Develop their skills in reviewing and critiquing literature for evidence-based practice, practice informed research, identifying issues and questions for research, exploring the implications of
research findings and designing research that addresses practice-based questions.
The principal purpose of the problem statement is to acquaint readers with the issues you plan to
address in your hypothetical research project and to review relevant literature. This section of
your research proposal sets the stage for the methodology section (Assignment 2) and should
briefly cover the following topics:
Identification of the problem or issues. Include a concise description of the problems or issues
you plan to explore.
Importance of the problem and the study. Explain why it is important to address these issues.
Relevance to social work. How might the findings be useful to the field? What gaps in
knowledge might the results fill?
Literature review. Use the literature search strategies reviewed in class to identify pertinent
publications. You must conduct a comprehensive literature search using the Rhode Island
College library’s electronic search tools (casual Google searches are not satisfactory). Discuss
how your project relates to research that has already been conducted, based on your review of
published and unpublished literature. The literature review should be presented in a way that
supports your approach to the research issues, i.e., the importance of the topic, the
appropriateness of the methodology. Avoid summarizing publications one by one, in serial
fashion (According to Smith . . . According to Jones . . . According to White . . .). Instead,
organize your discussion around relevant concepts and themes, using references from the
literature to support your points.
Conceptual framework. Present the research question(s) that will guide your study. Be sure to
operationally define the concepts and variables you plan to explore. Be sure to provide a succinct
summary of the project you have in mind and the key issues you plan to address. Do not include.
specific methodological details, e.g., sampling approach, data collection methods, measurement
issues: this information will be included in the second assignment.
Although all of these topics must be addressed in the problem statement, you do not have to use
the sub-headings or the order listed here. Your discussion should flow smoothly, however. Be
sure to include transitions wherever appropriate.
