Introduction and Literature Review Section: The introduction and literature review is the longest section of the paper, as it provides the necessary background for the proposed study.

• Provide a broad overview of the research topic and variables.

Describe what researchers have already learned about the topic of interest and set the stage for your unique study (8-10 resources are required).

• In the final section (one to two paragraphs) describe how your study contributes to the literature. Include your research questions and hypothesis (or hypotheses).

Method Section: This part has four sections.

Briefly describe the variables of interest and research questions (see methods assignment description).

• Identify how many participants should be involved in the study. Describe the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and how will they be recruited (see methods assignment description).
• Identify what materials or instruments will be used in the experiment and what items will be needed to run the study (see methods assignment description).
• Provide a clear description of all procedures to be followed in the study. This should be a step-by-step explanation of what will occur in the study (see methods assignment description).
• Design Section:  This part has three sections.

Identify your study’s methodology and design. (e.g., This is a quantitative correlation study.)

Describe the appropriate statistical test to address your research question (e.g., a two-tailed Pearson r analysis will be conducted to test the research question.) Note: You will have one statistical test per research question. Identify the appropriate alpha level/confidence interval.

• After you identify the appropriate design and analysis, write a brief description of why this calculation was chosen (e.g., This calculation will demonstrate three things: if there is a relationship between the two variables, the magnitude of that relationship, and the strength of that relationship.)
• Discussion: Include at least four paragraphs.
• Describe what it would mean if significant results were obtained. Then describe what it would mean to obtain nonsignificant results.
• Discuss how the study will follow APA ethical guidelines by explaining the use of an informed consent form, debriefing statement (if applicable), and obtaining IRB permission.
• Discuss any limitations in the study (e.g., possible confounding, lack of random assignment or random sampling).

Conclude with a discussion of future studies that could arise from the present study.