Due date:

September 4, 2006

Goals & design of the project:

The 603 project is a full-scale "research proposal." It can be the study you're envisioning is the possible 625 research. I reiterate that the topic and methods you present in the 603 report are not what you must hang onto for the 625. Real-world research always evolves. You will have ample scope to revise your plans between 603 and 625. However, though you may change it in the end, you will prepare the 603 report as if it were a plan for what you'll really be doing in 625. Maxwell's textbook (for this course) supplies rich guidance in thinking through and writing up such a document.

Stylistic details:

The project should be typed, double-spaced, paginated, with standard margins (e.g., 1"). Please carefully edit the work for spelling, punctuation, grammar, clarity, sequence, and integration (flow). Place all citations and references in a standard, consistent format (I prefer APA style but other style guides are available). Please use internal (parenthetical) citations rather than foot/endnotes, using latter only for subsidiary explications rather than references. We will deal with other questions about the report's features as they arise.

I do expect you to do background literature searches on your topic, and to write up the literature you find. You should explicitly take into account the source of the material – internet, newspapers, government documents, company memos, commission reports, Statistics Canada, community newsletters, scholarly journal articles – all have their strengths and limitations. It is never too early to begin collecting materials to draw upon for your research.

Ethics review:

There is another task you must complete as part of the 603 draft proposal. In accordance with federal guidelines Cape Breton University mandates that research projects on "human subjects" be judged by a Research Ethics Board.
The Research Guidelines form and guidelines can be found by clicking on the research title on the Cape Breton University Web Site. You should include an ethics proposal with the 603 draft proposal assignment.