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Frequently Asked Questions
About the Research Proposal

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Click on a heading to go the corresponding section or scroll through the questions and answers:

 

General
Question Answer
When are the sections of the paper due? Refer to the course schedule.
Do I have to format the sections of the paper (and the final paper) in any particular way? Yes, you format all sections of the paper (including the final paper) in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
Does it matter if I do not follow APA (5th edition) guidelines when formatting my paper? Yes, it matters. You will lose points when your paper is graded if you do not follow APA guidelines.
Does is matter what type of file I turn in? Yes, it matters. The file should be in either an RTF or Word DOC format. If you need to convert the file to one of these formats, use the save as command on the file menu, and select Rich text (RTF) or Word document (DOC) as the file type when you save the document.
How will I receive feedback on the drafts of my paper? Comments will be inserted directly in your document (in the electronic file). For instructions on reviewing comments inserted in the document, refer to Reviewing Feedback in MS Word (1.9 KB PDF file).
Do I need to include an APA title page with the drafts of my paper? Yes. Each draft should include a title page formatted in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
Should I use 1" or 1.25" margins for my paper? Use 1" margins.
Why isn't my work posted in the exhibition hall? If you did not send a copy of your sections to Melissa (per the assignment instructions), your work will not be posted in the exhibition hall.
What should I do if I am having trouble finding research articles on my topic? Use the help sheet on Finding Research Articles.
How do I format the reference list? Format the reference list according to quidelines listed in the 5th edition of the APA Manual. If you do not know how to set hanging indents in MS Word, refer to the instructions: Settings Indents in MS Word (99 KB PDF file).
How do I add page numbers without manually typing them? Follow the instructions in Inserting Page Numbers in MS Word (3.12 MB PDF file).
Why does the formatting of my document in the Web page look different from the formatting in the original document? Various word-processing programs and Web page editors interpret formatting differently, sometimes resulting in text being formatted differently when it is copied and pasted from one type of document into another. Since Dr. Curda grades the document that you send directly to her, the formatting of text in the Web page does not affect your grade.
What font should I use in the paper? Per APA (5th edition) guidelines, you should use either 12-pt Times (New) Roman or 12-pt Courier (New).

 

Section I
(Statement of the Problem)

Question Answer
Do I need to include an APA title page with my draft of section I? Yes, your draft of section I should include a title page formatted in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
What should I include in Section I? See Week 4, Lesson 4
How will Section I be evaluated? See the evaluation rubric for Section I
What else do I need to consider about Section I? Refer to the information in the General section.

 

Section II
(Literature Review)
Question Answer
Do I need to include an APA title page with my draft of section II? Yes, your draft of section II should include a title page formatted in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
What should I include in Section II? See Week 5, Lesson 3
How will Section II be evaluated? See the evaluation rubric for Section II
What else do I need to consider about Section II? Refer to the information in the General section.
What program should I use to create a literature map?

Review the literature review lesson in Week 3.

Consider using software tools such as Inspiration, which are specifically designed for activities like concept mapping and brainstorming. You can download a free 30-day trial from the Inspiration website http://www.inspiration.com/.

 

Section III
(Research Questions and Hypotheses)
Question Answer
Do I need to include an APA title page with my draft of section III? Yes, your draft of section III should include a title page formatted in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
What should I include in Section III? See Week 9, Lesson 3
How will Section III be evaluated? See the evaluation rubric for Section III
What else do I need to consider about Section III? Refer to the information in the General section.

 

Section IV
(Methods)
Question Answer
Do I need to include an APA title page with my draft of section IV? Yes, your draft of section IV should include a title page formatted in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
What should I include in Section IV? See Week 11, Lesson 3
How will Section IV be evaluated? See the evaluation rubric for Section IV
What else do I need to consider about Section IV? Refer to the information in the General section.

 

Final Proposal
Question Answer
Do I need to include an APA title page with my final proposal? Yes, the final proposal should include a title page formatted in accordance with APA (5th edition) guidelines.
Do I submit each section of my final proposal individually or in one file? Your final proposal should be submitted as a cohesive document in one file.
How will my Final Proposal be evaluated? See the evaluation rubric for the final proposal.
What else do I need to consider about the final proposal? Refer to the information in the General section.
What are the most common APA-related mistakes that students make in the final paper, and what can I do to avoid making the same mistakes?

Some of the common APA-related mistakes that students make in the final paper are:

  • Incorrectly using abbreviations (1.07, 3.21 - 3.29)
  • Improperly using italics and quotation marks ( 3.19, 3.06)
  • Improperly capitalizing titles or names of tests, theories, or models (3.12 - 3.18)
  • Improper hyphenation (3.11)
  • Omitting the author, year, or page number when citing quotations (3.39)
  • Not following guidelines when quoting long passages (3.34, 3.39)
  • Not making sure that the authors' name and the publication year in all within-text references matches the corresponding information in the reference list (4.01)
  • Improperly using commas and other punctuation marks (3.01 - 3.05, 3.07 - 3.08)
  • Improperly expressing numbers as words or figures (3.42 - 3.49)
  • Not properly enumerating list items (3.33)
  • Not following guidelines for line spacing or margins (5.03, 5.04)
  • Not following guidelines for headings and titles in appendixes (3.90 - 3.92)
  • Using colloquial expressions, informal writing style, and poor grammar (2.03 - 2.12)
  • Not formatting items in the reference list correctly (4.07 - 4.16)
  • Not putting references in the proper order (4.04, 3.99)

To avoid making these mistakes, thoroughly review and follow the corresponding sections of the APA manual ( in parenthesis next to each item) . If you are in doubt as to whether there is a specific guideline for formatting something, try to find the information using the index.

 

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Updated on January 6, 2009 Copyright 2003 by L. K. Curda