Dear Sir/Madam 
Please follow the instruction.
In order to cover the topics of research methodology, the course structure will allow the development of a research proposal on a topic concerning ethical and professional issues. Students will be introduced to research methods and ethics / professionalism in parallel. There are several milestones and deliverables that will ensure that students will successfully submit a proposal. The main deliverable will be a research project proposal containing:
• Title
• Abstract
• Background / introduction
• Research question (should be clear, focused, unambiguous, achievable)
• Review of relevant literature, which demonstrates that the research question covers a gap in the literature
• Critical review of applicable research methodologies, which discusses available methodologies with regards to the research question, issues of data collection and analysis. Choice of methodology should be clearly justified
• Detailed project plan
• Relevant references
2. Task Description
In order to cover the topics of the module, the coursework will consist of an extended research proposal. The topic of the proposal is to be suggested by the student. It must be within the broad area of the module, i.e. social and ethical consequences of computing and information technology.
It is recommended that students suggest three possible topics and submit them to the module tutor by email. The module tutor will comment on and, where appropriate, authorise the topic. 
Students should then do more detailed research on the topic, undertake a literature review that shows the relevance of the topic and develop a suitable methodology that would allow them to answer it.
In addition students should discuss where they would publish the research based on the proposal. They should discuss at least three possible outlets (academic journals) and justify the choice of an appropriate one. 
The structure of the proposal should include: 
• Title
• Abstract
• Background / introduction
• Research question (should be clear, focused, unambiguous, achievable)
• Review of relevant literature, which demonstrates that the research question covers a gap in the literature
• Critical review of applicable research methodologies, which discusses available methodologies with regards to the research question, issues of data collection and analysis. Choice of methodology should be clearly justified
• Detailed project plan 
• Relevant references
• Appendices 
o (appendices should be used to provide the research instrument or equivalent, e.g. a survey, case study protocol, interview plan, observation plan etc.)
o Journal to which the final paper resulting from the proposal should be submitted
o Consideration of ethical issues should also be included in appendices (use research student form available on the Faculty of Technology HRE website)
The project proposal should be 4000 to 5000 words long, excluding references and appendices. It should use the Harvard style of referencing and it CANNOT use Internet references (this does not rule out academic journal references which are accessible through the DMU resources and library web site). The proposal must be submitted in paper form (1 copy) and in electronic form to the plagiarism detection system “turnitin” built into Blackboard.