SOC 214 – Research Methods in Sociology
Spring 2024
Guidelines for Final Project Write-Up
Individual Research Project and Presentation
Approximately 5-7 double-spaced pages. This will include the cover page, references page, and
another other appendices (for example, a copy of survey questions, a list of qualitative interview
questions, etc.).
The major deliverable for students in the course is the final project, which is a comprehensive
research proposal and design. Students are expected to develop a defensible research proposal of
their own—either qualitative or quantitative—that includes the following elements:
a) IDENTIFYING A RESEARCH PROBLEM:
Clear problem statement and rationale for the study
b) RESEARCH QUESTION:
Specific research question(s) that address the topic under study.
c) LITERATURE REVIEW:
Selective review of relevant literature, related theory, and research studies. Choose at
least four (4) research articles.
d) METHODOLOGY:
In-depth description of data collection and data analysis; that is, answer the where,
what, when, how, etc. (What methodology will you be using to conduct the study?
Will you use a survey or do an ethnographic study? What are the selection criteria for
your participants? and so forth). Provide a full description of your general research
design, as well as the specific methods and procedures used in your research project.
The methodology should be sufficiently detailed so that it can be replicated. If you
are following a methodological approach developed by others, cite the relevant
studies. Provide diagrams, charts, and illustrations as appropriate for your discipline.
List the instrumentation you used and provide a diagram of the experimental setup.
Discuss the types of sources you will use (primary or secondary texts, interviews,
surveys, personal notes, etc.).
Explain the details of your methods. For example: how you made measurements; the
concentrations and amounts you used; how you selected your research subjects;
psychological tests used; a copy of your survey questionnaire; an explanation of
statistics used; a definition of your focus in terms of historical period or framework;
etc.
Describe how you will conduct your data analysis (relevant to your methodological
approach – statistical analysis via software program, coding software program for
qualitative research, etc.

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