The Process.
This class took a focus on compiling all the necessary ingredients to make a wholesome research project proposal in the world of communication studies. The intention of the class was to spend a semester learning the ins and outs of what professors do on the regular. We learned how to conduct our own scholarly research while weeding out unnecessary sources or sources that weren’t credible to begin with. We narrowed our proposal’s topic and applied a theory to help guide the discussion in a structured manner. Studying the major categories of mass communication theory:
- Postpositivist Theory
- Cultural Theory
- Critical Theory
- Normative Theory
With guided instruction and research, I was able to compile everything in the semester into one hearty research paper proposal. Follow my process below:
Project Proposal
It all starts with an idea. And a theory.
I began mine with the idea that FOMO or fear of missing out is a prevalent issue that deserves more recognition for its negative impact on the mental health of a budding youth. The theory at hand was social comparison theory, studying the way we compare ourselves to others socially and determine worth based upon the scale of upward/downward and assimilative/contrastive. See my project proposal below.
Annotated Bibliography
Backed up with some contextual evidence.
My annotated bibliography in APA format, to accommodate the social sciences, analyzed a variety of scholarly articles. These resources were used to embody my critique and help further the discussion on the existence of a potential decrease in mental health in regards to social media interaction, specifically Instagram.
Paper Outline
Constructed chronological layout of the paper.
My paper outline was the skeleton of my project proposal forming the thickness this research project needed to stand on its own.
Literature Review
Making sense of all of it.
The literature review got up close and personal with all the scholarly sources accredited in my annotated bibliography. All the components of my research paper proposal start to fit together with the finalization of this last major piece to give my research paper proposal structure.
Research Paper Proposal
The final product.
The end.
