Compulsive Buying Among Young Adults

Your first major assignment for this course is to write the first two Sections I and II (see the proposal outline posted on BB) of the final Proposal (Course Learning Outcome 5 and 6). This assignment is to be submitted electronically via “Assignments” on Blackboard and will be automatically screened for academic integrity using SafeAssign. PLEASE read the instructions and the Rubric thoroughly. It is worth 20% of your final grade.

Your assignment should meet the following requirements:
•    Write at least 4-5 pages paper while adhering to APA citation style.
•    Use at least eight empirical sources (peer-reviewed journal articles and books).                    [I currently have 5 already]
•    Each paragraph consists of at least 4-5 sentences.
•    Submit on Blackboard in a standard word document format (must).
Follow APA General guidelines:
•    Have a title page (Indicate accurately the purpose of the study and methods used).
•    Make 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides; title page.
•    Use Times New Roman font, size 12, and double-spaced the entire research paper.
•    Follow APA citation style (title page, main body, reference page).
•    Remember to properly reference all ideas and information using APA referencing format, to avoid the serious academic offence of plagiarism. You must use in-text citations and a list of references according to the APA citation style. For example, you must use APA in-text citations in the proposal for any idea or direct quote that you use that is not your own idea. If you find an exciting idea and put it in your own words, you must still provide an in-text citation for it. Further, this is an individual assignment. It is not a group assignment. No two proposals should resemble each other in whole or in part. See the following Humber Libraries site for guidance about how to properly reference direct quotes and paraphrased material: http://library.humber.ca/APA-MLA N.B. Failure to properly reference constitutes plagiarism and will result in an automatic grade of zero. Students who commit this serious academic offence will be reported to the college for academic misconduct.

No credit may be given if your proposal is not in the format specified below. Your proposal should have the followings:

I.    INTRODUCTION [200-300 words]
•    Begins with a relatively significant issue (some staggering statistics, the problem). Then, focus on the specific issue that you are interested in (a general subject area to a particular field of research)
•    Provides the reader with the necessary background and setting to put the problem in the proper context.
•    Establishes the context and significance of the study by summarizing current understanding and background information about the topic.
•    Highlights the aspects of previous research (e.g., some methodological flaws in previous approaches)
•    Discusses an issue or a question that needs to be addressed
•    States an excellent idea of what the central issue of the proposal will be by the end of the introduction

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM [100 -150]
•    Specify the purpose of the research (first sentence – The purpose of the study is to find out…).
•    States what issues exist or what problems still need to be addressed (cite whenever required).
•    States previous findings were inconclusive and contradictory (cite the earlier studies according to APA style).
•    Describes the problem be researched.
•    Find a research or literature gap.  A research or literature gap refers to unexplored or underexplored areas with further study scope. You may realize some areas have significant scope for more research.
•    Explain how your study plays a role in addressing the problem.

Research Question/s
•    Writes focused, researchable, feasible, specific, and relevant research questions.

***Remember: If your proposal does not have a research question/s, your proposal will not be marked. Thus, a Zero mark will be assigned.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY [100 – 150]
•    Convinces the reader on how the study will contribute and who will benefit from it
•    Includes an explanation of the importance or rationale to explain to an audience why a researcher’s work is worth performing
•    Examines what impact the study might have not just on the academic or scientific community but also the general public
•    Identifies the practical significance of the study. Writes how an organization or the government could possibly change its policy to better serve people in need.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Definitions of Key Terms (at least 30 words for each definition – refer to published articles and book, but NOT a dictionary).: Include a list of definitions for terms and concepts that have significant meaning for your study. How do you conceptualize or define key terms used in your proposal, mainly in your research questions?

Literature Review [at least 600 words]. (You must incorporate feedback that you’ve received in your mini-lit review). This lit review section provides a perfect space for you to summarize, evaluate, and compare original studies. Focus on the literature related to your research topic. Connect the literature to your research and investigate the strengths and challenges of previous research approaches. When comparing and contrasting various research, you also show gaps in past research and how your research can fill the void. Compare and contrast the different arguments, theories, methodologies, and findings of past studies. Critique the literature write which arguments are more persuasive and why? Conclude your literature review section with an emphatic restatement of your study’s central research questions (goals). Note: don’t write an article by article or author by author.