You must also hand in one research project, directly relevant to their interests

You must also hand in one research project, directly relevant to their interests and the field of social work.Generally, this project is roughly “halfway” between expediency and passion of the researcher.This paper should be of “near” publishable quality.Criteria for grading consist of the clarity of the question, relevance of the inquiry to social work, the pertinence of the research design vis-à-vis the phenomenon studied, and the intelligibility of the research report. It must be well written and in APA format. Students will be required to hand in parts of their work, such as interview questions, ethics consent form and literature review for feedback as the semester progresses. They must also adequately present their research in class in a logical, substantive, yet passionate way attuned to ethical issues. It must also be presented in a clear, articulate way, consistent with basic principles of good public speaking as discussed in class.Please pay attention in class as to when portions of the project are due.
Please note the Guidelines for the Qualitative Research Project will be attached.Whereas you ought to be familiar with a variety of qualitative approaches, as discussed in class, to get a good “taste” of this research you are required to have a sample of four research participants, (who must be vetted by the instructor who also serves almost literally as Editor in Chief of your project) to interview as you engage in inductive theory building, most essential to qualitative research approaches, which should eventually enhance the quality of life. Although you are to interview four participants, you are only required to hand in one transcription of the interview in the Appendix.However, to emphasize you must interview four individuals.Please keep in mind that it is an extremely serious matter and ethical violation should the researcher falsify data, such as having repercussions like going before the school’s educational advisory committee.When writing it is also recommended that you become familiar with APA style and also good writing skills.Hacker’s Rules for Writers and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association ought to serve as excellent resources.
Finally, please note the following important points in regard to your research projects:
Other points to consider are: 1) you are only to interview professionals or their equivalent in the field, thus, no vulnerable groups, such as those receiving treatment on your practica, the chronically mentally ill, the homeless, or those using illegal drugs; 2) if interviewing someone via the Internet, in order to protect confidentiality, you are only to use audio; 3) when discussing that person whom you interviewed, you are not to mention his/her name, again to protect confidentiality; 4) you cannot disseminate your findings from your research outside of the classroom situation and then again in anonymous fashion;5) If you wish to discuss your findings outside the classroom situation in publications, conference presentations and the like, you must get approval for your research project by the college’s IRB before beginning your research; 6) if it has been found that your research meets the criterion of “minimal risk,”and you will not disseminate the information outside the classroom situation, you do not need to get IRB approval, provided of course that you have taken the ethics training described above, and also have run by your instructor your interview guide and continue to hand in portions of your research during the semester to ensure that it is being conducted ethically and with beneficence.