Tracy's Qualitative Research Methods, Ch. 5 Notes

Tracy’s Qualitative Research Methods

Chapter 5: Proposal Writing

Getting Started with the Institutional Review

            Research proposals are “detailed plans that lay out the purpose, path, and procedures of the project.” Voluntary informed consent is a necessity, and as a result, we have human subject protections. Review boards are mostly governed by the Belmont Report, which is a statement of principles regarding human subjects. It includes requirements for scientifically valid research designs and that the benefits of the study outweigh the risks. Your university’s IRB website will have a great deal of resources, and sometimes this includes training, workshops, and online certifications.

The IRB Proposal: Rationale, Instruments, Informed Consent, and Confidentiality

            The rationale for a study is a primary component of an IRB application. It should explain things like research questions, duration, scope, recruitment, and data collection methods. For qualitative scholars, when asked to list research instruments, they should cite things like the questions they intend to ask in interviews. In the IRB application, it is also necessary to include the way that you intend for people to give informed consent. The particular requirements for informed consent will differ depending on the institution. When working with vulnerable populations, forms of assent are used instead of consent. Forms of consent are still needed from guardians or trustees in these situations, though. IRB may also ask for a letter of permission from an official or group gatekeeper if the group studied is private. Applications must also contain the procedures used to keep information about participants protected. In some cases, data will have to be modified or omitted in order to minimize the chance of deductive disclosure of a research participant.

Different Levels of IRB Review

            Exempt review – This is the quickest review, and it is used for qualitative studies of public behavior. The study must not collect identifying details of participants. It often requires the researcher to only give out an informational letter rather than a full letter of consent. Letters may not even be needed if observations are done from afar.

            Expedited review – This includes the usual application and turnaround takes several weeks. This type of review is necessary for studies that collect names and identifying details about the subjects. An expedited review is also necessary if the data collected could cause criminal, financial, or occupational harm to the participants.

            Full-board review – This type of review is necessary for projects that work with participants that cannot give their consent. Full-board review can take longer than three months.

The Quirks of IRB

            IRB has been criticized for its involvement with qualitative research because members of the board are frequently unfamiliar with the conventions of qualitative work. Due to the emphasis on generalizability by the IRB, some qualitative researchers choose to skip IRB because they are not concerned with making generalizable statements with their research. Not getting IRB backing can be problematic, particularly if something goes wrong with the project. Review is also advisable for any work that may be presented or published. Getting a project through IRB quickly can be done by making sure the project uses well-known and frequently used practices.

Creating the Scholarly Research Proposal

            The success of scholarly research proposals is in their ability to closely adhere to the standards and guidelines of the professor, institution, or agency. Research proposals almost uniformly include titles, abstracts, key words, rationales, research purposes, goals, reviews of existing knowledge, research questions, plans for data collection, and timeline or budget.

            Titles of research projects should communicate the main topic and invite readers to learn more. The title, abstract, and key words should clearly communicate what the proposal is about, and they should stay away from heavy uses of jargon or overly clever or cute conventions. Key words can include methodological terms, the discipline, context, or theoretical approaches.

Introduction and Rationale

            Purpose statement – Explains the primary purpose and goal of the research; should be obvious and explicit.

            Conceptual cocktail party – This is the identification of the various audiences of the project. It should attempt to create a dialogue by citing four or five major people who are influential or tied to the project through scholarly work or other types of contributions.

            Rationale – The rationale answers the “So what?” question. If the work is phronetic, this is an easy task. If it is a theoretical piece, then rational can explain how the study will build on existing knowledge, how it might fill a gap, or how it might bridge various concepts. Simply pointing out a lack of knowledge is usually not good enough.

            Literature review – This is the longest part of a proposal. It shows how the primary concepts and theories have evolved over time, and it frames the study. This can be easier if you adopt the theories that have guided another project—you can mine their bibliography. The literature review should be organized by topic or issue rather than author.

            Research questions – The research question should be closely related to the title, rationale, and literature review. They include the same language that is used within the rest of the proposal.

            Methods – The methods section includes the number of researcher hours, the number and type of participants, the number of pages of data that might be expected, and the way that such data will be collected. This is also the area for explaining specialized words.

            Budget/timeline – This section is not required in all proposals. It includes a list of all the research tools needed and their costs. It is important not to be too conservative when writing this section.

            Projected outcomes – This section is also not required in every proposal. It needs a discussion of possible conceptual or material outcomes, such as helping resolve a theoretical debate or increasing understanding of a problem. Material outcomes can include class papers, conference papers, grant applications, scholarly articles, white papers, class syllabi, strategic plans, or coordination plans.