As part of the final project for the course, you will select a topic that you would like to study in the field of public administration and complete a proposal paper for the research project to be submitted at the end of the course. Each week, starting with Week 1 and concluding with Week 5,you will complete one section of your final research project, starting with a general statement and background of the problem, introduction, research model and design of the study, research methodology, analysis of the data, and presentation of the results.

Following is the week-wise distribution of the tasks for the final project:

Week 1: Selection of a Research Project

Select a topic that you would like to study in the field of public administration and note how you might address each of the components in the design of a proposed study about your selected topic. Compose the preliminary introduction that includes the research question and proposed hypotheses.

Week 2: General-Purpose Statement, Background of the Problem, and Ethical Issues

Finalize the introduction section of your research proposal by defining the research topic by stating the general-purpose statement. Continue reviewing the relevant literature about your selected topic to find out what is known about the topic. You will consider the ethical issues that you will need to anticipate for this study and how you might address them.

Week 3: Finalize the Introduction and Literature Review Sections

This week, a formal statement of your specific research questions or hypothesis and theory associated with your study objectives are made. The final literature review should be completed.

Week 4: Research Methodology and Data Collection Procedures

This week, you will complete the section of your research paper on how you plan to conduct the study. It is the central methods section where you will explain your data collection methods (what you will do to get the data) and your sample (from whom you will get the data).

Week 5: Presenting the Results

You will indicate how you will present the results of your research project to organizational decision makers or policy makers.

Getting Ready: Introduction, Statement of the Research Problem and Hypotheses

This week, you will start the first phase of your final project by performing the following tasks:

• Collect, organize, analyze, and critique five published research articles related to an area of interest to you within public administration.
• Write an introduction to your topic and the overall problem you are addressing.
• State the research problem along with the research and null hypotheses.

Complete this section of your paper in a Microsoft Word document. It should be approximately 6 to 8 pages not including the cover and reference pages.