How to Write a PhD Worthy Research Proposal #3 - The Outline!

rewritten with memes for brain-rot consumption

Ahh sooo back in the writer's chair…

after many hours of distracting myself with meaningless internet brain-rot… i finally got settled to write out my homework assignment for the week. Let’s go!

time to get this academic slop done with

first get organized

• figure out what is due today

prep notetaking app for

• copy+paste blocks o text & adding citations

• editing said blob o text into my own words.

review previous notes…

looks like the last time i worked on this was… 1mo ago 😂

• i wrote an outline,

• wrote an introduction/abstract,

• defined what my research question would be.

re-read (today's) assignment requirement…

• == Methods section of the research proposal.

• discover links to resources no longer work!!! 😡

no worries… we already downloaded a copy 2 weeks ago before it was yeeted!

…quickly revisit memory of 3 wks ago when asked to write an outline, and there was little to no guidance on how to do that assignment…

😑

…so you made sure you gathered all the resources ahead of time for all future assignments.

the syllabus is your friend

it is better to submit honest slop you wrote, than to get an incomplete or a failing grade for cheating.

Here are the outlined sections a research proposal typically has:

(paraphrased to laymaans speak for attention's-sake)

1. Title / Research Question

phrased as specific as possible… and somehow click-baity catchy at the same time… but not misleading… or maybe just enough so nerds might be interested to read more.

one long but very descriptive sentence.

2. Abstract / Introduction

the most important bla bla words that describes the point of this paper, so that you don't waste your time reading more of the slop if it doesn't sound like your cup of tea.

Should include an overview of:

• why we are talking about this specific topic/problem?

• did we (or other researchers) discuss this topic before?

• did we learn anything or miss anything important worth revisiting?

• the hypothesis == aka the real Research Question

Fit all this into 1 paragraph, but no more than 3.

Nobody tryna read alladat!

CONCISE IS NICE!

3. Methodology

M-E-T-H-O-D MAN this is the section that describes what kind of experiment will be done to answer the research question.

methods subsection 1: Design

(~3+ paragraphs)

There are generally 3 types of experiment designs to choose from:

• qualitative == usually word-based, like testimony, or storytelling. measure results by understanding any repeating patterns or trends.

• quantitative == typically number-based outcome. results you can count and understand directly and plainly.

• mixed == boof of em mixed together. idk how or why or when. but sometimes you gotta be experimental in your experiments, so you just organize your findings as best as you can!

describe specifics on the research methods used in the design:

(~1 paragraph)

• control group == the baseline == default/normie group

• comparison group == the experiment == weirdos/black sheep

• survey == everyone and everything involved in the research

• interviews == like survey, but this time you actually talk to people instead of just taking notes about them.

methods subsection 2: Sample and Procedures

(~3+ paragraphs)

1. Describe the demographics involved in this research study == population / amount of people or subjects,

2. …also make a sample size version. like a snapshot

3. Describe how the sample is made

4. Describe what instructions/process each person does in the study

5. Informed consent: Explain thoroughly how you ask each person for consent to participate in research study

6. Describe any ethical considerations in the research experiment

7. Be responsible to protect humans participating, emotionally, physically.

methods subsection 3: Measurement

(~3+ paragraphs)

• Describe the instruments and / or process used in the research experiment that helps you to gather and to measure the participant’s experience.

• Explain how/why this method of measuring/gathering data/information is valid

  • examples of explaining experiment:

    • reliability,

    • number of items,

    • how are points scored,

    • what do the scores mean,

    • who does this impact

    • what/who were these things developed for

• Explain the information that was gathered and whether there were any normie-trends or outliers / cutoff scores / way-off outcomes.

• If you use a "behavior counting procedure," share what the rationale/baseline is.

methods subsection 4: sensitivities + considerations

• If conducting a qualitative study you must provide the interview questions, prompt questions and/or any strategies used to gain trustworthiness from the people participating in the study.

• Double check for any ethical or political issues associated with this research experiment

• if yes, describe how it will be addressed.

• Triple check for any cultural considerations.

methods subsection 5: Analysis Plan:

Describe all steps related to preparing and analyzing your data.

methods subsection 6: Limitations:

Identify and discuss several methodological limitations.

4. References

Remember all those citations from the stuff we copy + pasted earlier, then re-wrote into our own words… we put them in this section. Make sure to double check APA guidelines for formatting. Yes, it matters. Don't lose points on fixable mistakes.

5. Appendix

This is where all the consent forms, measures, super specific guidelines go. It is recommended to create a flowchart that outlines all the process and procedures throughout the research project

And that is it! 😮‍💨

…when i had to submit an 'outline' for my assignment… i wish i had this list above. Instead I looked at a few other peer-reviewed papers and copy-pasted the section topics that looked similar.

i was later told that no examples were provided because the professor assumed that every research paper would be different and they wanted all the students to just provide what fit their topic.

😑

when i tell you how they don't actually teach you anything in grad school… this is what i mean.

the professors really benefit in the end by providing examples so their students actually have an idea of how to do the work within the requested guidelines instead of wasting time guessing and making more errors.

examples matter!

humans learn thru behavior matching, mimicking, then adjusting and refining from feedback.

smh.

this #phdlife aint for everyone.

but i want people to have a better chance of success if/when they try.

*** note: earlier "paragraphs" were used loosey-goosey as "chapters"

chapters can be waaaaay longer than 1 paragraph.

Methodology is due today… sooooo i'm gonna need to work on this.

next post, i'll share what I submitted for homework, so you can jump on the feedback bandwagon.

here is an interesting video i found recently related to Chat-GPT brain rot aka Humans getting dumber because of relying on Chat-GPT to think for them:

ChatGPT Brain Rot Is Real (And Getting Worse) ~13 min…

~5min at 2.5x speed ;)

share your thoughts in the comments!