important.  Lastly, address how your 
proposed research makes a contribution to the area of sociological interest and/or research topic.

II. Description of the Potential Research Population (5 points)
Identify and describe (using specific characteristics) the potential research population from which you 
will obtain your sample.  Be specific in explaining who you will interview, and why this population is 
relevant in order to answer your proposed qualitative research question.  

III. Application of Ethical Considerations (10 points)
Based on your proposed research, identify the potential benefits and potential risks of harm for 
potential research participants. Describe how research participants will experience no more than 
minimal risk by participating in your research study. Illustrate how you will carry out the informed 
consent process with potential research participants, including discussion about your informed consent 
document. Then outline procedures you will use if an interviewee experiences an adverse reaction 
(emotional, psychological, physiological) while participating in your research.  How will you ensure 
confidentiality for your potential interviewees (for example, think about how you will store and protect 
electronic interview data, especially if you share a desktop/laptop computer with someone else)? Are 
there any unique ethical dilemmas that you have to consider in carrying out your research? If so, how 
will you resolve the dilemma in order to conduct your research?
Additional Grading Criteria
Writing clarity, ASA format for in-text citations and reference section (5 points)
Two (2) points for correct use of ASA format for in-text citations and listing of sources 
used in the reference section. If there are five (5) or more major significant ASA formatting 
errors for in-text citations AND references in your paper, you will not earn any points (0/2).  
If there are less than five (5) major significant ASA format errors for in-text citations AND 
references in your entire paper, you will earn two points (2/2).  
**If no previous research is cited in your paper, then you will not earn the two (2) points.
Three (3) points for academic writing (clarity, grammar, spelling, punctuation)