For the first project, you will choose an issue or need in your local community, or a community of choice, on which to base your research and research proposal. This section establishes the groundwork for the whole of your research. To cover the appropriate range of research, you should consider using at least five scholarly or professional sources that establish context for your research question, methodology, ethical implications, proposed conclusions, or any theoretical orientations you might be using in your proposal.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Describe the community need in your local community or a community of your choice, and explain why you chose this issue.

II. Assess the primary and secondary sources for their credibility, justifying how the sources are or are not credible. How do you know the sources are credible? How do you know the sources are not credible?

III. Assess the primary and secondary sources for their applicability to your research, justifying how the sources are or are not applicable. How will the sources support your research question? How do the sources you've found appropriately cover the range of research needed for addressing your topic?

IV. Conclusions: Using the primary and secondary sources, what conclusions can you draw for informing your research proposal?

a) What types of research designs have been used with similar issues? Differentiate the advantages and disadvantages of the types of research designs.

b) What types of research methods have been used with similar issues? Differentiate the advantages and disadvantages of the types of methods.

c) Discuss any ethical dilemmas stemming from others' research and how these dilemmas may be relevant to your own research.