1. Project III: Research Proposal (8-12 pages not including references, plus 10-15 references)
Problem statement
Literature review
Research questions and/or hypotheses
Methodology
References

2. I. Problem Statement
Justify the choice of your topic (indicate the significance of the problem chosen for study).
Do not suggest any solution.
State the general purpose of your study at the end.

3. II. Literature Review Review related theories.
Review related research.
Apply an organizational scheme to present the literature reviewed (see Chapter 3).
Avoid making a “shopping list”; try to integrate the literature reviewed.
Document your sources in the text.
Include at the end a summary (integration) of the literature reviewed in order to
provide the rationale behind your research, &
guide your reader to your research questions and/or hypotheses.

4. III. Research Questions and/or Hypotheses
Questions are posed when researchers do not have enough evidence, on the basis of the literature reviewed.
When researchers feel confident enough to make a prediction, they advance a hypothesis (a tentative statement about the relationship between the independent and dependent variables).
(see Chapter 2)

5. IV. Methodology
Design (# of independent & dependent variables, and how many levels of each variable are involved)
Subjects (how many, how they will be selected, their relevant characteristics, such as age, sex, education, social status, etc.)
Measurement techniques (how the variables are operationalized)
Procedures (what will happen during the investigation, what instructions will be given to subjects, etc.)

6. References
Use APA style (check the fifth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)
Reference Citations in Text
Reference List

7. Reference List
(alphabetical order, hanging style, book/journal/paper titles italicized i/o underlined)
[Books] ----[Do not include in your references]
Chen G.-M., & Ma, R. (Eds.) (2002). Chinese conflict management and resolution. Westport, CT: Ablex.
[Journal Articles]
Ma, R., & Chuang, R. (2001). Persuasion strategies of Chinese college students in interpersonal contexts. Southern Communication Journal, 66,
[Book Chapters]
Ma, R. (2000). “Both-and” and “neither-nor”: My intercultural experience. In M. W. Lustig & J. Koester (Eds.), AmongUS: Essays on identity, belonging, and intercultural competence (pp ). New York: Longman.
[Conference Papers]
Ma, R. (1999, November). Globalization through communication: From free flow of goods to free flow of messages. Paper presented at the 1999 Convention of the National Communication Association, Chicago.
[On-line Journal articles]
Ma, R. (2000). Donald E. Williams: The professor as scholar. American Communication Journal [On-line serial], 3(2). Retrieved March 10, 2000 from the World Wide Web:

8. How to document Chinese sources?
Refer to 參考書目 of the following articles:
華夏傳播學方法論初探
台灣報紙頭版設計的趨勢分析：