A formal research proposal shall be prepared in accordance with the standards of the academic discipline. The formal proposal must provide a clear and lucid description of a question or problem and a proposed method of answering the question or solving the problem. Proposal drafting is considered a learning process and helps the students avoid oversights and possible mistakes. The proposal should explain the question or problem to be investigated and convince the research paper professor and department that the question or problem merits investigation. In general, the research proposal should include background information related to the research topic, purpose of the research, and investigatory procedures to be used. The formal proposal should not exceed five (5) pages (proposal title page not included). As well, in addition to the 5-page research proposal is a 5-page annotated bibliography. It should show that the student has read the relevant and recent literature on the subject and it should contain a list of materials consulted during the preliminary stages of research. When the proposed research involves the study of human subjects and/or animals, an outside review and approval of the proposed research is required (see Institutional Review Board).
Research paper preparation entails a partnership between the student and professor who is responsible for directing the intellectual content and proper formatting of the paper. Research paper length and depth of research shall be in accordance with disciplinary standards, but should normally not be less than 50 double-spaced pages of text (at least 12,500 words). Research paper formatting can be Turabian or APA style, but must be consistent throughout. The research paper title page must be in compliance with the requirements for a thesis/research paper title page as shown in Appendix 2, including appropriate online library declarations (see Chapter II). The citation style manual used in the research paper will be Turabian or APA. The student and professor shall coordinate the process for the student to submit and receive feedback on draft paper sections. The student is also encouraged to ask other APUS faculty and professionals and leaders in their field of study to read and provide feedback on draft sections where these faculty members and professionals may have special
