Guide to Project for Supervisors ITECH 5500 Professional Research and Communication CRICOS Provider No. 00103D Assignment Proposal.docx Page 1 of 8 Research Proposal Overview The purpose of this...

Guide to Project for Supervisors
ITECH 5500 Professional Research and Communication
CRICOS Provider No. 00103D Assignment Proposal.docx Page 1 of 8
Research Proposal
Overview
The purpose of this assessment is to enable students to demonstrate a critical awareness of previous research in
an IT context within a chosen topic area through a basic understanding of research theory and techniques. It
equires clear communication of ideas in a professional manner so that the reader can easily understand the
purpose and results of your research. Overall goals of this assignment are to help you to:
 Become more knowledgeable about finding and using varied research sources in your chosen area in IT.
 Further develop your critical thinking skills and back up your points with evidence.
 Become more adept at synthesizing information and developing informed views.
 Discipline yourself to follow a scholarly research format to document in-text sources and a references
page (bibliography).
 Compose a well-organized, clear, concise, research paper to expand your knowledge on a research
question in your chosen area.
You may work on this report individually or in groups of two or three
You are responsible for identifying your own topic for this proposal. You may use the same topic as for your
Assignment 2 literature review, but if you do then the literature review section of this proposal should be
substantially revised from that submitted for Assignment 2 – you should have identified further papers, and the
focus of this review should be more specific to your research proposal rather than the
oad topic area.
Timelines and Expectations
Percentage Value of Task: 40 %
Due: 17.00 Friday September 28
th
(Week 11)
Minimum time expectation: 20-30 hours
Learning Outcomes Assessed
The following course learning outcomes are assessed by completing this assessment:
Knowledge:

K1. Determine the role IT research plays in contributing to organisational innovation, and success.

K2. Critique advanced communication theory for organisations.

K3. Identify appropriate research philosophies for IT projects, which match organisational approaches.

K4. Identify appropriate methodologies and methods, for an organisational IT research project.

Skills:
S1. Utilise effective communication practice in organisations.

S2. Demonstrate expert English language skills in academic and professional contexts.
CRICOS Provider No. 00103D Assignment Proposal.docx Page 2 of 8
S3. Evaluate the quality and utility of literature sourced.

S4. Undertake a literature review for an organisational IT research project.

Application of knowledge and skills:
A1. Compose a research proposal and report on a topic related to an organisational IT research project.

A2. Present written and oral reports to academic and organisational audiences.

Assessment Details
Background
The mini research report provides a detailed description of a proposed research idea. It is similar to an essay
and needs to be in a formal style with introduction, body and conclusion. In addition it requires a critical
analysis and a coherent presentation.
Requirements
Each group is required to submit a mini research report XXXXXXXXXXwords excluding the title, abstract, table of
contents and references
ibliography). The purpose of this task is to assist students to prepare and write a
scholarly paper at an appropriate standard for this level of study.
You have already done quite a bit of work for this research in tutorials: you should have a tentative research
issue, strategies and evidence to persuade your readers about the significance of the problem you’re
esearching, as well as the validity of your research issues. You also should consider opposing views or good
counter-arguments that you can address in order to help establish your credibility and enhance the relevance of
your paper.
A. Report Layout (20%)
The mini research report must contain the following sections, submitted in the order as listed
elow-
 Title Page – selection of an informative title
 Abstract - summarization of the significant concepts in the study focusing on key aspects
(major results and conclusions)
 Table of Contents.
 Introduction – outline of the thesis, problem, question, etc. (stating the thesis/theory in terms
of relationship among variables and examining the problem or investigating the question, or
the like) and preview of the structure of the paper.
 Literature Review- demonstration of the ability to find significant sources, familiarity with
the existing body of knowledge, analysis of existing research, and learning through a careful
eading of existing scholarship.
CRICOS Provider No. 00103D Assignment Proposal.docx Page 3 of 8
 Methods (and Methodology)- procedures and processes undertaken in your
investigation/study including the research design– study type, research question, hypotheses,
variables, and data collection methods (as applicable).
 Conclusion –
iefly restate the research highlighting the implications of your research
 References- include relevant literature sources (in-text citation and a list of full-text
eferences)
 Appendices (if applicable) - tables, graphs, charts or any other- related to the study not
included in the main paper but refe
ed to.
Note: Students are required to follow the ‘General guide to referencing’ and ‘Guide to Writing and
Study Skills’- specially the ‘Layout and Appearance’ and the ‘Report’ sections.
http:
federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/164121/FedUni-General-Guide-to-Referencing-
2014.pdf
http:
federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/190044/2014-General-Guide-to-Writing-and-Study-
Skills.pdf
[For distribution of marks, see the Marking Ru
ic at the end of this document]
B. Reflective Journal (10%)
You are required to produce a Reflective Journal (approximately 1000 words) that has been
ongoing and progressive in terms of reporting ideas developed and other findings for the
purposes of the research work.
For this part of the assignment, write up a Reflective Journal of all work relating to your
esearch topic and research idea as you have progressed through on a weekly basis, based on
your weekly work/exercises in Part B of your Tutorial-Workshops from weeks 1-10.
 A Reflective Journal is a tool that allows students to reflect on and write about their progress
in their learning. They can identify and reflect on success and challenges. Its purpose is:
o To record the development of your ideas and insights through the weekly exercises
o To reflect on your own learning process
o To analyze and discuss key issues covered by class work and/or readings
 In other words, a Reflective Journal is a personal record of your progress and your
developments in thinking about a subject or a topic. Although it’s a more informal style of
writing than other academic assignments, you now need to submit it as regular entries
developed over a period of time- from week 1 till week 10. Your reflective journal forms the
asis of your research report.
 Consider the following when writing a reflective journal:
o Describe events and your experience on weekly basis (weeks 1-10 based on the
Tutorial-Workshops Part B) – What did I do/hea
see?
http:
federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/164121/FedUni-General-Guide-to-Referencing-2014.pdf
http:
federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/164121/FedUni-General-Guide-to-Referencing-2014.pdf
http:
federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/190044/2014-General-Guide-to-Writing-and-Study-Skills.pdf
http:
federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/190044/2014-General-Guide-to-Writing-and-Study-Skills.pdf
CRICOS Provider No. 00103D Assignment Proposal.docx Page 4 of 8
o Interpret and evaluate the events from your perspective – What do I think about it
now? How does it relate to other things that I know?
o Explain your experience- reveal your new insights, connections with other learning,
your hypotheses, and your conclusions.
o Have I changed how I think about the situation? How have I used these to help
organize my writing?
 Create individual weekly headings to reflect on and add a
ief conclusion on the reflections
at the end, all as suggested above.
[Adapted from the following sources: Morley-Warner, T. (2000), Academic writing is: A guide to writing in a
university context, Centre for Research and Education in the Arts, Sydney.]
C – Ethics Application(10%)
Include a fully completed ethics application in your submission. Refer to the lecture slides from
week 7 for details of how to complete each section and to tutorial 7 for the links to the appropriate
documentation
Submission
Submit an electronic copy of the Research Report along with your Reflective Journal and Ethics
Application via the Turnitin submission link on the course Moodle page. Please refer to the Course
Description for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and
plagiarism. A reminder all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website, see:
http:
federation.edu.au/staff/governance/legal/feduni-legislation
Research Proposal via the Turnitin link
You will be able to view the originality report immediately after submission. You are advised to
submit earlier so that you can check the originality report and make necessary changes (by
paraphrasing, adding appropriate in-text citation
eferencing etc.) to eliminate matching and avoid
PLAGIARISM. You may re-submit the assignment until the due date/time.
http:
federation.edu.au/staff/governance/legal/feduni-legislation
CRICOS Provider No. 00103D Assignment Proposal.docx Page 5 of 8
Marking Criteria/Ru
ic
ITECH5500 Research Report- Marking Ru
ic
Student Id. Student Name
Category Excellent Good Acceptable Poo
Unacceptable Marks
Introduction 8-10
Strong
introduction of
topic’s key
question(s) and
terms. Clearly
delineates
subtopics to be
eviewed. Specific
thesis statement.
6-7
Conveys topic
and key
question(s).
Clearly
delineates
subtopics to be
eviewed.
General thesis
statement.
3-5
Conveys topic, but
not key
question(s).
Describes
subtopics to be
eviewed. General
thesis statement.
0-2
Does not
adequately convey
topic. Does not
describe subtopics
to be reviewed.
Lacks adequate
thesis statement.
10
Literature
Review
14-20
Sources are
exceptionally well-
integrated and
they support
claims argued in
the paper very
effectively.
8-13
Sources are well
integrated and
support the
paper’s claims.
4-7
Sources support
some claims
made in the
paper, but might
not be integrated
well within the
paper’s argument.
0-3
The paper does not
use adequate
esearch or if it
does, the sources
are not integrated
well.
20
Methods (and
Methodology)
14-20
Appropriate
procedures and
processes
included and clear
design of the
esearch
addressed.
8-13
Procedures and
processes are
included, and
esearch design
is somewhat
clear.
4-7
Some procedures
and processes
included, and
esearch design is
not clear.
0-3
Procedures and
processes are